Maryland football approaches the weekend with 20 commitments in the fold with a chance to get close to a 25-man class by the end of the month, but one priority target has ended the wait as Salem (VA) four-star Jaylen Gilchrist is set to commit on August 3 with Georgia, Maryland and South Carolina as his three finalists. Gilchrist, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound lineman, is coming off a month where he took official visits to each school before bunkering down into decision mode. South Carolina held a sizeable lead in Gilchrist's recruitment with the four-star not shy about the fact that the Gamecocks were his top school, taking his first trip to Columbia beginning May 31. Georgia became the wildcard in his recruitment with an official visit to Athens set for June 14 before making his long-awaited return to Maryland, a school that's become consistent in his recruitment since the start of his junior season. Current freshman Ryan Howerton grew close with Gilchrist during his unofficial visit at the start of the 2023 season, while the four-star returned to campus in late March to take in Maryland's spring practice and position meetings. His official visit gave him a chance to get closer with recent Maryland pledge Malik Washington, who has helped chip away with his own recruiting efforts. Assistant Latrell Scott has led the way for the priority Virginia target as Maryland looks to close on both Gilchrist and blue-chip safety Messiah Delhomme, while assistant Brian Braswell and head coach Mike Locksley have made themselves familiar faces in his recruitment. “It’s gotten to the point where, yes they’re coaches, but I’m at the point where I don’t even have to look at them as coaches but as mentors. I value that because football, it’s not life, it’s temporary," he told IBG heading into June. “I love seafood. And Maryland, it’s a place of many things to do. You’ll never get bored here.” After loading up along the offensive line in the 2024 cycle, Maryland already has a pair of offensive tackles in the fold in Florida duo Lamar Williams and Ben Beymer, while in-state IOL Amory Hills pulled the trigger on the local school with Virginia Tech and Penn State in his final group. Jaylen Gilchrist is rated a four-star and 92 overall by On3, checking in as the fourth-best prospect in Virginia. Related Links
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