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Three-Star Defensive Back Flips From Florida State To Maryland, Joining Two Other Recruits

Local Three-Star Cornerback Sean Johnson switches from Florida State, committing to Maryland. It has been an eventful month for the 2026 class at Maryland, as they've flipped three different prospects into attending College Park.
Jaden Golding|
Oct 11, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland state and Maryland Terrapins school flags on display after a touchdown during the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
Oct 11, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland state and Maryland Terrapins school flags on display after a touchdown during the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

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Maryland TerrapinsFlorida State SeminolesOhio State BuckeyesAppalachian State Mountaineers

Mike Locksley and his staff added another recruit to their 2026 recruiting class. Cornerback Sean Johnson, originally committed to Florida State University, announced this past Friday that he'll now be attending Maryland.

Johnson is a 6'1 defensive back who hails from Severn, Maryland, and, like current Terps quarterback Malik Washington, attends Archbishop Spalding High School.

Funny enough, it was never stated or publicly announced if the Terps made an official offer to Johnson or if he ever visited.

However, Brian Dohn of Inside Maryland Sport had sources that told him Johnson was at Maryland at the end of November, and he said that the Terps' persistence was the factor in getting him to visit. His official flip was also garnered by NIL, playing in the Big Ten and in front of the home crowd.

247Sports Composite has Johnson tagged as the No. 46 cornerback in the 2026 class and the 14th-best player out of Maryland.

The Terps have been active on the recruitment portal in recent weeks. Johnson now joins two other players who have flipped and are making their way to College Park: defensive tackle Cameron Brickle and quarterback Nathan Bernhard.

In terms of Brickle, the Terps swayed him away from conference foe Ohio State after he previously committed to the Buckeyes on June 28. Brickle had visited the Terps back on June 13th, about two weeks before his initial commitment.

Brickle is a 6'2 defensive lineman who attended the high school powerhouse, IMG, rated a three-star prospect out of the 2026 class, and also the 64th best defensive lineman by 247Sports Composite.

247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins described Brickle's playing style stating;

" He's a powerful kid with heavy hands and knocks guys backward. Has quick feet in the box and plays behind the line of scrimmage. Strong at the point of attack and can move well laterally. Can disengage from a blocker and shows the ability to run down plays from behind. He's a true nose guard who can take on double teams and still make plays. "

It will be nice to see him play alongside the likes of Zahir Mathis, Sidney Stewart, and fellow 2026 committee five-star edge, Zion Elee, forming an elite front four that could cause havoc in the backfield.

The final prospect that flipped was quarterback Nathan Bernhard, who had decommitted from Appalachian State on Nov. 24th and switched to the Terps.

Bernhard had an amazing Senior year at his high school, Ashland, throwing for 2,878 passing yards, 31 passing touchdowns, and two interceptions, while also rushing for 674 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns.

Bernhard fits the mold of a strong dual-threat quarterback who provides experience and stability within the depth of the Terps' QB room.

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Jaden Golding
JADEN GOLDING

Jaden's sports journalism career began at the College of Southern Maryland from 2022-2023, where he was brought in to cover baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball at CSM. In late 2023, he began interning at the University of Maryland Athletics Department as a contributing writer to help develop feature stories and game recaps. He also creates his own sports media content on professional Washington teams with LegacyMaker Sports Network.

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