Freshman wing Jamie Kaiser Jr. entering the transfer portal

After Maryland picked up a pair of portal commitments last week, head coach Kevin Willard will now have a second scholarship to work with ahead of the 2024-25 season as freshman wing Jamie Kaiser Jr. is planning to enter the transfer portal, a source confirmed.

Kaiser started in five games in 33 appearances as a freshman, averaging 4.4 points per game while shooting 26.9% from the floor and 26.5% from three. Kaiser posted a career-high 14 points on three threes against Nebraska back in January, while his four steals in the Big Ten Tournament win vs. Rutgers proved to be the most by a Maryland freshman since Aaron Wiggins. Now, Kaiser becomes the fourth outgoing transfer for the Terps this offseason, joining Noah Batchelor, Caelum Swanton-Rodger and Jahnathan Lamothe.

Kaiser was originally a football target for head coach Mike Locksley and nearly committed as a quarterback, but opted to take the basketball route and gradually blossomed into a top target for Maryland. Kaiser was the second commitment for Willard in the 2023 class as the Terps beat out UCLA, Virginia and Indiana for his services, giving the Terps what was expected to be a big three-point shooter.

“It’s always good to see them. I’ve known DeShawn for a while now, we hang outside of basketball too and Jahn, I hadn’t talked to him in a minute face-to-face, but I always text him, but it was great to chop it up with him,” Kaiser added. “It’s real exciting because sometimes you don’t know how well it’s going to work out. It’s fun, it’s a dream so just talking to him day by day, I was just so excited they got that done,” Kaiser said at the time.

Maryland now returns DeShawn Harris-Smith and Braden Pierce as the lone returning pieces from its prized 2023 recruiting class, while portal guards Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Rodney Rice are expected to enroll in June.

Freshman wing Jamie Kaiser Jr. entering the transfer portal

Ahmed Ghafir