Maryland won't have to travel far to find blue-chip linebackers in the 2024 cycle with four-stars Aaron Chiles and Kris Jones leading the big board, but they're far from the only options as the staff is keeping tabs on a handful of local prospects. One of the newer targets is now Archbishop Spalding (MD) linebacker Keyshawn Flowers, who picked up an offer from the staff to kick off February.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound prospect has watched his recruitment skyrocket through the offseason after a stellar junior campaign. James Madison became the first school to offer back in mid-December and Flowers remembers the moment he learned the news. "I was in school at the time. The coaches came by the school," Flowers told IBG. "I couldn't say too much but I was just so excited when I got that. " Roughly one month later, Wake Forest became the first Power Five offer while Pitt, West Virginia, Virginia, Duke, Indiana and NC State later followed. "Going into the season without any offers and coming out and having my recruitment pick up like this, I’m just soaking it all in," Flowers added. Flowers visited Virginia and Pitt for his first time last month with both schools in the mix. "They were nice definitely. Good facilities, good coaches. Definitely was good to get up there." He knows of two more schools he'll get to in the spring. "I’m planning on going to Wake Forest on March 21st or 27th. I think West Virginia, I should be going there too."
Maryland inside linebacker coach Lance Thompson was the one to extend Flowers an offer while defensive coordinator Brian Williams has led the recruitment since. "He’s telling me a lot about why Maryland when we talk on the phone. He’s just saying how I’d be in the program, being so close it’d be a good fit for me. They’ve been telling me what they like about me, my size, my speed and how I work inside." Maryland has been able to dip into Spalding through the years with Jayon Venerable, Kellan Wyatt and Lavain Scruggs all headed to College Park. It also helps that Spalding is led by head coach Kyle Schmitt, former Maryland offensive lineman and grad assistant, to give the Terps familiarity. Flowers admitted he's plenty familiar with the hometown program.
"Especially with it being a close program, we go to Maryland once a year to practice for like a showcase there. It was nice to have that offer." Now that he holds the offer, Flowers will look to learn more about the Terps' defensive scheme. "What they run formation-wise, just more about what the inside ‘backers do and watch how I fit in."
Speaking of, Flowers projects as an inside linebacker at the next level but has been used as a versatile defender in the front seven. "We started out doing a 3-4 so I was playing outside ‘backer at the beginning of the season. After the first game, we moved to a 3-3-5 and they moved me inside and that’s kind of where they had me at the rest of the season, so I think they’re going to use me a lot inside and maybe blitz on the outside too. I like playing inside more but I love rushing the edge."
Flowers is not yet rated by On3. As a junior, he finished with 81 tackles, five sacks, 11 tackles for loss and a pair of forced fumbles.Related Links Kevin Willard on season turnaround, Jahmir Young, upcoming Purdue game Maryland men's lacrosse loses second player to season-ending injury Following Sumlin to Maryland…(+) Maryland football expected to hire Kevin Sumlin Maryland football’s defense ranked top-30 in ESPN’s SP+ rankings VIP: latest rumblings out of College Park (+)