Thirteen Maryland football players receive Big Ten honors

Nov 30, 2022 - 5:45 PM

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The Big Ten released its individual honors Tuesday and Wednesday, and 13 Maryland football players received all-conference accolades.

Maryland star quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa was honored by the Big Ten for the third time in three years as the Terps’ starter. The signal-caller was named Second Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and an honorable mention by the media.

Despite dealing with a nagging knee injury throughout parts of the season, Tagovailoa shattered plenty of Maryland records. With his 50th passing touchdown thrown last Saturday, he now sits alone atop the Maryland leaderboard for most career touchdown passes in program history. A product of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, Tagovailoa threw for 2,787 yards, 17 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 68.6% of his passes in 11 games this season.

Senior kicker Chad Ryland highlighted the group of Tuesday’s honorees, being named Second Team All-Big Ten. Coming to College Park after four seasons at Eastern Michigan, Ryland nailed 80% of his field goal attempts on the season, including a 13-of-14 mark from inside 50 yards. Ryland, who will head to both the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the Hula Bowl in 2023, ranked second in the nation with three field goal makes of over 50 yards.

Maryland’s defensive back duo of redshirt junior Deonte Banks and senior Jakorian Bennett were both named All-Big Ten honorable mentions. Banks, who was selected as an honorable mention by the media, had nine pass breakups and an interception this fall. He bounced back nicely from a season-ending shoulder surgery in 2021, as his 43.3% completion percentage when being targeted by opposing quarterbacks — according to Pro Football Focus — was the second best in the Big Ten.

Tabbed as an honorable mention by both the media and the conference’s coaches, Bennett came into 2022 with big expectations after leading all Power Five players in pass breakups in 2021. He once again shined as a corner, ranking in the top 10 in the Big Ten in both pass breakups and passes defended. Bennett will join Ryland and offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in February.

Senior punter Colton Spangler took the reins as Maryland’s top punting option this season and excelled, earning an All-Big Ten honorable mention. He ranked third in the conference in punting average — 45.1 yards — and had 15 of his punts downed inside the 20-yard line with only three touchbacks on 51 attempts.

Defensive lineman Ami Finau put together a solid 2022 campaign in his final season at Maryland, earning an All-Big Ten honorable mention for the second consecutive season. He had 29 total tackles for the team this season, five of which were for a loss. He also started all 12 games, making him a staple in the Terps’ front seven.

Junior safety Beau Brade, who was also an honorable mention, had an outstanding first season as a starter, leading the team in tackles with 78 — 20 more than anyone else on the roster. He was also very effective at forcing turnovers, causing two fumbles and picking off a pair of passes. Coming into the season, safety was seen as a position with many questions for Maryland, but Brade helped solidify the Terps’ secondary with his play.

Freshman linebacker Jaishawn Barham was the final defensive player to earn an honorable mention after an outstanding first season with the Terps. Coming in as a four-star recruit, Barham had high expectations but managed to exceed them, missing just one game due to injury and starting in the other 11. He was tied for the team lead in sacks with four and also had a forced fumble and fumble recovery. He was named to The Athletic’s Freshman Midseason All-America team and was named a semifinalist for the 2022 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.

Redshirt freshman running back Roman Hemby was a revelation for the Terps this season, breaking out with 1,130 yards from scrimmage, second among all freshmen in the FBS. The All-Big Ten honorable mention — by both the media and coaches — was twice named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after multi-touchdown performances, of which he had three over the course of the season — including three games with three touchdowns. Hemby finished the season with 924 rushing yards and 10 rushing scores, contributing multiple 70-plus-yard touchdowns.

Left tackle Jaelyn Duncan was one of two Maryland offensive linemen honored by the conference, being tabbed as an All-Big Ten honorable mention by both the media and the coaches. Considered an NFL prospect by many, the six-foot-six redshirt senior has been a mainstay on the Terps offensive line. Duncan, who ranks as Mel Kiper’s fifth best tackle prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft, played in 11 games this season and will join Ryland and Bennett in Mobile, Alabama, for the Senior Bowl.

Redshirt sophomore right tackle Delmar “DJ” Glaze was the other Maryland offensive lineman honored Wednesday, being named an All-Big Ten honorable mention as well. Glaze started all 12 games, including one at left tackle where he filled in for an injured Duncan. Glaze had the second-best pass blocking grade among Big Ten tackles.

Junior wide receiver Rakim Jarrett was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention for the third time in three years, receiving the recognition from both the media and the Big Ten coaches. A consensus five-star prospect in the class of 2020, Jarrett will likely wrap up his college career after three years to head to the NFL Draft. In 11 games played, Jarrett was the team’s second-leading receiver, racking up 471 yards, 40 receptions and three touchdowns in 2022.

Sophomore tight end Corey Dyches was tabbed as a potential breakout star after starting tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo departed for the NFL, and he lived up to expectations as an All-Big Ten honorable mention. Dyches finished third on the team with 449 receiving yards and added three touchdowns. His wide receiver background was clear from the jump, as he looked natural running routes downfield and maneuvering around defensive backs — or, in the case of his touchdown against Purdue, dragging them 20 yards into the end zone.