A former four-star prospect is now returning home.
Former West Virginia receiver Kaden Prather will transfer to Maryland for his final two seasons of eligibility. Prather joins wide receiver Tyrese Chambers as portal additions for Maryland’s wide receiver room this season as head coach Mike Locksley and his staff reload.
Penn State and Alabama were two schools who initially competed with Maryland, while Prather was tentatively scheduled to officially visit Oklahoma beginning Wednesday. Miami was also in pursuit of the former four-star prospect while West Virginia worked to get him back in the fold, but Maryland had the upper hand from the beginning.
After posting 12 catches for 175 yards as a freshman, Prather made a name for himself last fall after finishing with 501 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 52 catches. Prather entered the transfer portal on December 12 and visited campus for Maryland’s bowl practice on the same day as an official visit was quickly set. His addition restocks a receiver room that will look to replace 34% of its production from this season after Rakim Jarrett, Dontay Demus and Jacob Copeland declared for the 2023 NFL Draft.
Prather, a former four-star prospect out of Northwest High School, was a target for head coach Mike Locksley and the staff out of high school as the Terps on a flip all cycle long. In a cycle when the staff targeted Prather, Jalil Farooq (Oklahoma) and Malcolm Johnson Jr., Prather was considered the least likely to join the fold at the time as the Mountaineers’ pass-happy offense immediately resonated while the relationship with former assistant Gerard Parker sealed the deal.
Fast forward to this offseason and Prather’s commitment gives the room an NFL-caliber talent. Trained by local receiver specialist Miles Gray during his COVID-ridden senior season, Prather began turning heads in Morgantown heading into the 2022 season. “He’s just a young kid who, I think, doesn’t know how good he really is,” West Virginia receiver coach Tony Washington said back in September. “I think he can be phenomenal. I think he can be one of the best players I have worked with. I think he will be an NFL draft guy. With him, it is just understanding that I have to be locked in every day.”
Prather joins a room that is now expected to return Jeshaun Jones next season, while Tai Felton, Octavian Smith, Shaleak Knotts and Leon Haughton returned. Maryland also signed five receivers this cycle– Ryan Manning, Zeke Avit, Braeden Wisloski, Josh Richards and Sean Williams.
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