Five most important Maryland football targets heading into official visits
- Ahmed Ghafir
- May 14, 2024
- 4 min read
Maryland will begin watching their top 2025 targets head to campus in a few weeks for official visits as head coach Mike Locksley and the staff look to add to their current six-man recruiting class. Who are the five most important targets to watch heading into June? We take a look. Spalding (MD) three-star QB Malik Washington There has arguably not been a bigger target on offense than quarterback Malik Washington as the staff has moved full force in his recruitment since the beginning of his junior season. Washington's repeated visits through the '23 season helped get him comfortable and familiar with the Terps' offense and style, setting the stage for the Terps' buzz in the spring with coordinators Brian Williams and Josh Gattis teaming up. After originally eyeing an April commitment, Washington stuck true to his revised commitment timeline with his official visits set in June starting with UCF (May 31) and Syracuse (June 7) before heading to Maryland (June 21). Penn State's pursuit has been lukewarm since missing out on in-state target Matt Zollers, while Baylor has worked to secure an official visit for the open June 14 weekend. Virginia Tech continues to ride the high coming out of their mid-April official visit weekend as the Hokie staff worked to get him on campus as quickly as possible as they now eye a June unofficial to remain in the mix. Still, Maryland is viewed as the top competition down the stretch and the staff will roll out the red carpet to finalize that the final weekend of June as they work to secure their top quarterback target. Dunbar (MD) three-star OT Josh Blackston Maryland has been in steady pursuit of the Baltimore tackle since the fall as assistant OL coach Damian Wroblewski added to the efforts initiated by OL coach Brian Braswell. After missing on Good Counsel (MD) tackle Eidan Buchanan in early April, that pursuit of Blackston only intensified as Maryland is in line to host him for an official visit likely for the weekend of June 21. Ohio State remains the biggest wildcard in his recruitment while Rutgers has been in consistent pursuit since the spring. Michigan State is the newest school to offer as the Spartans are working with Blackston to set up a June visit to campus. Maryland will also look to bolster their interior offensive line with three-star Gavin Crawford a prime target set to visit in June, but with a need to add long tackles to the class, Blackston is a prime target Maryland is working to close ahead of an expected July commitment. DeMatha (MD) three-star LB Noah Chambers It remains a Maryland-Virginia Tech battle for Chambers heading into next month's official visits. Maryland will get the first crack at the athletic 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker the weekend of June 14 before he heads to Virginia Tech the weekend of June 21 as Maryland has zeroed in on Chambers through the spring. Assistant Kevin Sumlin was closely tracking Chambers through his junior season before assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim chipped in on efforts once he arrived, helping the Terps' ascend in the chase as they prioritized him. Virginia Tech has benefitted from the duration of their pursuit, while Maryland has pursued him as hard if not harder than the Hokies in the spring. Expect a decision after June visits for Chambers with both teams jockeying for pole position until then. St. Frances (MD) four-star CB Blake Woodby (Ohio State) This wasn't my original pick. St. John's (DC) four-star Tariq Hayer is arguably as deserving to make the cut as a potential immediate contributor while Alabama verbal Zymear Smith has been a top target for the staff since the defensive coaching shakeup with Maryland still heavily in the mix. But Woodby is a prime target in the cornerback room and there isn't a school that's hosted the local four-star more than Maryland through his high school career, especially over the last five months. The difference this time around is the presence of Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, who has a great relationship with the four-star and St. Frances defensive coordinator Justin Winters. Having Woodby's former teammate "Kerm" Humes in College Park would be an added bonus. Maryland is expected to host Woodby for an official visit, though he could opt to take some officials in December, as they remain a top contender to flip him from Ohio State with Auburn, Alabama and Virginia Tech also in contact. While Hayer could also help Maryland's future efforts with Cadet targets, a potential flip from Woodby would not only upgrade the Terps' cornerback room but give more ammo to the Terps' future recruiting efforts in Baltimore. Good Counsel (MD) four-star SAF Faheem Delane It's been an all-out effort to stay in the mix for the elite local safety and after visiting twice through the spring, four-star Faheem Delane is set to begin his round of visits with a trip to Maryland the weekend of May 31 before visiting Ohio State (June 7), Oregon (June 14) and LSU (June 21) ahead of a July decision. While Virginia Tech hosted him for an official visit for their spring game, Ohio State remains the perceived team to beat in his recruitment with the Buckeyes' track record of DBs in the NFL resonating with Delane as the field works to change that next month. Maryland's renewed relationships with both Delane and his camp have sparked their increased receptiveness into the hometown program and with a need to replace likely both safeties in 2025, Delane sees the viable path to early playing time. Related Links
