Predicting Maryland football's 2015 depth chart: Part 1, offense

Maryland loses 13 starters from last year's team, and 17 players from their two-deep. There's a lot to replace, but also quite a bit of young talent moving up through the ranks. The Terps may still target some graduate transfers, particularly at quarterback and along the defensive line, but I'll move forward with what I have to predict next season's two-deep, starting on offense.

The Terps lose six starters on offense: quarterback C.J. Brown, wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Deon Long, and offensive linemen Jake Wheeler, Silvano Altamirano and Sal Conaboy. There will be some contributors returning to the fold, however: wide receiver Levern Jacobs and offensive tackle Moise Larose come back from suspension while wide receiver Taivon Jacobs, offensive lineman JaJuan Dulaney and tight end Andrew Isaacs return from injury.

I'll go through this position-by-position, taking a guess at the two-deep as well as listing some other players to keep track of. It's a long way until next season, and there are always a few surprises in camp.

Offensive backs

Unless a graduate transfer like Kevin Hogan lands at Maryland, Rowe will almost certainly be the starter for his senior year. Hills is the logical pick to back him up as the only other quarterback on the roster with game experience, but if Shane Cockerille improves as much as he did last offseason, he could challenge for the job. There's also the possibility of former Minnesota QB Dexter Foreman II, who appears to have spent the last year at Maryland and could be added to the roster. Even if he is thrown into the mix, he's likely on the outside looking in for the two-deep. True freshman Gage Shaffer, the only other quarterback scheduled to be on the roster, will almost certainly redshirt.

Ross and Brown will likely be Maryland's primary ball carriers once again this season. Both had relatively strong finishes to the 2014 season, but neither has developed into a consistent deep threat yet. Other options off the bench will include Albert Reid, Joe Riddle, true freshman Ty Johnson and H-Back Jacquille Veii.

Goins has performed well as Maryland's fullback over the past two seasons, and Andrew Stefanelli will almost certainly replace Tyler Cierski as his backup. The Terps will probably need to target one in the 2016 recruiting class, as Goins is graduating and there aren't any other fullbacks on the roster.

Wide receivers/tight ends

Earlier, I broke down who would probably replace Stefon Diggs and Deon Long, but here's the guess at the full two-deep. The Jacobs' brothers and Leak should make an explosive trio of starters, and all three backups have significant game experience. True freshmen D.J. Moore and Jahrvis Davenport have impressed at the high school level, and could work their way onto the field with a strong camp. Another name to watch out for: redshirt freshman Will Ulmer, perhaps the fastest player on the team and someone who could break out at the slot if given the chance.

At tight end, Isaacs gets the slight edge over Gallo, but I imagine that will be a battle again. Derrick Hayward is another one to watch out for: the former linebacker saw more playing time as the season went on and has tremendous athletic potential. Redshirt freshman Andrew Gray could see time in goal-line situations as a blocking tight end.

Offensive line

This is probably the hardest unit to predict on the team, with three departing starters and a number of young talented players we haven't seen on the field yet. Gray is the most likely of the redshirt freshmen to win a starting job -- he's a year older and stronger and spent the year as the second-string right tackle (even though he didn't play). The return of the suspended Larose would be a welcome one for Maryland, as will the full health of Mulrooney. If Larose does not return, Dunn-Mulrooney-Moore-Zeller-Gray could be the lineup, but it could also open up a spot for redshirt freshman Damian Prince.

The development of Prince will obviously be a top storyline to watch after a year spent training, and the former five-star prospect certainly has the talent to win either the left tackle or left guard job. Former walk-on Dunn can play just about anywhere on the line, so he can be moved to a different position if Prince plays his way into the starting five.

Redshirt freshman Brendan Moore reportedly impressed in practice, and can play any of the three interior positions. It's possible he could end up winning the center job, moving Mulrooney to a guard position. There's a number of players who could play multiple positions across the line, and we could see some major shifts by the end of camp.

The potential additions of tackle Isaiah Prince and guard/center Quarvez Boulware could see them make the two-deep, but with Maryland's depth in the unit it's more likely they would redshirt. The same goes for incoming freshman E.J. Donahue, who could play either guard or tackle at the next level. Fellow incoming freshmen Mason Zimmerman, Will McClain and Ellis McKennie will likely redshirt as well.