With Big Ten football set to return to play on the weekend of Oct. 24, each conference member’s SB Nation site came together to preview their own program heading into the 2020 season. Each blog filled out a questionnaire to give insight, and Testudo Times will go through each game on Maryland football’s schedule.
Today, we take a look at the Terrapins’ week one opponent, the Northwestern Wildcats, with the help of Inside NU editors Eli Karp and Lia Assimakopoulos.
Key departures
Rashawn Slater - LT, opted out after the season was originally postponed to the spring, declared for 2021 NFL Draft
Jared Thomas - C, graduated
Joe Gaziano - DE, graduated, school all-time sack leader, UDFA for the Chargers, now on practice squad
Top returnees
Greg Newsome II - DB, star DB
Kyric McGowan - WR who was used as a running back at times last year, could continue to do so
Riley Lees - WR, led team in receiving, needs to step up this year
Paddy Fisher - LB, draft-bound linebacker, star defender since arriving on campus but needs a rebound after a mediocre 2019
Earnest Brown - DE, major shoes to fill at DE after Gaziano’s departure, battled injury in the past - has good size and talent but needs to show production
Travis Whillock & JR Pace - senior starting safety tandem
Isaiah Bowser - RB, starting running back, missed most of last year with injuries but burst onto the scene in 2018 as true freshman - bruising, old-school back
True freshmen or transfers set to make an instant impact
Peyton Ramsey - grad transfer QB, will likely step into the starting role after grad transferring from Indiana
John Raine - grad transfer TE, will fill a major void at TE after grad transferring from FAU
Derek Adams - grad transfer P, one of the MAC’s best punters continues NU’s cycle of recruiting grad transfers at the position
Peter Skoronski - OL, Northwestern’s highest rated OL recruit in program history - unclear if he’ll play as true frosh, but he could.