Maryland was the first Power Five school to pull the trigger on Churchill (MD) wide receiver Zeke Avit following camp in late June and over the weekend, the 6-foot-3 prospect took in his first unofficial to campus. Avit had been to Maryland plenty of times throughout his high school career as the two-sport standout has taken in camps and tournaments on campus and inside the Xfinity Center, but Saturday’s barbeque gave Avit a chance to see a different side of things in a lax environment.
“They showed me around a bit. I got to see [Taulia] Tagovailoa and Rakim Jarrett, they were throwing some routes and I saw Octavian [Smith] too. Coach [Gunter] Brewer was talking to them,” Avit told Inside the Black and Gold. “The photoshoot was fun.”
Brewer has remained in contact as the Terps eyeball the in-state product and Avit added the mutual interest has remained consistent since his June 24 offer. “It’s been really good. He keeps in contact pretty well and it was nice talking to him again. We just talked about going back up there, watching some practice and going on an official visit soon.” With five prospects already committed, Maryland likes the length and raw potential from the big bodied receiver. Saturday’s visit gave Avit his first chance to get to know the staff off the field. “It was really good to see how they interact with the guys like me when it’s not all about football. We got to do other things so I liked that.”
Avit also got a chance to connect with a couple of local prospects during his trip. “I talked to Dylan Gooden, some of my friends like Evan Austin. I was talking to Ryan Manning too, Champ [Long].”
After a pair of camp performances led Maryland to become the first Power Five offer but Avit added both Ohio and Penn State have shown interest since. With a decision not expected to come until the fall, Maryland will get first priority to get the in-state product back on campus. Until then, Monday marked the first day that college coaches can extend official offers to 2023 prospects and Maryland followed through with an official offer for Avit.
Maryland extended Avit an official offer on Monday with August 1 marking the first day coaches can extend senior prospects
He is currently unranked by On3.