Maryland football wrapped up its third padded practice this afternoon with competition heating up. While the safety room is missing a starter with Dante Trader with the lacrosse team, I’ve heard confidence in former Miami safety Avantae Williams as someone who can step in to provide quality depth while also filling in for Glen Miller at the nickel to bolster the secondary’s depth. Freshman safety Tamarcus Cooley has also flashed behind second-year starter Beau Brade and will help fill out the depth along the backline. While the team is practicing Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday through the spring game set for April 29, I’ve heard the freshmen have been proactive about getting extra reps in and watching film on their off days. Players are normally off on Sundays through the spring, but I heard guys trickled back into Jones Hill-House last weekend with the old faces meshing with the new faces in practice. On the recruiting side, I reported earlier this week on Thursday’s batch of visitors while Calvert Hall WR Chris Hewitt was a late addition to today’s practice. This weekend, there will be some Virginia flavor. Virginia three-star receiver Chanz Wiggins will be back in College Park with his mom. Maryland has been working on the 6-foot-2 wideout dating back to last summer as wide receiver coach Gunter Brewer and area recruiter Latrell Scott team up for the top regional target. Virginia Tech and North Carolina have been brought up most frequently with him while I’ve heard confidence from Penn State that they’re still in the mix, but Maryland’s relationships still have them in the conversation as Saturday’s visit will give the two sides ample one-on-one time. His teammate, Mekhai White, isn’t expected on campus but OL Landon Harris, a close friend of Wiggins, will be on campus as well. George Washington (VA) WR Kemori Dixon, an emerging prospect who does not yet hold an offer, will head to campus. Collegiate (VA) three-star WR LJ Booker will also be on campus as the staff has been showing interest in the speedster dating back to last fall, leading to a gameday visit back in October. North Carolina OL Peyton Reeder will be back in College Park this weekend after initially visiting back in January shortly after the offer. Expect to see Reeder pop back up on campus once camp season picks up in June. Maryland will also welcome a long list of visitors out of St. Frances across the 2024, 2025 and 2026 class with the Panthers wrapping up their spring break and I’m expecting four-stars Edrees Farooq and Ify Obidegwu on campus while I still don’t have four-star QB Mike Van Buren confirmed for this weekend. I’ve heard MVB is likely to visit from SFA contacts, though, as new OC Josh Gattis and safeties coach Zac Spavital look to ascend in each target's top groups. Maryland got a chance to roll out the red carpet for four-star LB Aaron Chiles and I’m hearing from local contacts that Maryland is inching closer to securing the fifth official. Chiles already has officials set to Florida and Michigan with Notre Dame and Clemson in line for the third and fourth official, but Chiles’ interest in Maryland remains genuine as the staff has ammo against the heavy hitters. On Friday, I am expecting four-star running back Dilin Jones to visit campus after visiting back on March 1 and there’s confidence on the Terps’ end in his recruitment. No school has hosted Jones more than Maryland through his recruitment. Next weekend, Maryland running back verbal Terek McCant will take his first visit to campus since his freshman year as the offensive staff will get a chance to sit down with him face-to-face. Meanwhile on the basketball side, Maryland is still in the mix for a guard to replace Ike Cornish’s spot and the staff has their first realistic target headed to campus. A source confirmed with IBG that Loyola Marymount guard Chance Stephens will visit Maryland this weekend as assistant David Cox leans on a longtime connection with Stephens’ dad from his days in the DC area. Out of high school, Stephens was set to play for Cox at Rhode Island before Cox’s departure threw a wrench in those plans. Rice and San Diego State were among the schools to show interest in Stephens before he landed at Loyola Marymount, and despite averaging six points per game in 17.1 minutes as a true freshman, the flashes Stephens showed as a perimeter shooter made him a candidate to restock a backcourt in dire need of three-point shooters. Aside from Maryland, Rice was showing strong interest while UNLV has been in contact as of late, but Cox’s familiarity is a driving factor in the portal pursuit to set the stage for a potential decision. Currently sitting as ‘hot’ on the portal tracker, Stephens is heading into the weekend with no further visit plans as Maryland has a realistic chance to reel him in by the weekend’s end. With Stephens making his way to campus this weekend, a commitment would theoretically fill the final scholarship…but there’s a twist. A source tells IBG that Donta Scott was able to meet with head coach Kevin Willard on Thursday, one day later than previously expected, and Scott will reconvene with his camp again this evening with a final decision and likely announcement expected on Friday. Based on what I’m hearing, I expect that Scott does announce a return to Maryland for a fifth season, which will put Willard one over the scholarship allotment for next season. While Maryland is still in the mix for Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson, Kansas, Kentucky and Arkansas have all been linked to the former DeMatha product thus far while rumors have been swirling around Dickinson and Georgetown with Ed Cooley now in place. Maryland, meanwhile, remains an active player in the Dickinson chase with new assistant Mike Jones keeping close tabs in his recruitment and staying in contact. I’m still cautious about the NIL aspect in the Dickinson chase with the heavy hitters involved, but the buzz that a return home is on the table persists as the staff keeps tabs. Dickinson is still ‘warm’ on the portal tracker. Related Links
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