Maryland basketball 2025-26 Season Preview: Projected starting lineup, impact players and rotation explored

With a coaching change and a massive portal exodus, new Maryland Terrapin coach Buzz Williams had his offseason work cut out for him. Not to worry, because Williams retooled the Maryland roster significantly in almost no time. With nine incoming transfers, Maryland fans will have plenty of new names and faces. Here's an early look at Maryland's squad.

Maryland basketball 2025-26 season preview

Two-time transfer David Coit could be a key to Maryland's season. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

Starting Lineup

Guard: David Coit

Coit comes off a tough year at Kansas, where he scored 5.1 points per game. But before that, he was a star at Northern Illinois, racking up 20.8 ppg as a sophomore in 2023-24. Coit is a 5-11 scrappy point guard who shot 38.7% last year from 3-point range at Kansas. Williams hopes to see the Northern Illinois Coit and not the Kansas version.

Guard: Myles Rice

After a season at Washington State and another at Indiana, Rice is now a Terp. The 6-foot-2 guard scored 10.1 ppg last year at Indiana and had an even bigger 2023-24 season with WSU when he was an All-Pac 12 pick. His 3-point shooting improved to 32.5% last year, which could be key for him at Maryland.

Guard: Isaiah Watts

With two years at Washington State, the 6-foot-3 Watts is yet another capable wing scorer. He averaged 11.0 ppg last year and is a career 35.8% 3-point shooter. An injury shortened his season or Watts would have been one of the WCC's leaders in steals. He's another capable veteran guard.

Forward: Elijah Saunders

A 6-foot-8 forward from Virginia, Saunders tallied 10.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last year with the Cavs. He also shot 34.7% from 3-point range, so he's yet another shooter capable of spreading the floor. Saunders started his career at San Diego State and has shown massive strides every season to date. He's a good pickup for Williams and Maryland.

Forward: Pharrel Payne

A 6-foot-9 forward who followed Williams over from Texas A&M, Payne averaged 10.4 ppg and 5.1 rpg last year with the Aggies. He's a particularly strong offensive rebounder and shot an astonishing 64.6% last year. That bodes well for his fit at Maryland, as does his year playing Williams' aggressive defenses at College Station.

Rotation Players

There's plenty of depth here. Guard Andre Mills and forwards Solomon Washington and George Turkson Jr. all came over with Williams from Texas A&M. Four-star freshman guard Darius Adams could certainly see some time. Williams has a full 15-man roster and will likely use it from time to time, particularly as his new charges learn his defensive stylings.

Impact Players

Payne is kind of a unicorn here, as he's a post guy who can score in many ways. Some of the multitude of guards need to step up, ideally Coit, who is the closest thing to a true point guard. Williams will use substitutes in waves, so as long as somebody's ready to go, the team will roll on.

What do you think of Maryland's team for next season? Share your take below in our comments section!