Four-star wide receiver Shaleak Knotts tells Inside the Black and Gold he will unofficially visit Maryland on Saturday, marking his third trip to College Park since visits resumed back on June 1. The top-100 prospect remains the top wide receiver on the Terps’ board as tight ends coach Mike Miller, receiver coach Zohn Burden and director of recruiting ops Scott Chadwick have established strong connections to position the Terps’ well.
Monroe head coach Johnny Sowell agrees the Terps have done well pursuing Knotts. “They’ve done a great job,” Sowell told Inside the Black and Gold. “I couldn’t say anything negative about them. Really done a great job.” Maryland will find out if their recruiting efforts will translate into a commitment when Knotts announces his pledge on August 15. Maryland is battling Tennessee and North Carolina while Knotts also took in an official visit to Georgia, but the Terps’ pitch has resonated with Knotts on and off the field.
“They’re not only talking the sports part of it but the academic part as well. They hit some good points on the academics, what they got in place for all the freshmen there. I thought that was big as well as the athletic ability to be able to get on the field early and play. I think that was something he was concerned about, as well, and they’ve done a great job with that.”
A commitment from Knotts would help stockpile talent in a deep receiver room that currently features several veterans, including Dontay Demus, Brian Cobbs, and Jeshaun Jones. With Rakim Jarrett able to play inside and out, the length and athleticism that Knotts could bring to the room would make him a dynamic receiver along the outside. Coming from the same high school program that produced NFL receiver Jamison Crowder, Sowell says Knotts sits among the best athletes that he's coached. “He’s got some of the best hands out there. I’ve coached guys who have played in the NFL and still play in the NFL and he’s right there with those guys. We don’t know what the future holds for him but the ability to jump and catch the ball, I put him right there with the rest of the guys.”
“He’s every bit of 6-2. He can fly, great basketball player too. He can jump with the best of them.”
Knotts is set to announce his commitment on Sunday, August 15 between Maryland, North Carolina, and Tennessee.
Knotts is rated a four-star prospect and a 94 overall by 247Sports, sitting as the third-best prospect in North Carolina and the nation's 13th-best receiver.
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