Maryland has leaned on its local recruiting footprint to sign a consensus top-20 class in the 2023 cycle, but the staff has been able to get the ball rolling on the 2024 class through the fall. On Thanksgiving afternoon, the staff saw their efforts pay off for a top-60 prospect.
St. John’s (DC) four-star forward Donnie Freeman announced a top five of Iowa, LSU, Maryland, Rutgers and Texas. Freeman, a 6-foot-8, 190-pound forward, unofficially visited Maryland in late June then again in September to take in one of the first fall practices before taking in a glimpse of a football home game. Led by assistant David Cox, Maryland remains in the mix.
“Maryland is the hometown school and they’ve been recruiting me for a while now. I’ve built a strong relationship with them and been on campus a good amount of time being how close it is to home,” Freeman told On3.
Maryland has a high ceiling freshman center in Caelum Swanton-Rodger while sophomore forward Julian Reese could lead the backcourt once again in 2023-24, but still, the long-term answer in the frontcourt arguably remains the biggest question. It helps that the backcourt is solidified with Deshawn Harris-Smith, Jamie Kaiser and Jahnathan Lamothe all signed but the staff will have a chance to add a key piece with an imminent decision from Freeman.
Freeman officially visited Iowa back on September 15 then Texas on October 16, and while an official visit to LSU remains a possibility, the four-star tells On3 he could make his commitment in December.
Freeman is the top-rated prospect in DC and checks in as a four-star and 94 overall, according to On3. Freeman is also rated the sixth-best forward nationally according to the On3 composite rankings.
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