Big Ten Roundup (July 28): Mike Locksley Says Taulia Tagovailoa is Underrated
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Maryland football has been defined by head coach Mike Locksley and quarterback Taulia Tagavailoa for the past five years.
Locksley first arrived to College Park in 2019, and Tagovailoa soon followed in 2020 after he transferred from Alabama.
The two have slowly built the Terrapins into a more formidable foe in the Big Ten. Maryland finished with an 8-5 record in 2022-23, marking the first time since 2014-15 that the program has finished with a winning record in back-to-back seasons.
On Thursday at Big Ten Media Days, Locksley said that his quarterback is underrated nationally, and that he finds it "bothersome" to not see Tagovailoa's name mentioned when top-ten quarterbacks in the country are discussed.
Here's everything you need to know in today's Big Ten Roundup:
Locksley Thinks QB Taulia Tagovailoa is Underrated
The main driver behind preseason hype for the Terrapins is Tagovailoa. The younger brother of Miami Dolphins' and former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Taulia has thrown for 6,868 yards and 46 touchdowns in his last two seasons of play combined.
However, his head coach still believes that the three-year starter doesn't get mentioned amongst the elite as much as he deserves too.
"I think our quarterback is a guy that's underrated," Locksley said. "People in this league know about him, but when you look at and study the top quarterbacks returning, very few times do you see [Taulia's] name mentioned in that top ten, and that's bothersome. Here's a guy that's broke a lot of records and done some really great things."
Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa at 2023 Big Ten Media Days.
© Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
Tagovailoa and Locksley get their first chance to prove that he's underrated nationally on Sep. 2, when the Terrapins take on Towson at home.
Delmar "D.J." Glaze a Player to Look Out For
Everyone brings up Tagovailoa and skill position talents like running back Roman Hemby when discussing the 2023-24 Terrapins, but Locksley said that people need to keep an eye out for offensive lineman Delmar "D.J." Glaze.
The head coach said Glaze is just as good as 2023 NFL Draft picks Jaelyn Duncan and Spencer Anderson, who were both starters on Maryland's offensive line in 2022-23.
Here's a video everything Locksley had to say on Glaze:
Locksley Knows Team Has to "Start at Ground Zero"
Maryland was getting hyped by anybody and everybody on Thursday. One reporter dubbed the Terrapins a "top-30 team in the country" in their question, and almost half of what Locksley was asked centered on how his team could compete with Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State this year.
Though Maryland is seen as a clear tier below that top three, the Terrapins were picked as the clear No. 4 in the East division in the Big Ten media preseason poll.
Locksley, however, said that the key to Maryland competing with the big guns in the conference is an understanding that what they accomplished last year doesn't matter in 2023-24.
"For us, every year, we have to start from ground zero," Locksley said. "There's no building on what you did a year ago. What happened a year ago at being 8-5 has no bearing on how we'll play this year."
"The 2023 me understands that to win in the Big Ten, good teams don't beat themselves. And there are a lot of things, when you look at last season, that some of those games where we were close, that we didn't necessarily do the things or take control of the things we can control. I's going to be really important — if we want to take the next step, which is to compete for a Big Ten championship — it's going to start with us and by us."
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