The quarterback position has been a giant facepalm for Maryland’s football program in recent years. But Terps fans may finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief after they see a new face at the helm of the offense this season.
Transfer portal quarterback, Josh Jackson, 21, a redshirt junior, is one of many to find himself a new home in College Park, Maryland. Shaq Smith (Clemson) and Keandre Jones (Ohio State) are also two big-time transfers for Maryland. However, Head Coach Mike Locksley’s biggest transfer acquisition so far, since being hired back in December, has undoubtedly been Jackson.
The 6’2″ 218 lbs quarterback transferred to Maryland after entering the transfer portal back in January. In 2018, Jackson played in three games for Virginia Tech before fracturing his leg – ending his season. However, Jackson looked on the positive side and continued to keep pushing forward.
“It definitely makes you appreciate the game more,” Jackson said. “It was upsetting going out with the injury but … you get to learn about yourself going through that.”
So, of course, the concern of another “injury-prone” quarterback for the Terps is the talk of the town, right? Wrong. In fact, Maryland fans, students, and coaching staff alike are all excited to see Jackson on the field.
“Any time you come into a room basically with a hundred people who are slightly ahead of you, you have to put in the work. He’s done that,” said Scott Montgomery, Maryland’s offensive coordinator. “But the one thing you have to come in with, outside of maturity, is a great level of humility. He’s done that. He started at the bottom and start working through everything from personnel to what we want schematically.”
Fans took to Twitter to show their love for Locksley’s QB1 decision.
Even some Virginia Tech fans were letting Maryland fans know that the team made the right decision.
This isn’t the first time Jackson had to compete for a starting spot. During his freshman season in 2017, Jackson was in competition against teammate, and junior college transfer, A.J. Bush.
Jackson ended up winning the competition and became the first freshman quarterback to start a season-opener for Virginia Tech since Michael Vick in 1999.
As a result, Jackson threw for 2,991 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just nine interceptions as the Hokies quarterback his freshman year, leading them to a 9-4 record and a bowl appearance. His 2,991 yards were also the most by a freshman quarterback in a Power-Five conference that year.
His ability to throw the ball provides an instant upgrade for a Maryland passing offense that ranked 121st out of 130 teams this past season. In fact, Maryland hasn’t possessed a top-50 passing offense since 2013 – which they ranked 50th.
With a possible two more seasons in his college career, Jackson has an opportunity to bring success to a program that’s been in freefall since leaving the ACC.
The program only has one winning season since joining the BIG 10 back in 2014 and they’ve yet to have a winning record within the conference or division.
But with Jackson at the helm, we could be looking at a more successful Maryland Terrapins football team this season.