Ashland star QB Bernhard flips commitment from Appalachian State to Maryland

By Doug Haidet

ASHLAND – Seven months after originally committing to play football at Appalachian State – and with the NCAA Division I early signing period (Dec. 3-5) closing in – Ashland High School senior quarterback Nathan Bernhard has flipped his commitment to the University of Maryland.

Bernhard said that when the Arrows’ season ended November 7 in the playoffs at Columbus DeSales, he felt he was still headed to the Division I Sun Belt Conference school in Boone, North Carolina.

When he committed there in late April, Appalachian State had been the 14 th college to offer him, and Bernhard felt playing for the Mountaineers would give him his best chance at playing quickly on a big stage at the college level.

But he also knew that – with his senior season still to come and the recruiting world of college football so volatile – there was a good chance things could change.

“I definitely did expect something to happen near signing day,” Bernhard said Sunday, “I just didn’t know who it would be and if they were opportunities that I’d actually want to entertain.”

Bernhard had originally visited Maryland in March, and while the staff with the Terrapins didn’t give him an official offer at that time, they kept in touch throughout 2025.

On Saturday night, after attending Maryland’s sold-out home finale against Michigan, Bernhard accepted head coach Mike Locksley’s offer on the spot.

“I didn’t know that it was somewhere I would (consider flipping to) until probably this last week or two,” Bernhard said. “… Once I took the visit, I felt it was the right decision.”

Bernhard never kept it a secret that he would love to land at a Big Ten program if he felt he would be given a legitimate opportunity to become a starting quarterback there.

He’s been a lifelong Ohio State fan and, at the time he committed to Appalachian State, had been in serious recent discussions with Michigan.

As he progressed through his senior season at Ashland – breaking or tying no fewer than 10 program records while leading the team to a 10-2 finish – Maryland became a larger possibility. He said the staff has told him he will be the lone quarterback from the 2026 high school graduating class on the Terrapin roster.

“Even though I made the decision to make a commitment to App State – because it’s what felt right at the time – (Maryland) continued to stay in contact,” Bernhard said. “Throughout the season, they said, ‘If you continue to play how you are playing and continue to improve, you’re gonna be in a good spot.’

“They noticed that there was growth between my junior film and my senior film and I think that definitely did have a big effect.”

With the Terrapins, Bernhard will learn from a coaching staff loaded with NFL and major-college coaching experience, particularly with ties to many current and past NFL quarterbacks.

Locksley is in his seventh season leading the Maryland program and – among many other stops – was the offensive coordinator at Alabama during its national championship and national runner-up finishes in the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

He worked with current NFL quarterbacks Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones while there.

Meanwhile, the Maryland coach Bernhard said was most instrumental in bringing him in was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton.

Hired into the program in February, Hamilton’s resume includes 15 years of coaching in the NFL with a combined eight different franchises, including time with Pro Bowl QBs Andrew Luck and Justin Herbert.

Most notably, Hamilton was Luck’s offensive coordinator at both Stanford University and with the Indianapolis Colts before eventually becoming Herbert’s quarterback coach in 2020.

That season, the Chargers’ star was named the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year after throwing an NFL rookie-record 31 touchdown passes.

Bernhard said Hamilton watched him throw in April, not long before his commitment to Appalachian State. Maryland assistant wide receivers coach Derek Kief, a former receiver at Alabama, also watched him workout in Ashland as far back as last January.

Another huge factor playing into Bernhard’s decision to switch has been on the education side. He is leaning toward studying law in college and now will be on a campus that’s just a quick drive from Washington, D.C.

He said Maryland and Locksley are major assets when it comes to getting opportunities with internships and forming connections with businesses and different programs in the area.

“There is so much opportunity in that Washington, D.C., and Baltimore area,” Bernhard said. “It is 20 minutes from the most powerful city in the world.

“That was a big aspect in my decision, outside of football.”

When it comes to the field, though, perhaps the most important assessment Bernhard had to make before his commitment was how obtainable his opportunity would be to play quarterback. The Terrapins have had an up-and-down 2025 season. After opening 4-0, they lost games to Washington, Nebraska and UCLA by a combined 10 points.

