Head coach Mike Locksley and Maryland football have more juice on the recruiting trail after North Caroline (MD) composite four-star Zymear Smith became the 21st commitment in the Terrapins’ class, committing to Maryland over Penn State, South Carolina, Alabama and Pitt among others. Smith, a 5-foot-10.5, 170-pound athlete, silently committed to Maryland during his official visit beginning June 21 with the Terps trending as a viable flip possibility during the spring. Assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim moved quickly on Smith once he joined the program as the 2025 cycle picked up, quickly forming a close relationship with the Terps entrenched in his top group. “I’ll say they’re top two and not two,” Smith said about Maryland back in January. While the Terps remained a viable player in the race, an offer from Alabama would shake up his recruitment before his first trip to Tuscaloosa materialized into his initial pledge. But contact between the Bama pledge and Maryland never ended with Abdul-Rahim leading efforts to keep the hometown program on the table. Momentum picked up on flip efforts in the spring as Maryland moved the needle with other local targets like DeMatha RB Bud Coombs. “He’s that guy. I want to be around that type of coach,” Smith told IBG. “We definitely connected off the jump. It’s just good to put a face to the name. We were cooling all day. He’s the truth. He’s not going to bullshit you. He’s going to tell you right from wrong and the way he wants it done. That’s the type of coaches I want to be around, man.” Following his official visit to Maryland, Smith was expected to back off his pledge from Alabama in July, but announcing his new decision so quickly wasn’t in the cards. Sources told IBG that Smith wanted to remain patient with the process with the door open to venturing out to other schools, but once Smith became an uncommitted target again and schools like Penn State worked to get him on campus, the four-star target opted against visits elsewhere. With Smith certain he knew where he wanted to go, there was no longer a reason to prolong his decision with plans to return to College Park on July 27. “They have everything I’m looking for. And it’s my hometown. I don’t have to go anywhere. It’s right in front of my face, right in my backyard.” Smith was previously committed to Alabama as a cornerback, but he joins the Terps’ class as an ‘athlete’ while his big-play ability makes him an immediate contender in the return game. While he has the green light to suit up as a cornerback at the next level, Smith’s preference has been on the offensive side of the ball for roughly the last six weeks. Joining the likes of QB Malik Washington, RB Iverson Howard and DT Bryce Jenkins among others, Smith becomes the 11th in-state commitment for Maryland in a collective staff effort to reel in the area’s top prospects to put together shaping up to be Mike Locksley’s best recruiting class since taking over the program. Maryland will look to continue their local run with a pair of Virginia targets expected to decide in August in four-stars Jaylen Gilchrist and Messiah Delhomme. Zymear Smith is rated a three-star prospect and 88 overall by On3, checking in as the 20th-best prospect in Maryland. On3's composite rating projects Smith as a four-star prospect and the nation’s 12th-best athlete. Related Links Ranking the Big Ten quarterback rooms in 2024Quick notes on Hamond twins, VA duoMaryland football announces uniform combinations for 2024 seasonAfter making top group, Sunshine State safety set for first visit to Maryland
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