As the Terps prepare for the NCAA Tournament, we’re talking about practice squad players.
Jack Dowd has seen it all. The graduate student’s college career has taken him from Division I to Division III and back again. Along the way, Dowd accrued one of the best statistical profiles in the nation — but he likely won’t feature again for the Terps.
Spencer Ford, on the other hand, has a lot left ahead. The freshman was the National Lacrosse Foundation’s top-ranked attacker in the class of 2024, a consensus five-star prospect out of Boys’ Latin School in Baltimore. But Ford’s Maryland men’s lacrosse career has yet to start.
While they are at very different stages of their careers, both players are emblematic of Maryland’s selfless culture. In an era of college sports where players are free to transfer wherever they want, Dowd and Ford are comfortable on the Terps’ practice squad. The graduate student is spending his last year of eligibility mentoring players; the freshman is delaying his first year of playing, which he could easily do at several other schools, to learn from those around him.
Their common desire to be a Terp, despite their drastically different backgrounds, show why Maryland’s program is a powerhouse. As the Terps attempt to win their fifth national championship, the impact of scout team players like Dowd and Ford — hidden away from the bright lights of SECU Stadium — is as crucial as ever.
Dowd’s path to Maryland was far from conventional.
The Florida native began his career at Furman in 2020. Like all players, his season was upended by COVID-19. For Dowd and his teammates, though, it was much more severe: as part of its financial response to the pandemic, Furman axed its men’s lacrosse team. Just like that, a freshman with nine points in seven games — including two against both North Carolina and Penn State — had no home.
“There was pretty much nowhere to go,” Dowd said. “All roster spots were filled, teams just didn’t graduate anyone. So staying [in Division I] was pretty hard.”
Dowd transferred to Salisbury and quickly became one of the best players at the Division III level, scoring 261 points over four years. He was a consensus First-Team All-American in his junior and senior seasons, also taking home the USILA Fran McCall Outstanding Midfielder award in 2024.
When looking for a home for his final year of eligibility, Dowd was sold by Maryland.
“I wanted to have the chance of winning a national championship, and in my consideration, I think Maryland was definitely the best place for me,” Dowd said. “And when I was a child, I mean, I always had that dream of playing for Maryland.”
Ironically, the Floridian’s lifelong dream of being a Terp was not shared by Ford, a Maryland native and the top-ranked prospect in the state.
“I don’t really like saying this anymore, now that I’m here, but… [I’d] always been a Hopkins fan,” Ford said. “But then as recruiting came, I took my first visit here and just fell in love with the guys.”
Ford decided to redshirt the 2025 season to preserve the year of eligibility, but his relevance to the Terps extends beyond game time. As the primary dodger on Maryland’s scout team, Ford’s duty is to prepare Maryland’s excellent defense for the looks it will face on any given weekend.
And he takes his duty just as seriously, if not more so, than the players he faces.
“Spencer contributes tremendously on our scout team,” Dowd said. “If you ask any of the starters on our defense, he gives them a hard time. He doesn’t miss a lot of shots.”
If the Terps win the national championship, Ford certainly will have played his part. The same applies for Dowd. Coming into the season, Tillman told the sixth-year what he’s told all Terps — just like in the real world, nobody’s position is guaranteed based on their body of work from previous seasons.
Dowd hasn’t played much more than Ford has — he began the season with a role on Maryland’s extra man offense, but following struggles early in Big Ten play, the unit was shaken up. Despite his five points on the season, Dowd was the odd man out. That role change doesn’t bother him, though.
“As long as I’m supportive to my teammates and doing whatever I can do to help my team win, I think that would be the best position for me, whether that is being on the field or off the field,” Dowd said. “I’m just happy to get a win, and I’m also happy to see guys younger than me building that confidence and having good games.”
Neither player is likely to contribute on the field for the rest of the season. And yet, out of sight of Maryland fans, they remain impactful as Maryland prepares for the NCAA Tournament.
Dowd has been happy to act as a mentor for freshmen like Ford and Jack Schultz. His insight has been invaluable for several Terps – regardless of whether that impact will be felt now or later in the future.
“I feel like I look at lacrosse differently now,” Dowd said. “Along with the other old guys, we tell [them] to be confident and be ready for that moment, because we know how good [they are] as a player. … If you make one mistake, your career is not over. That’s what they have to see.”
Maryland’s veterans have been successful in imbuing young players like Ford with the program’s work ethic and character. When Tillman showed up to his weekly 9 a.m. media availability on the Terps’ tournament bye week, he was impressed — he’d been beaten to the facility.
“We don’t practice until the afternoon, and there are a bunch of the younger guys out there working on footwork drills,” Tillman said.
The ability to attract experienced veterans and mentors like Dowd is special to programs like Maryland, which has played in the NCAA Tournament’s championship game in eight of Tillman’s 13 full, COVID-less seasons at the helm.
“That chance to go all the way to the Final Four and hopefully play on Memorial Day Weekend really is what stood out to me,” Dowd said.
The Terps enter the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a popular pick to go far. The Terps ooze with talent, to the point that one of Division III’s best attacking midfielders and one of high school’s best attackers from the 2024 season share the same place on the sidelines.
In spite of all the uncertainty facing teams and all the freedom players now enjoy, Maryland convinced both of those players to spend 2025 riding the bench. Come Memorial Day, if Logan McNaney and Eric Spanos and other Maryland stars hoist the national championship trophy, so too will Dowd and Ford and all the other players fulfilling roles outside of the spotlight.
Neither Dowd nor Ford regret their decision to be a Terp. Both Terps have been worthy of their spot. Such is the power of Maryland’s men’s lacrosse program.