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Local '26 defensive back planning to visit Maryland after July dead period

Archbishop Spalding has stayed active through the offseason with workouts three times per week, in addition to weekly 7-on-7 with a handful of regional teams each Thursday through the summer. It's given the Spalding offense a chance for Maryland pledge Malik Washington to get comfortable with his new skill players, while the defense has been able to get its vets reps and its underclassmen more reps. For 2026 cornerback Sean Johnson, he's stayed added to his plate where he and the other Spalding defensive backs work with his defensive coaches on Saturdays. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound cornerback is looking to entrench himself as a playmaker in an experienced Spalding secondary that features Maryland pledge Jayden Shipps and Navy pledge Trent Gillis, but Johnson has already emerged as a coveted prospect in the 2026 class with double-digit offers, including Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Tennessee and Oregon while Indiana and Kentucky became the latest schools to jump into the mix. Two more Big Ten schools could be next to jump into the picture. "Northwestern has been showing a lot of interest, and Wisconsin. Northwestern was trying to get me up for their cookout but I’ll be on vacation." While Johnson is unlikely to venture to many other schools at the end of the month, he plans to visit Maryland on July 27 as the staff welcomes their regional 2025 and 2026 targets to campus ahead of the season officially beginning. "I’ll be able to make Maryland’s because I leave for vacation on the 28th," Johnson told IBG. Maryland became the first school to offer Johnson after area recruiter and co-defensive coordinator Brian Williams pulled the trigger, making the Terps a school he's plenty familiar with. Since then, Johnson proved himself as a potential star cornerback at Spalding with Shipps' versatility rounding out the room, but his consistency through his junior season has made him an early name to know in the local 2026 recruiting ranks as he's had a chance to build his relationship with the rest of the defensive staff. That includes Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, who has gotten a chance to build on a months-long relationship through multiple visits dating back to January for a basketball game through spring ball. "I just talked to coach Aazaar on actually. We have a really good connection. We’ve talked before more than today but we’ve talked a lot." Maryland is less than two weeks removed from reeling in three of his teammates in the 2025 class, a haul that Johnson took note of with a continued emphasis on keeping the local talent in-state. "It does make me more interested because they’re trying to build something at Maryland and I’m feeding off that energy. I’ve just been looking forward to seeing how they do this year because I know they got a couple of new additions so I want to see how they all fit in." Johnson admitted potential fall visits remain up in the air, but making his way back to College Park isn't a question. "I’ll definitely have to come to a Maryland game just because it’s right down the street." Related Links

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