Maryland Football: Perry Hills Named Starter, New QB Transfer

Maryland football has announced the starting quarterback for this season and will welcome another as a transfer for next year.

Maryland Terrapins Head Coach DJ Durkin have been looking to name a starting quarterback. Now they have found one and it is Perry Hills.

“After an open competition through the spring and the first two-plus weeks of training camp, we’re excited to move forward with Perry as our starting quarterback,” said Durkin. “Perry has embraced this challenge from day one and has put in the work and shown improvement every day. He’s grasped our offense and the way we want to do things, and has shown tremendous leadership.”

Hills had eight starts for the Terps last season, where he passed for 1,001 yards and eight touchdowns. Hills amassed 535 rushing yards. That was good enough for the fourth-most rushing yards by a Maryland quarterback in a single season.

Hills has played in 18 career games with 15 starts at quarterback for the Terps. Hills has totaled 2,423 yards passing with 17 touchdowns and has rushed for 536 yards with six touchdowns.

Also, Hills has worked with former NFL quarterback, Gus Frerotte on his mechanics, according to the Washington Post:

"Hills received a majority of the first-team reps throughout camp and duringMaryland’s open scrimmage last weekend, although he had to overcome two early interceptions. While ball security will be key in determining whether Hills keeps his job after the season opener – he threw 13 interceptions last year and averaged just 3.2 yards per pass – his mechanics have improved after summer workouts with former Washington Redskins quarterback Gus Frerotte."

“It definitely showed me that whatever I put my mind to, I can definitely get better. Last summer, the coaches told me you’re too stiff, you’re not athletic enough. I really put my mind to really building that part of my game,” Hills said last week. “Now it’s just tweaking things here or there, whether it be over-striding, making moves on a defender … that I just worked on this summer.”

Hills’ main competition, Caleb Rowe, went down with an undisclosed injury during camp. Although Rowe had a good, clean practice when he returned, the job was given to Hills for his consistency.

Related Story: Bowl Eligible Season Possible for Terps

Caleb Henderson Transfers to Maryland

The Terps also acquired the services of the former four-star quarterback Caleb Henderson. He formerly played for the UNC Tar Heels. Henderson only has played in two games and rushed for 53 yards in five attempts.

Here’s the official statement from the Maryland Terrapins:

"Additionally, Durkin also announced that quarterback Caleb Henderson has transferred to Maryland from the University of North Carolina. The Burke, Virginia native was a standout at Lake Braddock High School where his father, Eric Henderson, was the offensive coordinator before accepting the head coaching job at Hayfield High School in Alexandria, Virginia. Henderson will sit out the 2016 season per NCAA transfer rules and will have two years of eligibility remaining starting in 2017."

Henderson’s family also released a statement via the Tar Heel Times, solidifying Henderson’s tweet:

"Our son, Caleb, left the University of North Carolina last evening. He is very grateful for the 2 years he spent there as a student athlete. He would like to especially thank his coaches and teammates."

The Terps will make their season debut on September 3rd at 12 p.m. against the Howard Bison.