Maryland's first significant injury of spring practice came before the Terps put on pads for the first time Saturday.
Ralph Friegden confirmed after the morning workout that Taylor Watson, who was expected to replace Cory Jackson at fullback next season, will likely be out until September because of a torn ACL of the right knee.
The injury was sustained at practice Thursday.
Friedgen said that he tried to temper the news for Watson by saying that the timing of the injury means that the 6-2 240-pound junior from Accokeek (Gwynn Park) could return for most of the season. Watson has yet to undergo surgery because of the swelling around the knee.
In Watson's place, redshirt junior Haroon Brown will move up to No. 1 on the depth chart, with another junior, walkon Louis Berman (Arundel High School), going up to the No. 2 spot. Some consider the 6-0 230-pound Berman a better blocker than the 5-11 260-pound Brown, who redshirted last season.
With the offensive line still plagued by lingering injuries from last season, Watson's absence doesn't bode well for the Terps to come out of the spring having made the kind of progress Friedgen or offensive coordinator James Franklin wanted with a relatively inexperienced quarterback in Jamarr Robinson.