Decision day arrives for local WR Jayden Kitchens

Ahmed Ghafir
Jul 15
2 min read

Nearly one month after wrapping up visits, St. James three-star wide receiver Jayden Kitchens is set to announce his commitment on Wednesday, July 16.

Kitchens, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound receiver, announced his final three last month with Cincinnati, Maryland and Virginia Tech still in the mix.

The Hokies were the first school to host the local receiver for an official visit starting June 6 as assistants Fontell Mines and Elijah Brooks spearheaded Virginia Tech’s recruiting efforts, while Kitchens made his way to Blacksburg for a visit during spring practice. The Bearcats, meanwhile, offer ample familiarity with longtime former high school teammate Geo Kontosis preparing for his freshman season at Cincinnati. The two reconnected during Kitchens’ official visit beginning June 13.

Maryland ramped up efforts into official visit season with assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim leading efforts as Kitchens made his way to College Park for the Michigan State game last fall, while he returned to campus for a spring practice along with a pair of June visits including his official visit beginning June 20. The in-state target also saw another familiar face on his third and final official visit with freshman DL Nahsir Taylor hosting Kitchens on day two of the visit, giving the local target his closest look at the hometown program.

“I definitely learned that it’s not really home. It’s definitely far enough from actual home. At first, I didn’t want to stay at home at all, for real,” Kitchens told IBG following his official visit. “It was everything that made me realize it, really. All the factors with the coaches and players but coach Locks definitely talked to me, had some great conversations. Me and coach Aazaar [Abdul-Rahim] have known each other for a long, long time now.”

Maryland currently sits at 11 commitments in the 2026 class with five-star Zion Elee headlining the class, while head coach Mike Locksley has added five commitments since the fourth and final official visit weekend wrapped up as the Terps look to maintain momentum into mid-July.

Kitchens emerged as a downfield threat as a junior at Riverdale Baptist, totaling 747 yards and five touchdowns on 40 catches, while also showcasing his speed with a 6.82-second time in the 55-meter during the most recent indoor track season.

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