Maryland football quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. is entering the transfer portal

Maryland football starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. entered the transfer portal. ESPNPete Thamel first reported on Thursday evening.

Edwards, a redshirt junior, started 11 of Maryland’s 12 games this season and missed only the season finale against No. 4 Penn State due to injury.

He started the season fast, throwing 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions in the first five games of the season. However, as Big Ten play progressed, his performance declined and he threw just two touchdowns and five interceptions in his last four starts.

However, he still finished the season leading the conference in several statistics, ranking third in passing yards (2,881), eighth in completion percentage (65%) and tenth in passing touchdowns (15).

Edwards transferred to Maryland before the 2022 season after redshirting his freshman year at Wake Forest. During his first two seasons in College Park, he played in just two complete games – serving as a backup to Taulia Tagovailoa – 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 and served as the team’s quarterback sneak specialist.

“We have a great quarterback coming back to play another year,” head coach Michael Locksley said of Edwards on Nov. 19.

But with Edwards’ departure, redshirt sophomore MJ Morris and redshirt freshman Champ Long are in Maryland’s quarterback room while four-star freshman Malik Washington is on the move.

Edwards sat and waited his turn, but after a year as Maryland’s starter, he ultimately decided to pursue other options.