Maryland football inching closer toward a top-25 class in 2025 cycle

Head coach Mike Locksley and Maryland football are one day removed from adding another local four-star to their 2025 class after North Caroline (MD) four-star Zymear Smith went public with his near month-long silent commitment, announcing for the Terps over Penn State and South Carolina. The Nittany Lions worked overtime to try and get Smith on campus following the July dead period, but Smith will instead head to College Park next Saturday for his latest unofficial visit as assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim kept his top target local. And with the latest recruiting win now in the fold, Maryland now has their third four-star prospect in the class and is inching closer toward a consensus top-25 class. As of Saturday morning, Maryland's 21 commitments in the 2025 class rank 25th on Rivals, 29th on 247 and 34th on On3 with a chance to surpass the results of the 2021 cycle when the Terps finished 25th nationally. And as Maryland puts its first touches on the 2026 cycle with local prospects and targets from pipeline states making their way to campus next week, the Terps will look to finalize the upcoming 2025 class with its remaining targets. Maryland remains a prime player for a pair of top targets out of Virginia in four-star OL Jaylen Gilchrist and SAF Messiah Delhomme with August decisions expected, while Calvert Hall duo Asaiah and Alijah Hamond are closing in on a decision in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Highland Springs (VA) three-star safety target Brennan Johnson is down to a final two of Maryland and Virginia Tech as he closes in on a summer decision. With juice on the trail, Locksley and his staff are putting the pieces on a potential program-changing class with the 2025 cycle serving as the next wave of the program’s foundation. That message was hammered during the official visit weekends beginning in late May into June, but with its top targets on campus the final weekend available, the Terps are watching their local efforts come to fruition. Related Links Zymear Smith breaks down his decision to stay local, commit to MarylandAnalysis: four-star Zymear Smith to MarylandFour-star Zymear Smith becomes latest local to commit to MarylandRanking the Big Ten quarterback rooms in 2024