WR Jayden Kitchens on Maryland commitment: "It’s at the crib. They have Malik Washington"

Ahmed Ghafir
Jul 16
2 min read

After Cincinnati and Virginia Tech jockeyed for former Riverdale Baptist and current St. James three-star wide receiver Jayden Kitchens through the spring, Maryland quietly began building momentum through the month June after a pair of trips to campus the week of June 15 gave the local team a chance to get hot in the final stage of his recruitment.

After making his way to College Park for a 7-on-7 tournament midweek, the St. James transfer returned to College Park alongside his mom and coach to get an in-depth look at the program beginning June 20.

Add in the presence of true freshman quarterback Malik Washington to his fit in the offense and familiarity with several players on the team, Maryland rolled out the red carpet to fuel the local commitment run.

“I feel like Maryland is a great spot for me. It’s at the crib. They have Malik Washington there and I feel like he’s a great quarterback,” Kitchens told IBG. “I like Maryland as well because they’re in the Big Ten. They play great competition.”

Assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim anchored efforts as assistant Latrell Scott spent ample one-on-one time with the newest commit during last month’s official visit, but head coach Mike Locksley’s connections on and off the field left an imprint on Kitchens too.

“I feel like coach Locks, he’s more than just a coach. He’s from the same area so I believe he can help me in multiple different ways as a man outside of sports.”

At Maryland, Kitchens will step into the role that Kaden Prather starred in last season as Oklahoma transfer Jalil Farooq looks to step in to fill his shoes in 2025. Kitchens briefly spent time with both on his official visit before delving into the fit with assistant Latrell Scott and Derek Kief on his official visit.

“What sticks out is they like to compare my body structure and frame to Kaden Prather. Basically all my measurements are almost the same as him and I’m not even a freshman in college yet,” Kitchens said after his OV. “As far as they’re going to use me, they said they just want to use me everywhere and be a deep threat.”

Kitchens flashed as an underclassman at Rock Creek Academy (MD) before moving to Riverdale Baptist (MD) alongside the rest of his teammates, becoming an integral piece of the passing attack as a proven downfield threat as Kitchens totaled 747 yards and five touchdowns on 40 receptions as a junior. During indoor track this past winter season, Kitchens also posted a 6.82-second time in the 55-meter and a 22.57-second time in the 200-meter.

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