Behind special staff connection, WR Chris Durr found a home in Maryland football

Ahmed Ghafir
3 hours ago
3 min read

Wyoming slot receiver Chris Durr Jr. elected to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 1, two days after the regular season finale loss against Hawaii, before materializing into a coveted portal target for several schools.

Maryland joined Virginia, Duke, Wake Forest and NC State as schools working to get the productive 5-foot-10 receiver on campus, but Durr didn’t anticipate drawing out his portal recruitment as he sifted through interested suitors.

“It was a lot dealing with the transfer portal and the process,” Durr told IBG. “I only took two [visits], I wasn’t trying to take many.”

His initial plan was to visit Virginia on Jan. 6 before shifting into decision mode with Virginia prioritizing the Chicago native, but Maryland convinced him to follow through on the two-hour trip to College Park to give them a chance. But who the message came from on the Terps’ side mattered with coordinator of player personnel Marcus Thomas leading efforts on the portal target who also came out of Morgan Park High School (IL).

“He used to be my coach in high school so we had a relationship before this,” Durr said of Thomas. “Because originally, I wasn’t going to take the visit. He told me to just give us a chance, come out, give us a chance, you’ll see how it is, you’ll like it. I’m pretty sure I liked it. I’m committed now,” he joked.

While the buzz initially pointed to Virginia as the team to beat, that changed less than 24 hours later before news broke of his solidified commitment to Maryland.

“It was just the coaching staff and the guys that made it feel like home, a place I could feel close to and just feel like I’m back in Chicago and focusing up. And the town is a great place to be with the White House so close, so it was a no-brainer.”

Durr was able to meet quarterback Malik Washington on the visit while spending time with both head coach Mike Locksley and wide receiver coach Latrell Scott where he dove into the need in the room and his fit in the offense.

“Me and the receiver coach were in the room sitting and talking about how I can fit the scheme, how I can be a great valuable receiver to them. Not just in the slot like I was in the past, but playing everywhere, moving around the offense,” he added.

In his first season at Wyoming, Durr made an immediate impact after finishing with a team-high 31 catches and drawing one start and appearing in all 12 games, including three catches for 16 yards and one touchdown in his first game. He followed it up by leading the team in every major receiving category with 469 yards and four touchdowns on 45 catches in 11 games, missing the season finale.

After becoming the second portal commit within a three-day span after Old Dominion Na’eem Gladding went public, Durr sees the ability to make an immediate impact in a wide open 2026 receiver room in College Park.

“Coach Locksley just being honest with me, him just not sugarcoating me and not telling me, yeah you’ve got a starting spot, you’re going to do this or that. Just telling me you’re going to have to work when you come here,” Durr said. “And the receiver coach being transparent, telling me that he knows I can be a WR1 but I can’t just have that day one. I just like the challenge and the work. That’s what I really want.”

Durr heads to College Park with two years of eligibility left and despite playing in the era where stay-or-go decisions

“I hope to not ever do that again,” Durr said of the portal. “Hope I found a home and I think I did at Maryland.”

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