Following weekend visit, Maryland in top two for in-state athlete
- Ahmed Ghafir
- Sep 28, 2021
- 3 min read
Paint Branch (MD) three-star athlete Octavian Smith made it into College Park on Saturday prior to kickoff, giving him and his uncle a chance to connect with the staff and tour campus. It’s the first visit for Smith since he backed off his pledge to Northwestern and it was well worth the full day on campus.
“Me and my uncle, we loved it up there. We felt a lot of love while I was up there at the game so it was good to see them come out with the win but at the same time, it was kind of tough because I was watching them go against my cousin, Marquez Cooper,” Smith added. “They gave my uncle a tour. We didn’t do campus because I already got a tour from 7-on-7, all the teams there after the tournament, they give everyone a tour of the facility but my uncle wasn’t there and he was a recruit for Maryland back in the day.” His uncle, Mike Evans, also had a special moment during Saturday’s trip to bring the recruitment full circle. “It was kind of crazy because when he was there, he was reunited with his coaches from the past like coach [Ron] Zook was recruiting him when he was at Florida and coach [Henry] Frazier was his coach when he transferred to Bowie State, so they got reunited.”
The added familiarity is something that wasn’t lost on Smith or his family. “We were talking about it because in terms of how he is in the community and the type of recruit and having a lot of buzz and the talent that God blessed him with, it’s like history repeating himself. I’m literally the same him just 18 years later, which is kind of crazy.” After spending time with the staff, Smith got a chance to bask in the 37-16 win where he admitted he had his eyes on the offense. “I was watching both, specifically the offense because that’s what I want to play in college. The passing attack, I love watching their offense because they utilize their receivers.”
Smith added that head coach Mike Locksley sees a former Alabama wideout as a sound comparison for his fit in the offense. “Locksley actually compared me to DeVonta Smith. That felt really good.” After the game, Smith and his uncle had an extended conversation with Locksley.
“We sat down, me, him and my uncle had a talk. Basically, there was some miscommunication about what happened earlier in my recruitment so he was telling us that he wasn’t sure what happened but one thing is for sure, it’ll get corrected and they’ll make things right and hold themselves accountable. My uncle and I were talking about it and because he went through the recruitment thing, it’s good that they’re holding themselves accountable and working to make things because most programs wouldn’t do that. That’s a good sign.”
Last week, Smith had the Terps in his top five alongside Duke, Pittsburgh, Northwestern, and Penn State but where do the Terps sit now?
“I’d say they’re definitely in my top two now.”
Smith will look to visit Duke, Virginia “and hopefully Pitt” in the coming weeks but despite a Friday night game against Wheaton, there’s a chance the three-star returns when Maryland hosts Iowa. “Me and my uncle were going to talk to coach [Nesmith] because he did the exact same thing when he visited a Maryland game. They had a game on Friday and talked to his coach and asked if he can leave at halftime, so he’s telling me to ask coach if I can do that. He said if we’re up by halftime, you can leave but if not, you’re staying. I thought that was pretty reasonable.”
Smith is rated a three-star prospect and an 86 overall by 247Sports, sitting as the 18th-best prospect in Maryland.
