Maryland junior WR Nigel King transferring, per report

Junior wide receiver Nigel King will transfer from Maryland after being granted his release by the program, Matt Zenitz of the Baltimore Sun is reporting.

The move isn't terribly surprising, considering Maryland's loaded wide receiving unit. Despite catching a team-high four touchdowns in 2013, he was unable to grab a starting job on the preseason depth chart, saddled behind Deon Long at one of the two outside receiver positions. Fellow North Carolinian Marcus Leak, returning from a year away from the school, had claimed the other starting outside job, with Stefon Diggs firmly implanted at the sslot.

After catching nine passes for 125 yards and a touchdown as a freshman in 2012, King saw his playing time increase with Leak's absence and caught 33 passes for 450 yards last season. He was likely going to battle with speedster Amba Etta-Tawo, four-star recruit Juwann Winfree and growing urban legend Taivon Jacobs for playing time at the outside, and will likely find a better opportunity at another school.

While more weapons is obviously better, this isn't a huge on-field loss for the Terrapins. King may have won a starting job as a senior, but the amount of talent they have at the position allows for (and likely causes) a few cases of attrition.

King was a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school, choosing the Terps over offers from LSU, South Carolina and North Carolina, among others.