Behind Enemy Lines: Maryland Terrapins Football Recruiting

Checking in on the recruiting world at Maryland, and the upward trend that Mike Locksley seems to have compiled for his program.

Maryland football leader Mike Locksley may only hold a 4-14 record at the helm, but the head coach appears to be having his program trending in the right direction on the recruiting trail.

Locksley, preparing to enter the second year of his second stint guiding the Terrapins, went 1-5 during interim duty back in 2015 before coming back to College Park. He then finished with a 3-9 record last fall.

However, the Terps seem to be trending upward when it come to recruiting. Maryland had the No. 47-ranked class the year prior to Locksley’s arrival, but then finished 31st nationally last year (per the 247Sports composite database) and now rank No. 20 at the moment in this upcoming cycle.

“Locksley went to college at Towson and has an extensive history within the area,” said Ahmed Ghafir from Sports Illustrated’s All Terrapins. “He has the influence, ability and tactics to potentially control the DMV. It’s rich in talent, so locking down the in-state recruits is a big priority. Not only does he know the program, but he’s brought in a staff full of great assistants that have done a good job overlapping each other for the top targets.”

The 2021 cycle features an absolute haul up front defensively, as the top-five commits in the class are currently all defensive linemen (two ends, three tackles). None of those are more notable than standout Demeioun Robinson, ranked as the No. 7 overall player by SI All-American, regardless of position, on the Preseason SI99.

He is joined by in-state products Marcus Bradley, Taisze Johnson, Tommy Akingbesote and ZionAngelo Shockley in the trenches.

“Defensive line has been a weakness every since Randy Edsall took over,” Ghafir explained. “They don’t maintain a push and have gotten run over defensively. Finding the help with impact signees in this next class is undeniably the biggest addition across the roster. It provides optimism, especially when you have a potential day-one contributor like Robinson. He has the speed off the edge to make an early impact.”

Before any of those behemoths arrive to campus, Maryland fans will first get to see elite wide receiver Rakim Jarrett from the 2020 class. The prized 6-foot, 193-pounder was widely regarded as a top-five player at the position coming out of high school and should now push for immediate playing time.

“He’s always had great speed and very conscious, methodical route running,” said Ghafir, who has covered Jarrett since his freshman year in high school. “He holds a strong work ethic, has added to his frame, gets separation and boasts the skillset to be moved around inside or outside. I could see Rakim playing the whole season and being an impact guy. He really is special.”

Jarrett will join a receiving corps that welcomes back leader Dontay Demus Jr.

The ongoing recruiting battle against Penn State, within the state of Maryland, also remains intriguing. Just two of the Terrapins’ top-six commits from last cycle (Jarrett and fellow wideout Corey Dyches) were in-state prospects. Now, essentially the top-six headliners in the 2021 class for Locksley and company are all from Maryland; Johnson and fullback commit Antwain Littleton are both from Washington, D.C.

“The instability that Maryland has had since Ralph Friedgen left has been a huge detriment,” Ghafir added. “They have to show consistency and I think this staff has a better understanding of how to run the program. Penn State has historically done a better job recruiting the area, bringing in other prospects and selling the experience. Maryland definitely took advantage of the time right before the dead period. That helped with the uncommitted kids going into summer.”

Despite finishing on the lower side of the Big Ten in recent years, Maryland has certainly presented notable trouble for some opponents. Ohio State, for example, had to escape College Park in overtime (52-51) back in 2018 after the Terps missed a two-point conversion.

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