Maryland coach Randy Edsall had continually labeled quarterback a three-way race, but most believed the competition simply boiled down to seniors Caleb Rowe and Daxx Garman. So, which one is in the lead right now?

Neither.

It turns out that initial offensive afterthought, junior Perry Hills, currently has the edge. Hills saw first-team reps during a Saturday scrimmage, and he earned Edsall’s praise Monday.

“We went into Saturday and then came out Saturday after we evaluated that,” Edsall told ESPN980. “And, right now, Perry is No. 1 with Daxx being a very close second, and Caleb would be third right now.”

Hills played behind Rowe last season and competed in just three games. But as a true freshman in 2012, he started seven contests after Maryland's initial starter suffered a torn ACL. Hills threw eight touchdowns to seven interceptions in 2012 before suffering his own season-ending injury. (He redshirted in 2013.)

“The one thing I told all of them yesterday,” Edsall said, “I brought them each in individually, sat them down and told them where they were and said, ‘Perry, if you want to stay No. 1, just keep playing that way and doing the things you’re supposed to.’

“'Daxx, if you want to overtake him, here are a couple things you need to do. And then, Caleb, here are the things you haven’t done. And you have to pick it up if you want to have the opportunity.'”

Edsall hasn’t officially named a starter yet, and there’s another scrimmage Wednesday -- so things could change. But right now, it sure looks as if Maryland’s darkhorse boasts a great shot at the starting job.

At the very least, he has the inside track right now.