COLLEGE PARK — It’s Year 3 for Maryland football coach Mike Locksley but Saturday’s Red-White Spring Game was full of firsts. With last year’s spring game canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 season played without fans at Maryland Stadium, it was the first opportunity for a handful of players to experience a game with a crowd, albeit limited and socially distanced, at Maryland Stadium. Likewise, it was the first chance for the couple thousand Maryland faithful in stands to get a close-up look at dozens of new faces.
Most importantly, Saturday’s game was the culmination of a spring session that Locksley hopes will be the launchpad for a fall season that can build off a shortened 2-3 campaign in 2020 that provided moments of hope for the program.