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Jerome LaRue Jr. Becomes First Maryland Football Class of 2028 Commit

The PA running back picked the Terps over Indiana, Tennessee, and other top CFB programs
Michael Ostrowski|
LaRue and the Bishop McDevitt Crusaders won the 2024 PIAA Class 5A football state championship over Roman Catholic (Philadelphia), 34-31 in overtime.
LaRue and the Bishop McDevitt Crusaders won the 2024 PIAA Class 5A football state championship over Roman Catholic (Philadelphia), 34-31 in overtime. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Maryland Terrapins

Maryland football has been active on the recruiting front this spring. After nabbing both a 2027 running back and a 2026 offensive lineman following spring camp visits, the Terps have now swung the pendulum the other way and landed their first Class of 2028 recruit.

Running back Jerome LaRue Jr., a member of the 2028 Rivals 300 and native of York, Pennsylvania, has verbally committed to the Terrapins:

LarRue had already built an impressive offer sheet. In addition to Maryland, the 5'10", 185 lbs. RB had scholarships waiting at Baylor, Cincinnati, Indiana, North Carolina, Pitt, Syracuse, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Marshall, and Temple.

Other major schools who showed early interest included Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Penn State.

“The coaching staff kept it real with me from day one," LaRue said in an interview with Rivals' Chad Simmons. "I like the Big Ten, I like the uniforms, and I really like how they see me fitting into what they’re building."

LaRue visited campus several times - most recently on April 4, when he was officially offered - and he now has a future home about 2 hours down I-83/I-95 from his current one.

He is currently rated a three-star prospect by Rivals and is unrated by both ESPN and 247 Sports, though that should change sometime in the fall.

Check out his sophomore season highlights below:

Maryland head coach Mike Locksley has assembled the No. 43 recruiting class (11th in the Big Ten) this year, according to the 247 Sports Composite Rankings. These are his staff's previous rankings:

  • 2025 - No. 25 (8th in Big Ten)
  • 2024 - No. 38 (12th in Big Ten)
  • 2023 - No. 36 (6th in Big Ten)
  • 2022 - No. 32 (8th in Big Ten)
  • 2021 - No. 18 (4th in Big Ten)
  • 2020 - No. 31 (6th in Big Ten)
  • 2019 - No. 50 (11th in Big Ten)

While we can assume that the 2026 class is nearly, if not entirely, complete, getting a head start on both the 2027 and 2028 groups is essential for a program trying to bring itself back to a consistent bowl contender.

Stay tuned for more recruiting updates as prospects continue to make decisions on their collegiate futures. You can also expect to hear from 2026 five-star recruit Zion Elee on Tuesday - we'll share what he has to say right here On SI.

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Michael Ostrowski
MICHAEL OSTROWSKI

Mike joined Maryland On SI with over four years of sportswriting experience. He started off his career in Syracuse on the Orange football beat, where he was featured on CBS Sports' Cover 3 Podcast and local ESPN sports talk radio. After that, he had a brief stint reporting on Major League Baseball before returning to college sports.

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