Maryland football enters the week with six commitments in the 2025 class as head coach Mike Locksley and his staff welcome a long list of local and regional targets to campus for official visits beginning this weekend. With steady buzz that the Terps have a chance to lock down several elite local players, we take a look at seven targets that Maryland has the best chance with heading into their respective visits. Spalding (MD) CB Jayden Shipps Heading into a busy month of official visits, the local defensive back will begin his month of official visits with a visit to Maryland beginning Thursday as the hometown team has become a very familiar spot over the last nine months. Co-defensive coordinator Brian Williams paved the way with Shipps through his junior year as Maryland rolled out the red carpet through his junior year. The addition of Aazaar Abdul-Rahim amplified Shipps' interest in Maryland as the in-state product became an early priority for the staff with steady confidence in their chances throughout. Shipps has official visits set to NC State, Indiana and Wisconsin while Michigan State is now on the outside-looking-in after being omitted from his recent top seven. The Badgers are a wildcard, the Gamecocks have shown interest through the spring while NC State has prioritized him heading into June, but the Terps enter the weekend as the team to beat with all eyes on Shipps' visit plans coming out of the weekend. Calvert Hall (MD) DL Asaiah-Allen Hamond & SAF Alijah Hamond Maryland jumped into the mix with the Hamond twins last month, though Asaiah-Allen has been on the board since the 2025 cycle picked up. Clemson and Virginia Tech were among the long list of Power Four schools showing strong interest in Asaiah, a 6-foot-7, 270-pound lineman, but his decision to prioritize playing alongside his brother in College Park has limited those options. As for Alijah, Maryland pulled the trigger on an offer with the 6-foot-2 athlete evaluated as a safety for the Terps. With one official visit set and a whole bunch of other schools at both the Power Four and G5 level working to change that down stretch, Maryland enters June with a chance to secure twin commitments during the June 14 weekend. Friendship (DC) four-star DT Bryce Jenkins Maryland will welcome Jenkins to campus the weekend of June 14 before he heads to Tennessee the following week while both Rutgers and South Carolina have official visits set. With Jenkins getting looked at on the defensive side of the ball, the local four-star has gotten a chance to make his way to campus for multiple spring practices to get a closer look at his fit in the scheme along with strengthening his relationship with both Aazaar Abdul-Rahim and Brian Williams. While Colorado continues to lurk in Jenkins' recruitment, intel continues to point to both Maryland and Tennessee sticking out above the rest with the hometown Terps resonating through the spring. With steady confidence in the Terps' chances through the spring into June, the four-star is expected to take all scheduled visits prior to making his commitment. Concordia Prep (MD) OLB Sidney Stewart Maryland was tracking Stewart through his junior season while the staff evaluated DL Ernest Willor, who ultimately signed with Wisconsin in the 2024 class. After lukewarm interest through Stewart's junior season into the offseason, contact picked back up beginning in March heading into the evaluation period as offensive line coach Brian Braswell runs point in his recruitment with position coach James Thomas heavily involved. Stewart's interest in staying close to home has always loomed large, but the spring gave the local outside 'backer target a chance to return to campus where he and his camp left high on the hometown team. Wisconsin was the early team to beat for Stewart as contact remains lukewarm heading into the spring, while Michigan State works to enter the mix. For now, Stewart has plans to officially visit Maryland, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Indiana with the Terps and Hokies viewed as the top competition. St. John's (DC) four-star CB Tariq Hayer With tentative plans to make his commitment on July 1, Hayer will wrap up his official visits with a trip to Maryland the weekend of June 21 for what's expected to be a monster recruiting weekend. Hayer was a Maryland-Wisconsin battle at the end of his junior year with the Badgers close to capitalizing on their DMV recruiting efforts, but the four-star opted to prolong his recruitment into the summer. Maryland has remained a constant in his recruitment and while Hayer was a priority target for the Terps both before and after the defensive coaching change this offseason, the D.C. product's interest in the hometown program has gradually risen since Aazaar Abdul-Rahim arrived. Cincinnati, Michigan State and Rutgers are set to receive official visits while the steady optimism surrounding Maryland's chances has continued into June. Spalding (MD) three-star QB Malik Washington Similar to Hayer, Washington also has plans to make his commitment right after his Maryland official visit with a commitment date set for June 28. The fringe four-star has official visits set to UCF and Syracuse before heading to Maryland the weekend of June 21 while Virginia Tech is expected to host him for an unofficial visit, though when remains unclear. While Penn State was the early top competition for Washington, the Hokies remain the top competition with the Orange a wildcard in his recruitment. Still, the confidence in Maryland's chances with Washington have remained steady through the spring as co-coordinators Josh Gattis and Brian Williams benefit from longstanding, comfortable relationships while head coach Mike Locksley's offense and focus on Washington has resonated with his camp. While the Terps began taking control in Washington's recruitment into the fall, Maryland will look ahead to the end of the month as they look to close with their top target. Others: Riverdale Baptist (MD) DL Nahsir Taylor, Calvert Hall (MD) TE JT Taggart, RB Jeff Overton, WR Justin Devaughn, DeMatha (MD) LB Noah Chambers Related Links
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