Maryland went on a run in June landing commitments in the receiver room and secondary, but today, head coach Mike Locksley and the Terps have added to the trenches.
Chaminade-Madonna (FL) three-star guard Deandre Duffus has announced his commitment to Maryland over Indiana and Syracuse. Maryland and Indiana battled it out with head coaches Tom Allen and Mike Locksley having a final call with the offensive lineman on Thursday, but Duffus explained what pushed the Terps to the top.
“What separated Maryland from everybody else was life after football. every school said they have it, but Maryland actually showed what they do to prepare in different instances,” he told Inside the Black and Gold earlier this week. Offensive line coach Brian Braswell and defensive coordinator Brian Williams teamed up to land the 6-foot-4, 320-pound guard target as the pitch duo hit home when Duffus officially visited beginning June 10.
“Coach [Brian] Braswell, the coaching staff. It felt like home and coach Brian Williams, he’s from my area where I grew up in south Florida so I can relate to him. He gets where I’m coming from. And coach Braswell, he’s a top tier [offensive] line coach. he’s got experience coaching in the NFL. He developed all the lineman at Maryland, it’s crazy how much he’s developed them turning them into top prospects.”
Duffus told Locksley that he will head to College Park instead of Bloomington on Thursday evening. “Coach Locksley, I feel like he’s a very genuine coach and he’s real all the time and I felt the family atmosphere when I was out there. I feel like the whole staff is very dedicated to the players and the opportunities for life after football. They told me about a lot of internships in the area and different things to do after football, so if football doesn’t work out I have a backup plan.”
The message from Locksley was clear during last week’s call. “He was just telling me Maryland is on the rise, we’re going to be something big in a couple of years and I feel like in a couple of years or as soon as I get there, there’s a strong possibility to win the Big Ten. It’s a great program and I can help start to build to their rise so he was telling me to come join. Don’t join after we take off, join before we take off.”
Duffus becomes the second offensive lineman in Maryland’s 2023 class, joining McDonogh (MD) center Tamarus Walker. Duffus becomes the ninth prospect to commit to Maryland since June 25. With Duffus in the fold, Maryland jumps Florida and Florida State in the 247Sports team rankings in the 2023 class.
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