Maryland football starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. entered the transfer portal, ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported Thursday night.
Edwards, a redshirt junior, started in 11 of Maryland’s 12 games this season, only missing the season finale against No. 4 Penn State due to injury.
He started the season fast, throwing for 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions through the first five games of the season. But his production tapered off as Big Ten play progressed, throwing just two touchdowns and five interceptions over his last four starts.
He still ended the season near the top of the conference in multiple statistics, though, ranking third in passing yards (2,881), eighth in completion percentage (65%) and 10th in passing touchdowns (15).
Edwards transferred to Maryland ahead of the 2022 season, after redshirting his freshman year at Wake Forest. He only played in two full games during his first two seasons in College Park — serving as Taulia Tagovailoa’s backup — but won both, including last year’s bowl game against Auburn, in which he threw and ran for a touchdown. As a redshirt sophomore, he also led the Terps with seven rushing touchdowns, acting as the team’s quarterback-sneak specialist.
“We got a great quarterback that’s coming back to play another year,” head coach Michael Locksley said of Edwards on Nov. 19.
But following Edwards’ departure, redshirt sophomore MJ Morris and redshirt freshman Champ Long sit atop Maryland’s quarterback room, with four-star recruit Malik Washington on his way.
Edwards sat and waited his turn, but ultimately elected to pursue other options after one year as Maryland’s starter.
