Archbishop Spalding (MD) cornerback Jayden Shipps has made the offseason switch to the weight room where the 6-foot-1, 185-pound is looking to add another five to ten pounds of muscle while building on his defensive IQ. The local three-star was a pivotal piece for the Cavaliers, posting 63 tackles and three interceptions en route to a MIAA championship.
His steady growth over the last two seasons has led to a consistent uptick in his recruitment as West Virginia, Indiana, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Syracuse, NC State and Tennessee are among the double-digit verbal offers thus far for Shipps, but it was Boston College then Maryland who proved to be the first two offers. So it was no surprise that Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, who was announced as Maryland’s new co-defensive coordinator and cornerback, is the coaching who’s been most consistent with the Spalding defensive back.
He was the one recruiting me from Boston College so I know him really well. I feel like we click pretty well. As soon as he got to Maryland, he texted me that he was back in town so that was crazy,” Shipps told IBG. “I’ve talked to him a couple of times in person and we just were there. You know how you can automatically connect with some people? It’s just like that. He’s just a good guy.”
Shipps isn’t the only coach in College Park who he’s built a strong relationship with as co-defensive coordinator Brian Williams has built a strong rapport with the prime defensive target.
“That’s the main guy I’ve been talking with. He’s really cool,” Shipps added. “I’ve been talking to Maryland a lot recently. We’ve been getting into a better stage, a good stage. I feel really comfortable with the coaches there
While the coaching shakeup leaves room for Shipps and the other local defensive backs to get a closer look at the changes in the coaching style, he knows the defensive identity remains the same in College Park.
“They’re very disciplined. I can tell they get good coaching up there and they just go hard, everybody flies to the ball and that’s something you need in the [defensive back] room. I love that.”
He doesn’t have any visits set yet.
Jayden Shipps is rated a three-star prospect and an 87 overall by On3, sitting as the 16th-best prospect in Maryland.
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