If there was one positive you could've taken away from the Maryland Terrapins in 2025, it was the defense's performances at times throughout the season. Last season was defensive coordinator Ted Monachino's first season calling plays on the defensive side in College Park.
When asked about playing in Monachino's style of defense at the 2026 Big Ten Media Days, senior linebacker Daniel Wingate had nothing but praise for the second-year coordinator:
"It makes it so fun," Wingate said. "Ted is somebody who allows you to go out there, play fast, don't have to worry about too much, and just play ball like it was when we were younger. That's something we try to keep in the defensive room, being relentless, playing fast, and playing physical."
Wingate also commented on the label he has for himself as a "car stopper," which, to him, means "when the running back is running the ball [the car], I'm going to be right there to stop it." But it's also a label that has personal meaning to Wingate, as he explains in the clip below...
It's a fitting label for the leader of the Terps defense that had 100+ tackles a season ago, a feat that hadn't been accomplished in seven seasons, despite being limited by injuries. Displaying the kind of play you'll get within Monachino's defense.
Maryland 's defense began the 2025 season playing at an elite level, holding opponents to under 20 points through the first four contests, which fueled a hot 4-0 start.
During that stretch in the first half of the season, the edge rusher duo of Zahir Mathis and Sidney Stewart was displaying their dominance, generating pressure on the QB and hitting home for sacks.
It made way for elite secondary play, becoming one of the better teams in the country at generating turnovers (21 total), ranking in the top 30, with 19 interceptions (second-best in the nation) and two fumble recoveries.
As the Big Ten portion of the schedule went on, things got rougher, but the lack of effort from the defense wasn't one of them.
Despite the rushing defense performing at a subpar rate and the points surrendered being higher down the stretch, it was still the defense that kept the Terps in those early-game contests. You could point to the offensive struggles and fatigue levels in the second half that cost them.
So what can 2026 look like?
Monachino will emphasize discipline in the interior gaps to prevent teams from tiring them out through the run game. With multiple players in the secondary, expect continued man-aggressive play to disrupt the pass lanes. The linebackers have potential that needs to develop, but with Wingate leading the group, expect guys to follow suit.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/maryland as "Fast and Physical", Senior Linebacker Daniel Wingate Describes Maryland Football's Defense In 2026 .
