Our preview of Maryland football positions continues with a look at the Terps’ running back room. We’ve already looked at Maryland’s offensive line, secondary, linebacker, defensive line and special teams.
The Terps suffered a major decline in rushing yards last season, falling from 141 rushing yards per game in 2022 to 108 rushing yards per game in 2023, placing them in the bottom three of the Big Ten.
Maryland’s two best runners – Roman Hemby and Colby McDonald – return, but Antwain Littleton II, who was a mainstay in the Terps’ running attack the past two years, transferred to Temple in the offseason.
Littleton’s death is cause for concern, but also opens up opportunities.
Maryland’s Running Back Depth 2024
| NAME | YEAR | STATISTICS 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| NAME | YEAR | STATISTICS 2023 |
| Roman Hemby | Juniors (RS) | 142 Att, 680 Yds (4.8 Avg), 4 TD |
| Colby McDonald | senior | 53 Att, 306 Yds (5.8 Avg.), 2 TD |
| Eli Mason | Second Student (RS) | 3 attacks, 10 yards (3.3 average) |
| Nolan Ray | First semester (RS) | 3 attacks, 7 yards (2.3 average) |
| Ryne Acheson | Second Student (RS) | N/A |
| DeJun Williams | First semester | High School (4 stars) |
| Josiah McLaurin | First semester | High School (3 stars) |
| Colin Reynolds | First semester | Secondary school |
Hemby and McDonald do most of the work
Maryland has used primarily a committee of running backs the past two seasons, with Hemby, now a redshirt junior, doing the bulk of the work. But with Littleton and former four-star running back Ramon Brown out of the game, the Terps could lean more on a two-running-back approach.
Over the past two seasons, Hemby has completed 55.1% of his runs as a running back, rushing for 1,669 yards, 5.1 yards per carry, and 14 touchdowns. He has also caught 71 passes for 647 yards and four touchdowns.
Hemby has been Maryland’s undisputed top player since 2022 and there’s no doubt he’ll reprise his role this fall, but Littleton, listed at 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, offered physicality and size while McDonald served as a relief. Last season, Littleton rushed for 255 yards at 3.1 yards per carry and McDonald totaled 306 yards at 5.8 yards per carry.
McDonald’s efficiency and dynamism last season certainly earned him more touches this year, but he doesn’t have Littleton’s physical profile and most likely won’t be able to fully take over the short-yardage role.
This gives the rest of the room a chance.
Redshirt sophomore Eli Mason and redshirt freshman Nolan Ray are the only other running backs with playing experience. They each received three carries last season, with Mason rushing for 10 yards and Ray for seven. Mason, 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, was unlisted out of high school, while Ray, 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, was a three-star recruit.
“Nolan Ray is a young guy who has really stepped up this spring and probably made one of the biggest leaps and biggest impacts on our team, which people are really excited about,” offensive coordinator Josh Gattis said.
Because of their size and experience, Mason and Ray will most likely replace Littleton, but Maryland has some freshmen who could carve out a new role for themselves.
DeJuan Williams, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound four-star recruit from Baltimore, Maryland, leads the class of freshman running backs. However, Williams suffered a torn ACL last spring and missed the entire 2023 high school season, making his early deployment less likely.
Josiah McLaurin, a three-star recruit, is Maryland’s other top-ranked freshman. He weighs just 188 pounds, so his potential chances are murky.
Another completely new line of attack
Maryland’s running attack was a major strength of its offense in 2022, but after losing four starters on the offensive line in 2023, the running backs’ performance took a major blow.
Unfortunately for the Terps, they are in the exact same situation this season, maybe even worse.
Last year, Maryland was at least able to bring back standout tackle Delmar Glaze, who was selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. This year, the Terps aren’t returning anyone.
As much speculation and optimism as there may be about the running back position, last season showed that without a solid offensive line, little of it counts for anything.
“We feel like we still have the players at that position (offensive line) to really take the next step,” Gattis said. “That’s going to be a big focus as we create this new identity offensively. We want to be able to run the ball.”
