After the second of two official visit weekends now wrapped up, the dead period in effect and Maryland coming off a pair of commitments, the staff will look to close on its remaining targets over the next 48 hours with several moving pieces. We delve into the latest in the midst of the recruiting frenzy: Closing Time DeMatha (MD) four-star OT Oluwatosin Babalade: now it’s all about confirming when he signs but it sounds like the DeMatha product will move forward with a final commitment and signing this upcoming week. Working to get that confirmed by Babalade himself, but should he sign in 48 hours, Maryland is in the best position to land its first DeMatha pledge since the 2019 cycle. Lake Brantley (FL) four-star Andrew Harris & Michael Harris: news broke on Sunday evening that the Harris twins have backed off their pledge to UCF, two days after visiting campus and one day after Travis Williams left for the same defensive coordinator position at Arkansas. While the Razorbacks have drawn speculation given Williams’s move, I’m not sure I see that playing as an immediate draw to the SEC school. Maryland has been steadily chipping away and after the staff stayed on them over the last two weeks including an in-home last week with James Thomas and Brian Williams, the Terps are a school to watch in the final 48 hours. Miami SAF Avantae Williams: after nixing his official to Colorado in favor of Maryland, the Terps are well positioned for its portal target as Williams fits the profile of the experienced safety needed in the room, an area that became important after Isaiah Hazel departed into the transfer portal. Williams is not expected to prolong his commitment with the dead period now in effect. Williams has two years left of eligibility. WVU WR Kaden Prather: the same day that the former Northwest four-star entered the portal, Prather unofficially visited College Park and began scheduling his official visit to Maryland for this past weekend. Penn State worked to change Prather’s schedule to at least get him on campus before the dead period, but Prather showed no interest in doing so as the Terps are in an excellent position for him. Prather has the profile of Dontay Demus with stellar top-end speed to become a WR1 next year. Prather has two years left of eligibility. Roseville (NC) three-star Tamarcus Cooley (NC State verbal): while Williams fits the profile of the experienced safety, Cooley fits the profile of the high school safety as the Terps await Cooley’s announcement on Wednesday. Maryland chipped away at him through the fall and made a major move over the weekend of the Ohio State game, setting the stage for a flip during his official the weekend of December 9. Confidence increased yet again last week as the Terps put the finishing touches on his recruitment with Gunter Brewer and Wes Neighbors leading the way. LSU OT Marcus Dumervil: after initial planning to officially visit Memphis all weekend, Dumervil cut his visit short in favor of visiting Maryland for a one-day official ahead of the dead period. After arriving on Saturday night, Dumervil and his father had the red carpet rolled out and confidence sits high heading into the dead period. Dumervil had other Power Five interest and was contemplating taking his recruitment into 2023, but there’s a possibility he wraps up his decision this week with the Terps in position. Dumervil has three years remaining. Battle Union County DL Markus Strong: Maryland and Oklahoma will battle it out with the Sooner ahead coming out of Strong’s official visit to Maryland. What helps Maryland’s chances is the Sooners have a handful of defensive line targets on their radar, but Strong has the green light to land in Norman. Strong has sat close to the top of Maryland’s defensive line board through the fall as defensive coordinator Brian Williams is leading the charge, but they’ll need to reverse course in the final hours. Alabama OT Amari Kight: after going in-home last week, Maryland is expected to host Kight for a January official visit with several schools in the mix. Auburn is the biggest contender and the Tigers are in hot pursuit, but Kight isn’t in a rush to make a decision which benefits the Terps. IMG Academy (MD) DE/OLB Cameron Lenhardt: Maryland-Nebraska with the Huskers looking likely despite an official visit to Maryland. The Terps have hurdles to overcome with first-year head coach Matt Rhule in all-out pursuit, while Lenhardt has genuine interest in Nebraska aside from football. Led by ILB coach Lance Thompson, Maryland has longstanding relationships to boost their chances and is reason why they were able to secure a last-minute official but confidence isn’t beaming here. Palmetto (FL) three-star DL Andrew Rumph: with Oklahoma ahead for Strong, Maryland has an opportunity to make a run at Rumph despite returning to UCF over the weekend. Maryland and UCF are the top two with Indiana and Miami rounding out his top four. After a change on the defensive side of the ball for the Knights, Maryland has a chance to reclaim control with support from his dad. Longshot Northumberland (VA) four-star Cam Seldon (Tennessee verbal): Maryland has been chipping away at the Virginia standout throughout the recruitment process, but confidence isn’t high that they’ll be able to pry him away from the Vols. Seldon has been in daily contact with the staff just like he was prior to his verbal, but barring a change of heart, the four-star is likely Knoxville-bound. SFA (MD) RB Durell Robinson: Maryland has one spot available at running back and Nolan Ray fills that void. Robinson visited for a pair of games this fall and his name surfaced through the recruiting process, but unless Mike Locksley changes his mind and adds another to a five-man room, it’s unlikely the St. Frances product lands in College Park. Good Counsel (MD) DE Neeo Avery (Ole Miss verbal): at one point in the fall, it looked like the four-star product could be arguably the most likely to flip into the class but there’s been few signs of optimism down the stretch. Stanford OT Walter Rouse: he checks into longshot category because the staff will work on him. A source says that Maryland will connect with Rouse this week in an effort to bring the impact-tackle to College Park for a January official. The problem is there’s already an established group of schools already in the mix as over twenty schools reached out to the Sidwell Friends (DC) product. Rouse took an official visit to Auburn this past weekend and has one year of eligibility remaining. February Archbishop Carroll (DC) five-star Nyckoles Harbor: after three visits this month, Maryland holds the edge over Michigan and South Carolina as, led by Elijah Brooks, the staff is putting the full-court press on the local phenom. Maryland has the support of his parents, especially dad, while the fit and development plan on offense have been well established. Harbor has a pair of official visits available after opting against an official to Georgia this past weekend, but the Terps will need to play the long game with head coach Mike Locksley still set to go in-home in January to close. Dundalk (MD) four-star OT Chimdy Onoh: after decommitting from Old Dominion late last week, Maryland extended Onoh an offer in the hours leading up to the start of his official visit to Rutgers. Onoh announced plans to sign in February after stating he’s back on the market, but after schools like Ole Miss and Penn State jumped into the mix, he could opt to stay patient and use the dead period to iron out his future visit schedule. Related Links FIU WR Tyrese Chambers Transferring to Maryland Maryland makes its move on portal OL (+) Four-star OLB Dylan Gooden commits to Maryland Six players to watch in Duke’s Mayo Bowl
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