With five verbal commits in Maryland’s 2025 football recruiting class, who are the names to know next? We take a look at recruits trending up, down and neutral heading into April.
Stock Up
Maryland has taken the lead as the team to beat for DeMatha (MD) three-star RB Bud Coombs over the last month as the in-state target now works on making his way to campus to reconnect with the coaching staff. Coombs was eyeing a potential visit this upcoming Saturday, but with Maryland’s practice in Baltimore set for that day, the two sides are working on another date. Still with Texas A&M and Michigan also in his top group, the buzz has sat with the Terps with an opportunity for the two-sport athlete to continue his aspirations of playing baseball and football at the next level. Now Maryland will look to maintain a presence at DeMatha as they prioritize his teammate, linebacker Noah Chambers, and battle Virginia Tech heading into the spring.
And despite making an early decision to commit to Alabama during his unofficial visit last month, don’t be surprised if three-star cornerback Zymear Smith begins taking visits once summer hits with Maryland still under consideration, per a source close to Smith. Tennessee and South Carolina were also in the mix prior to making a decision, but Smith remains open with the home team that he spoke glowingly about after Aazaar Abdul-Rahim was named the new cornerbacks coach this offseason.
Neutral
After missing out on multiple targets before signing cornerback Judah Jenkins in the 2024 class, the Terps have made Good Counsel a big focus in the 2025 cycle and the early returns have Maryland well-positioned heading into official visit season. Maryland has been steadily in the picture with its Good Counsel targets in five-star safety Faheem Delane, Gavin Crawford and Eidan Buchanan as both linemen have official visits locked in, but the Terps have reinforced themselves as a player in Delane’s recruitment after chipping away through the spring. Delane and Crawford made their way to campus for last Thursday’s practice, while Buchanan made the trip to Morgantown to check out West Virginia on Friday—shaping up to be the primary competitor in his recruitment. As for Delane, the priority defensive target is still working on locking in an official visit date, though he’s taking an official visit to Oregon the weekend his teammates will be in College Park. Ohio State remains a top contender in his recruitment, just as they are for four-star safety Messiah Delhomme, but the Terps are still on track to get a crack at the elite safety in June. Maryland already added a quality local piece to its defensive back room when in-state safety Julien Horton pulled the trigger last month.
Stock Down
While Maryland has an official visit already locked in with his teammate Cortez Harris, there’s work to do with Riverdale Baptist (MD) four-star OL Jayvon McFadden as he continues to watch his recruitment expand. Penn State has long been an active player in his recruitment while he’s coming off an unofficial visit to Miami (FL), but there’s been buzz that Colorado has emerged as a threat in his recruitment after since they entered the mix back in mid-March. McFadden and Colorado freshman Jordan Seaton once played together at St. John’s and that relationship carries weight with the Buffs as he’s scheduled to head out west for their spring game—scheduled on the same day as Maryland’s. Maryland will work to turn the tide in his recruitment, while McDonogh (MD) athlete Brandon Finney looks to make his way to campus. He was initially set to visit on April 6 but that’s also up in the air, though Maryland is on the outside looking in heading into April. Oregon and Penn State hold the edge heading into April, though whether that remains the same in June could definitely change, but the Terps will look to change that with a potential April visit and subsequent June official visit.
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