Portal OL Tellek Lockette breaks down commitment to Maryland

Ahmed Ghafir
10 minutes ago
3 min read

Maryland’s offensive line returns ample experience in 2026 with all three returning starters - Rahtrel Perry, Michael Hershey, Isaiah Wright - starting all 12 games in 2025 to give credence to development and chemistry ahead of next season. But the unit did suffer one notable departure after Aliou Bah, who started 23 consecutive games, elected to hit the transfer portal before ultimately signing with LSU.

That paved the way for Maryland to evaluate the transfer portal market, and while all eyes remained centered on whether coveted portal target Jordan Seaton ends up taking a visit to College Park, the staff made a big push for Texas State interior lineman Tellek Lockette as he saw his interest surge through January.

Arkansas and South Carolina both worked hard to get him on campus and though Lockette planned to visit Columbia, those didn’t materialize with Rutgers hosting the 6-foot-3, 327-pound guard during a mid-week visit. Lockette hoped to have his decision shortly after his Rutgers visit, but the interest from Maryland was one that he and his camp were intent on giving a shot. Maryland already established a relationship with the then-three-star prospect in the 2022 class out of St. Thomas Aquinas (FL), the same school that produced a pair of eventual Terps in edge rusher Riyad Wilmot and offensive lineman Marcus Dumervil two cycles prior. He also played in a youth league organized by Ricardo Dickerson, who was recruited to Maryland by Mike Locksley during the Ralph Friedgen era.

Lockette said the connection with Dickerson helped to ignite interest in Maryland with the staff laying out the red carpet during his transfer beginning Monday, Jan. 19 through Tuesday before departing on Wednesday morning.

“Coach Locks and the [offensive] line staff, they know what they’re doing. That really is what made me choose them over all the schools,” Lockette told IBG. “Just how everything was set up and how coach Locksley was honest with me. Telling me to come in here and play. I still have to work for it at the end of the day. The o-line coach, the coaching staff, everything was perfect. They were genuine.”

Lockette began his college career at Louisiana Monroe where he started in 17 of his 20 appearances across two seasons, including starts against both Texas and Alabama as a true freshman, before transferring to Texas State ahead of the 2024 season. Once again, Lockette remained a full-time starter where he started in 13 games at right guard as part of a blocking unit that paved the way for one of the nation’s top offenses. After opening the season as a preseason first team all-conference selection, Lockette suffered an apparent leg injury before ultimately deciding to utilize his redshirt, setting the stage for him to enter the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining.

With over 2,000 snaps of experience and just one sack allowed since arriving at Texas State, Lockette made clear top priority was finding a coaching staff that can prepare him for the next level. After sitting down with both Hal Hunter and Damian Wroblewski during his official visit, while also learning about other offensive linemen like Spencer Anderson and Corey Bullock in the NFL after starting at Maryland, Lockette finalized his decision on Tuesday night to spend his last season of college football in College Park.

“Their plan is to push me to get drafted. All I wanted really because they have guys in the league so they know what it takes”

Lockette is ranked the 24th-best interior offensive lineman in the transfer portal and rated an 88 overall by On3.

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