Zymear Smith breaks down his decision to stay local, commit to Maryland

Four-star athlete Zymear Smith kept the momentum rolling for Maryland on Friday evening, going public with his commitment after telling the staff during his official visit which began back on June 21. The 6-foot, 175-pound athlete publicly committed to Maryland over Penn State and South Carolina, but it was the Terps who held complete control of his recruitment since June with the hometown program in the mix dating back to January. That pursuit began with assistant Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, who made the explosive athlete a priority target since the 2025 cycle began and worked to get him comfortable on campus in the spring into summer. Some in Smith’s camp became bigger advocates for Maryland dating back to the spring, pointing to Mike Locksley and his staff’s biggest message this cycle as the reason – keep the local talent local. It took a bit longer than initially expected after Smith pulled the quick trigger on his commitment to Alabama in early March, but the hometown team remained in the mix. And the message to convince the area's top talent to suit up together for the hometown program resonated with the priority recruit during his visit, enough to hold off interest from other Big Ten and SEC programs even into Friday. "I’ve been talking to Maryland for a little minute since coach Aazaar got there. Even since I was committed, me and him been locked in and Maryland has been making sure my academics were set for me to go to college, making sure I was good to leave early,” Smith told IBG. “I just knew he had my back no matter what. Why not be there? Why not play for him?” Smith added. “They really never left me. Because I was committed, they didn’t leave me alone, we kept talking.” The trust that the two sides had built heading into his official visit set the stage for Smith to build on his relationships with the rest of the staff and priority targets, including QB Malik Washington, RB Iverson Howard, SAF Messiah Delhomme and OL Jaylen Gilchrist among others. By Sunday morning, Smith had his mind made up that he was staying home. “That’s when I talked with the other recruits and just locked it in.” Initially a cornerback target, Smith has the ‘athlete’ tag in the cycle but there’s a clear side of the ball he prefers: offense. The four-star was able to sit with offensive coordinator/WR coach Josh Gattis during his official visit to drill into the potential fit on the offensive side of the ball, making it clear what’s needed with a quarterback already on the way. “They need playmakers, man. I feel like I’m a guy that can come and bring the energy, get everyone out their seats. Now they’ve got a quarterback who can throw that thing and now they need people to get out the seats. I feel like Maryland was a good fit for me, get the ball all the types of ways, get the ball in my hand.” Zymear Smith is rated a composite four-star prospect and checks in as the ninth-best prospect in Maryland in the 2025 class. He is on track to enroll early and arrive at Maryland in January. Related Links Analysis: four-star Zymear Smith to MarylandFour-star Zymear Smith becomes latest local to commit to MarylandRanking the Big Ten quarterback rooms in 2024Quick notes on Hamond twins, VA duoMaryland football announces uniform combinations for 2024 seasonAfter making top group, Sunshine State safety set for first visit to Maryland