DC athlete Zahir Cobb explains early commitment to Maryland ahead of official visits

Ahmed Ghafir
May 13
3 min read

It was just over one month ago when Zahir Cobb, a 6-foot-3 safety out of St. Albans (DC), made the solo trip to College Park ahead of a Saturday spring practice, but it proved to be the most pivotal one in his recruitment to-date.

“When I first got there I was chilling in the recruiting lounge with [coordinator of scouting] Christian [Feliziani] and then went to meetings, walked around, got to meet all the coaches, players, walked around in the locker room after practice,” Cobb told IBG. “It was great.”

Fast forward to May 12, Cobb pointed to that visit as the day that moved the needle on the journey to his Maryland commitment, ultimately setting the stage to become the fourth in-state and fifth total commit of the 2026 cycle. Cobb went back-and-forth about an early decision, initially releasing a top group including Maryland alongside Virginia, Virginia Tech, Indiana and Penn State with four official visit locked in. But with visits elsewhere inching closer, the strong pull to Maryland through the rest of April into May resonated with Cobb as the relationship with assistant and lead recruiter Aazaar Abdul-Rahim loomed largest in his recruitment.

“Me and coach Aazaar have been on it for a minute now. I just wanted to make it official so I didn’t waste anyone’s time,” Cobb said. “I’ve been thinking about it the last couple of weeks, honestly.”

The relationship between Cobb and the Terps’ staff separated Maryland among his top contenders.

“I’m not the biggest recruit but they always treated me like one so that stuck out to me. And the location, how close I am and the ability to play in big games so close to home,” he added.

The local three-star athlete also spent time with the coaching staff evaluating which side of the ball he’d ultimately play, keeping the door open as a wide receiver at the next level. While Cobb noted “over time, we’ll see” with both his official visit and his senior season ahead of him, the three-star is also high on the chance to play in the secondary under Abdul-Rahim. “They really just want to see me work out there, really, to see which spot I’d be best at,” he added.

St. Albans head coach Orion Martin knows Cobb is a rising senior who “loves football” with a chance to play on both sides of the ball. “I think he’s a great defensive back but I also think he can also help at receiver too.”

As Cobb leaves the door to offense open, Martin knows why the newest Terps’ pledge joins the class with a chance to develop into a versatile defensive back.

“His body type, man. I think he’s close to 6-foot-3.5, 190 right now. He’ll continue to grow. Once he gets to campus and hits the weight room, lifts 12 months out of the year in a college program. He’s rangy, has great ball skills. He’s smart, instinctive. He’s one of those kids you tell him once, he’s got it. With that skill set and his body type, he can play a variety of positions. He can play the field or the boundary as a corner. He can play both safety spots, even some nickel, overhang if need be. Come off the edge in blitzes, man up on slot, cover a tight end. And the thing about it, he’s a great tackler, great in the open field.”

With Cobb now publicly in the fold, the three-star pledge confirmed his official visits to Penn State, Virginia and Virginia Tech are now canceled as he heads to College Park the weekend of June 13 for his official visit. With his decision now wrapped up, he’ll shift to recruiter and look to bring another star from the IAC to College Park with him.

“We’ve got a lot of talent in the area to get guys into the program. We play Immanuel [Iheanacho] in our conference and I talk to him a little bit about schools.”

As a junior, Cobb posted 55 tackles, 13 pass deflections and five interceptions last season. He also had 1,265 yards of offense and 16 touchdowns as the 6-foot-2, 180-pound athlete proved himself as St. Albans' star in 2024.

Zahir Cobb is rated a three-star and an 88 overall by On3, checking in as the third-best prospect in DC in the 2026 class.

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