With the college football offseason in full swing and Maryland basketball returning to action on Wednesday night vs. Penn State, we dive into the latest in a new edition of three things I know, three things I think:
One underclassman trending toward return… With the portal officially opening on Monday, Maryland didn’t see any public departures just yet after a handful of notable names announced plans to over the weekend. As the craziness of the college football offseason is only beginning, how Maryland’s roster continues to fare remains another storyline. I mentioned in the forum earlier, but one player I was keeping tabs on heading into Monday was WR Shaleak Knotts, though I’m hearing Maryland has stabilized the situation with the former four-star now expected to return in 2024. With head coach Mike Locksley frequently citing the bowl practices and game as the beginning of the 2024 season, signaling a chance for new and emerging players to shine, Knotts fits the bill as an underclassman who could get extended run against Auburn in Nissan Stadium.
Maryland will key local visitors this week & weekend… We’ll have more later this week as Maryland will look to host multiple local football targets for Wednesday night’s game vs. Penn State, with local commit Ryan Howerton back on campus. They won’t be the only visitors as a source close to guard Malachi Palmer tells IBG he’ll be back on campus for Wednesday’s game vs. Penn State as assistant David Cox continues to lead the Terps’ renewed efforts in recent weeks. An official visit remains on the table as the two sides remain consistent, with the belief close to Palmer that the Terps would be an optimal landing spot for him. Meanwhile, the early look at confirmed OVs for high school targets this weekend: Flowers (MD) CB Braydon Lee, St. John’s (DC) SAF Shamar McIntosh, SFA (MD) IOL Logan Bennett. I’ve gone on record ever since the Penn State game saying that I like Maryland’s chances to close with St. Frances (MD) IOL Logan Bennett, a local lineman who first caught the staff’s eye even back at the start of his junior year. Maryland will also have a chance to close on St. John’s (DC) three-star safety Shamar McIntosh, filling a void in the safety room left vacant by Tamarcus Cooley, as the hometown team enters the weekend for the versatile, hard-hitting safety. Four-star Braydon Lee is the big one as of Monday night, and the Terps have done just about everything right through the fall to steadily ascend through his wishlist. The relationships and fit have been well-established for months as the Terps jockey for position, but Lee is the lone target from the group that I’d expect to make a decision closer to NSD. Nonetheless, the effort the Terps have put in has him firmly entrenched as ‘warm’ on the big board. As previously mentioned, Maryland will also host Purdue IOL Josh Kaltenberger for an upcoming official visit as the staff looks to close on its center target.
Confidence in current ’24 commits… As Maryland works to keep the roster intact, they’re also working to do the same with the 2024 class as Maryland also checked in on DeMatha OT Terez Davis on Friday while making the trip down to Florida to see LB Keyari James on Monday. I’m confident in Maryland’s chances of holding onto Davis into signing day despite flip efforts elsewhere, while mentioned that Maryland was able to see WR Mekhai White over the weekend as there’s a growing confidence the Terps will be able to keep in comfortably in the fold before Dec. 20. I mentioned that Maryland was in to see CB Larry Tarver Jr. last week, and he’s the recruit to keep tabs on down the stretch with Louisville pushing hard for both him and Jeremiah Marcelin.
GC targets trending away… As far as other targets, I’m not confident on Maryland’s chances of pulling a flip off for LB Aaron Chiles as it now sounds like in-homes outside of Florida are up in the air. As for cornerback Judah Jenkins, who backed off his commitment to Indiana over the weekend, he’s also in holding pattern right now with the portal picking up steam. A local contact added that heading into the month, WR Elijah Moore is keeping an open line but is firm with the ‘Noles with former assistants Ron Dugans and John Papuchis working hard on the 6-foot-4 wideout through the fall.
Five-star trending away…it isn’t fair to say it’s been a year-long pursuit—this has been a four-year pursuit of five-star OL Jordan Seaton, and as we reported back in June, the Terps were still able to remain in the conversation despite a long list of heavy hitters in the fold. Those chances have been in holding pattern as of late, with a target for a Dec. 15 official visit prior to signing day, yet plans still fluid without a visit set in stone. Fresh off his official visit to Ohio State, the chances of getting Seaton back on campus are slim after announcing plans to commit on Thursday, Dec. 7. After releasing an updated top group excluding Colorado, there’s been buzz with Tennessee, Oregon, Alabama and now Ohio State with the Buckeyes able to make their pitch. The hometown angle has long been one that’s helped the Terps remain in the conversation, but without a visit set, the Terps will need a hail mary in the final 72 hours.
A viable portal QB target emerges…after over 50 quarterbacks entered the transfer portal on the first day possible, Maryland will have a chance to mine the long list of available targets. Among the first quarterbacks to hit the transfer portal was former NC State QB MJ Morris, who opted to redshirt midseason before announcing his transfer on Monday. There were rumblings that the Terps were interested in the dual-threat QB and hours after his transfer became official, Morris said that Maryland was among the first schools to contact him alongside Baylor and LSU. Maryland didn’t recruit the dual-threat QB out of high school, but his seamless fit into the Terps’ offense makes him the first viable target as the Terps evaluate the position. There still doesn’t appear to be mutual interest with Temple QB EJ Warner, while Kansas St QB Will Howard is drawing top suitors and NIL as expected, but Morris emerges as a viable target in the early stages of the offseason, with visits now the next step.
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