Three visits to Maryland through summer helped convince three-star wide receiver Mekhai White that he’d found his fit for the next four years and just days ago, he made it official. After visiting campus on July 29, White announced his commitment on Tuesday evening to become the 18th pledge in Maryland's 2024 class, but it wasn’t just Mekhai who was happy the Terps won out. “I am ecstatic that he chose Maryland because of the support staff that he has, the mentor program, the mental health program, the player development guys. The whole program,” White’s father, Kelvin, told IBG. “It wasn’t just a football decision. Football is football but I’m worried about my son. Who can I trust to raise and guide my son? He’s going to be with them way more than he’s going to be with me at this point, so I need guys that I can trust to develop him into a man.” Maryland battled Virginia Tech down the stretch with Michigan and Tennessee expressing interest, but the month of June gave the 6-foot-3 receiver a chance to sit back and analyze his recruitment during the final chapter. The Hokies were the biggest challenger following the June 23 official visit, but Maryland still had the support from dad. “For me, I would tell you that Maryland has probably always been at the top for me. Locks, I truly believe. I’m sold on Locksley’s program from the people I’ve seen him bring around that he brought on staff to the different connections to people he’s brought on in the past, some of the guys on the coaching staff coming up,” Kelvin added. Maryland was the second offer for Mekhai during his sophomore season with former assistant Zohn Burden initially leading the charge, but wide receiver coach Gunter Brewer picked up the pieces as the last 12 months proved that the Virginia athlete was a priority target. “Brew to me was always authentic. It wasn’t a lot of hype, pretty authentic. You could tell Brew cared about Mekhai as a person,” dad added. “Some coaches recruited Mekhai the player, but you could tell that Brew liked him as a person. The player is going to be the player, we know he can play. The way he approached it, the way he kept it professional, the way he showed Mekhai is a priority. And to have someone with that much experience to make Mekhai a priority meant a lot.” King George head coach Vern Lunsford credited the ‘family environment’ surrounding Maryland as a driving force for the Terps to win out. “I think they really connected well with Mekhai. I think they did a really good job of recruiting him hard and showing him how important he is to them,” Lunsford added. Like Mekhai and his family, Lunsford’s comfortable relationship with Brewer was noticed by all parties involved. “I think coach Brew is a great coach, great recruiter, great developer. He’s a great mind. I’ve talked to him many of times. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. I think Mekhai is definitely in great hands. Coach Brew is awesome, so helpful not just to the players he’s recruiting but to the coaches. And what he does with putting guys in the league, his past, I think it’s a win-win for Mekhai.” That consistency from the staff didn’t go unnoticed, but the quality of the Terps’ staff resonated with the family. “Having a very, to me, very experienced staff and with being an offensive minded coach, with coach Brew being the ‘Freak’ and coaching big receivers. He's not new to big receivers,” Kelvin added. “Coach Scott also has experience as a receivers coach. Coach Sumlin. When I looked at the program, if you take away the emblem and you look at the program and the guys brought in, I think it’s one of the best programs in the country.” There was a moment during Mekhai’s official when the staff chemistry was evident to everyone else. “We were on the official visit and they had the social. I just sat there and watched to see how the coaches interacted with each other outside of football. Do they really like each other or were they putting on a show? At the social, you could see the guys laugh, joke, play around with each other, so you knew the relationships in the building were good.” With his recruitment now over, Mekhai White will look ahead to the fall as King George puts the beginning touches on their championship run before the three-star wideout enrolls in College Park in January. Lunsford agreed that Maryland’s newest commit “fits the mold of the Big Ten” as he broke down his game. “He's got a great frame, great skillset, great hands, great ball skills. He’s very aggressive, even on defense too. He’s a big body, moves well and catches the ball. He can play any spot for them. We move him around a little bit but he’s a special talent.” What’s the biggest area of improvement for White? “I think it’s always working on the details, the little things. Trying to understand the game at an even higher level than he already does, but he’s grown immensely for us.” As Mekhai White becomes the third Virginia prospect in Maryland’s 2024 class, there was an added appeal thanks to head coach Mike Locksley. “Coach Locksley is one of the few black head coaches in college football and he really has great relationships with his players. He’s impactful. A lot of people look up to him. He’d be one of the first black head coaches to win a national championship in college, so I want to help him do that.” Mekhai White is rated a three-star prospect and an 88 overall by On3, sitting as the 15th-best prospect in Virginia. Related Links
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