MM 2.4: Maryland football hires Pep Hamilton as offensive coordinator

This is a Maryland Minute, a short story followed by a roundup of Terps-related news.

Maryland football officially hired Pep Hamilton as its new offensive coordinator, head coach Michael Locksley confirmed Tuesday.

Hamilton has bounced around at both the collegiate and professional level, most recently serving as the Houstan Texans’ offensive coordinator in 2022 after serving as the team’s quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator in 2021. He was quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020 — Justin Herbert’s rookie year — and head coach and general manager of the XFL’s DC Defenders in the league’s pandemic-shortened 2020 revival season.

Hamilton’s son, Jackson, is an incoming freshman for the Terps, having committed to the program in July as a three-star quarterback.

Perhaps Hamilton’s most noteworthy achievement is his work with Andrew Luck. Hamilton was Luck’s quarterback coach and offensive coordinator at Stanford in 2011, when Luck was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. He was later Luck’s offensive coordinator with the Indianapolis Colts from 2013-15.

“I love Pep. I’ve been with Pep for a long time, since back in college, I feel like I’ve grown a lot under him as a player,” Luck told USA Today in 2015.

Hamilton has been quarterbacks coach for Howard and Stanford at the collegiate level, and at the pro level for the Texans, Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets. His bevy of experience developing quarterbacks is especially relevant with highly-touted freshman Malik Washington entering the picture this upcoming season.

Hamilton’s last collegiate coaching job came as assistant head coach and passing game coordinator at Michigan in 2017 and 2018.

In other news

No. 16 Maryland women’s basketball guard Shyanne Sellers was named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Top 10, finalists for an award given to the nation’s best shooting guard, as well as to the Women’s College All-Star Game Watch List.

Maryland wrestlers received new InterMat and FloWrestling individual weight class rankings.

Four-star edge rusher Zahir Mathis, the top unsigned edge rusher in the 2025 class, is set to announce his commitment Wednesday. Maryland and Florida State are the two contenders.

Longtime ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. gave praise to former Maryland football safety Dante Trader Jr. on his podcast First Draft.