Maryland Keeping Tabs on Hawaii Athlete

Wide receiver coach Joker Phillips maintaining contact with Hawaii receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala.

Maryland rode the momentum of Taulia Tagovailoa to expand their recruiting territory this cycle when James Campbell (HI) athlete Titus Mokiao-Atimalala added his fourth Big Ten offer after connecting with wide receiver coach Joker Phillips. The established relationships with Arizona State, Cal, Michigan, Notre Dame and UCLA gave the Terps stiff competition, but the steady relationship has kept them squarely in the mix.

“They’ve been staying in contact, sending me information about the school. Coach Joker texted me earlier [on Sunday] just checking up on me. I feel good about them,” Mokiao-Atimalala told All Terrapins. “We just text like every other day or two, three times a week. It’s been getting better, it’s been getting stronger. He’s just been getting to know my background, I’m getting to know his background and what Maryland has to offer.”

The addition of Mokaio-Atimalala’s cousin to the program gives him familiarity with the program, but learning more about the program is the next step. So what’s been the message from the Maryland staff so far?

“[Phillips] just told me that me coming there, they’re trying to build it back up. That’s why they offered me, because they know the kind of person that I am and I had the opportunity to play at other schools but I chose to play where I’m from. So I backed that up and now, for us to be one of the top teams on the island is a true blessing. Same thing similar to what they’re doing at Maryland, they’re just trying to build it up and put Maryland back up where they belong. They’ve told me they had a lot of good commits coming in.”

Maryland already has one wide receiver committed in Virginia product Tai Felton and remain in the hunt for top targets Jalil Farooq and Malcolm Johnson Jr., but Maryland made it clear why they went cross-country for their latest target.

“They want me to play wide receiver because they love my ball skills. All they can do is prepare me, just releasing routes, getting in and out of breaks and stuff. They said my ball skills are unteachable and that’s something I’m truly blessed in. They’re excited about me.”

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound receiver target added he’s “still deciding with my family” as to whether he will release his top list or embark on his five official visits, but staying patient is the undisputed priority down the stretch.

“That’s the plan, I’m sticking to it.”