Maryland’s 45-20 loss Saturday to Michigan in front of 46,185 fans at SECU Stadium left it with a 4-7 record (1-7 Big Ten) heading into its final regular-season game this week at Michigan State.

The Terrapins, however, boast one of the nation’s most well-known young quarterbacks in true freshman Malik Washington. He came to the program as the No. 5 quarterback recruit in the nation and twice this season has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

Washington’s three touchdown passes against Florida Atlantic were the most in a debut for a true freshman in the Big Ten since 2009.

He ran for 164 yards against Rutgers, and in Maryland’s win over Wisconsin, he threw for 265 yards and three scores. The 6-5, 230-pound Washington is fast becoming one of the most electric players in the country. That fact is something Bernhard thinks will not only have some of the other current Terrapin quarterbacks transferring out of the program, but also will keep many other established college quarterbacks from trying to come to UM.

“It’s not going to be a very appealing transfer-portal location for an experienced quarterback who has already played at this level with there already being a freshman starter,” Bernhard said.

With the assumption that Washington could be drafted into the NFL after the 2027 season, that could potentially leave Bernhard entering the 2028 campaign at Maryland as a redshirt sophomore.

“I see a great opportunity there, just in terms of developing, competing and eventually playing – whether it’s early for whatever circumstances or if it’s in a couple years after hopefully Malik gets drafted,” Bernhard said.

“I want him to have the most success as possible and to go to the (NFL). If he does do that, then I have the footprint of what it takes to be an NFL-draftable quarterback. I get to see that first-hand and hopefully can apply it to myself and follow suit and do the same thing.”

Bernhard has met Washington and said he quickly got the sense he will enjoy working alongside him.

“It’s important to know that the guy you’re gonna be in the quarterback room with and competing with for the next couple years is also a good human being,” Bernhard said.

Washington is part of a wave of young players Locksley and the Terrapins have thrown into regular game action this year.

If the group can grow well together, Maryland has a chance to get back on a track that had it posting three straight winning seasons and three straight bowl victories from 2021 through 2023. That success came during the era of quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, who finished as the Big Ten’s all-time passing leader (11,256 yards) with Locksley at the helm.

Just a week ago, new Maryland athletic director Jim Smith announced his support of Locksley moving forward, and he has said that the football program also is set up to be more financially supported within the wild world of NIL deals. Bernhard said it’s exciting to think about being part of what he sees as a program on an upward trajectory.

While he said he was drawn to Appalachian State due to the rich background in coaching quarterbacks of many on the Mountaineers’ staff – including head coach Dowell Loggains and associate head coach Clyde Christensen – Bernhard said Maryland simply became too enticing to turn down. Specifically, he said it was nice to know his 6-6, 240-pound frame fit the mold of the quarterbacks Hamilton has helped thrive during his career.

Luck (6-4, 235), Herbert (6-6, 235) and current Houston Texan Davis Mills (6-4, 225) all have been guided by Hamilton along their paths to NFL stardom.

“I feel like there are a lot of great people on the staff and they’re also great coaches at the same time,” Bernhard said. “A big part of what I liked about it is that there’s a big emphasis on what they’re gonna do to develop me so that I can be the best quarterback that I can be.”

Just last week, Bernhard was named the All-Northwest District Offensive Player of the Year in Division II for the second consecutive season. He’s likely to be a first-team All-Ohioan again after closing his career with just under 11,000 total yards of offense and 127 total touchdowns.

He will graduate early from Ashland on Jan. 10, then will jump right into the spring semester at Maryland later that month. The journey that began with a Big Ten offer to Penn State in February of his freshman year has ended with a Big Ten offer to Maryland. He said it had to be a perfect fit to pull him away from a great situation at Appalachian State.

“There’s a lot of tradition (at Appalachian State), a lot of pedigree and a lot of support there, but Big Ten football, that’s big time,” Bernhard said. “You’re on national television every week, you’re playing in stadiums that sometimes have 100,000 fans. There’s nothing better than playing in those atmospheres. “You’re playing football at the highest level, and if you want to go to the NFL, playing well in the Big Ten is one of the best paths there can be.”