Maryland Football’s 2025 preseason training camp included activities beyond on-field drills, with a focus on life skills and personal development for players. The program provided guest speakers, events, and treatments to aid recovery and help athletes prepare for both college life and their future after football.
Head coach Michael Locksley explained the broader goals: “Being a professional isn’t just being a good football player or being good at your one thing (…) It’s being able to manage a bunch of different things while keeping the main thing the main thing.” Locksley emphasized that while preparing for the season remains central, his staff also aims to ready players for life after football.
Director of Football Operations Annie Peppard described efforts to introduce players to financial literacy and brand management through a guest speaker series themed “Athlete CEO.” “They’re their own CEO (…) As they get older and start earning more money, they need to be prepared to make the right decisions about finances, taxes and wealth management,” Peppard said.
Peppard noted that adapting to changes in collegiate revenue is an ongoing challenge. “No year has been the same, copy and paste from the year before (…) So we’ve been trying to not just keep up with it, but get ahead of it,” she said. She also recognized gaps in educational programs for college athletes: “We saw that there was a lack of educational programs out there for college athletes, so I wanted to find the best path to give them the right tools to make the best decisions (…) We know we can’t be responsible for helping them make every single decision. It’s their choice what they want to do with their money and time, but I want to make sure that they’re looking in the right places and asking the right questions to make those decisions.”
Speakers this year included sports content creator Justin Su’a, media and branding expert Ashely Blackwood, Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee Ozzie Newsome, and several financial planning experts. Peppard commented further on these initiatives: “Coach Locksley likes building programs to develop our players off the field (…) Developing them for life after football, developing them for preparedness for going to the next level if they have that opportunity and giving them all the necessary tools to be ready for whatever’s next for them.” She added: “The other two pieces I really wanted to hone in are branding and media (…) With NIL, they’re in this unique situation where they can start building their own brand and they might not have anyone to turn to or don’t know where to start.”
Locksley underlined his responsibility as head coach: “As head coach it’s my role to prepare the team not just for the football field, but for life (…) These are the life skill programs that we typically do during training camp, where we have their full, undivided attention. What we’ve tried to do is educate first and prepare, and then give them tools and resources that they can utilize.”
Off-field activities included community events such as crab feasts with donors—described by defensive lineman Cam Rice as beneficial for team chemistry: “I think the team bonding’s been great (…) We do all types of stuff together, whether it’s with position groups or a full-team type deal. We get along great and we’re building good chemistry.” Players also visited M&T Bank Stadium during an NFL preseason game featuring four Maryland alumni.
Maryland held additional events like cookouts with families, etiquette dinners, church services, karaoke nights labeled “Terps Masked Singer,” game nights, massages, pedicures, yoga sessions known as “Recovery Sundays,” as well as use of sleep pods around their facility.
Mental health support was also prioritized through partnerships such as Wags for Wellness. Peppard shared her approach: “I love tapping into resources that we already have on campus (…) We have so many great resources. The health center has some great programs. They’re the ones that got me connected with Wags for Wellness.” She noted her intent behind these efforts: “I know all the days and times do seem kind of crazy because we pack our days, but I pack it purposefully for balance.”
Offensive lineman Michael Hershey reflected on available opportunities: “It’s crazy the opportunities we have here. You’ve just got to take advantage of it. We have the support. We have the coaches. We have the players. If you take advantage of it, you will be successful.”
Peppard confirmed continued engagement beyond camp: “Any time we have different community events going on, we encourage everyone to attend (…) We try to focus more on community-type events and school events. There are so many things going on here at the University of Maryland. We’ll partner with different groups. If they’ve got something coming up, we’ll do our best to get some guys there to build the College Park community.”
