As the early signing period approached, Maryland’s football recruiting class lingered toward the bottom of the Big Ten with a small group of committed players and just one four-star prospect. But then Coach Michael Locksley delivered a few signing day surprises — an annual tradition since he took over the Terrapins program three years ago.
Locksley snagged three more four-star players this week, sending this recruiting class climbing the rankings to No. 28 nationally and No. 8 in the conference, according to 247 Sports. Locksley managed to flip top players from their previous commitments, the same way he did in the past with safety Nick Cross and wide receiver Rakim Jarrett, who have been key contributors for the Terps.
This year’s most high-profile surprise came from Jaishawn Barham, a four-star linebacker from St. Frances Academy, a powerhouse program in Baltimore. He had pledged to play for South Carolina but switched to the Terps. Barham is considered the third-best player in Maryland and stands at No. 108 nationally in 247 Sports’ composite rankings. Barham joins a position group that recently lost freshmen Terrence Lewis and Branden Jennings, two highly touted players in the 2021 class who decided to transfer.
Barham will enroll in January, and he highlights a class of 20 signees that can still grow with transfers and late additions.
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“You’ve got a lot of happy people in this state and on this university campus, man,” Locksley told Barham on a video call after he made his decision.
Barham’s high school teammate Andre Roye Jr., a three-star offensive lineman, also changed his commitment to Maryland rather than heading to Penn State as he initially planned. Even before these signings became official early Wednesday morning, Ramon Brown, a four-star running back from Midlothian, Va., flipped from Virginia Tech to Maryland, helping fill a position of need for the Terps after a pair of young running backs, Peny Boone and Isaiah Jacobs, recently decided to transfer.
The top of Locksley’s signing class also includes four-star wide receiver Octavian Smith Jr. from Paint Branch High. Smith, the No. 6 player in Maryland, chose the Terps over Boston College, Northwestern, Penn State and Virginia. Shaleak Knotts, another wide receiver, was the only player of that caliber who had publicly committed to the Terps before this week, and he rounds out the contingent of four-star prospects in this class.
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Locksley’s 2021 class, which finished No. 18 nationally and No. 4 in the Big Ten, ranked higher than this one, but he said, “I feel really, really good about this class and each one of these guys that make it up.”
Locksley’s recruiting efforts are integral to his plan to rejuvenate the program. The Terps still struggle against top conference foes, but the team has made steady progress. This season, Maryland scored its first trip to a bowl game since 2016, which Locksley hopes shows recruits that the team is taking strides forward.
“Knowing that they’re building something and things will be changing, I feel like that plays a key role,” said Gavin Gibson, a safety from North Carolina.
When Locksley took the job in College Park, he wanted to convince the best players from this talent-rich area to play for his school. This 2022 group includes eight players from Maryland, all among the top 30 prospects in the state, and three signees from Virginia. But the program has reached to other places to find players and has been particularly successful in Florida, where a handful of staffers have ties.
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Brian Williams, the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach, has been a strong recruiter for Maryland under Locksley. Williams is from the Miami area, and he has coached at high schools in Florida and at Florida State. Perry Fisher, a wide receiver from Tallahassee, said the relationship he built with Williams separated Maryland from other schools. Even phone calls with Williams had a “welcoming vibe,” said Fisher, who is one of four Florida natives in this signing class.
Maryland brought in five offensive linemen, including Maximus McCree from Iowa Central Community College. In the past few seasons, Locksley has bolstered his offensive and defensive lines with junior college transfers who need less time to physically develop, but prep players can help give the Terps long-term options.
Coltin Deery, an offensive lineman from Pennsylvania, is coming to Maryland with football as his priority, but he also plans to wrestle for the Terps. Deery said it’s been his dream to pursue both sports at a high level, so after Maryland offered him that opportunity and he took two virtual visits last winter, he said: “All right, this is it. This is the spot for me.”
Deery will arrive in the summer, but the other four offensive linemen plan to enroll early. That extra time on campus, Locksley said, “allows us to really replenish and add to that room, which to me is maybe the last piece or the missing piece to us taking that gigantic step that we want to try to take this upcoming season.”
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A wave of Maryland players, mostly ones who played sparingly, decided to transfer this offseason. In addition to these 20 signees, Locksley can still bring in others. There are uncommitted high-schoolers and other players entering the transfer portal, so this group of newcomers will expand a bit before the Terps begin preparing for what they hope will be an improved 2022 season.
“Usually, the brunt of our class will be signed like it was today in the early signing period,” Locksley said. “But we'll continue to try to find any player that can help us improve our roster and give us the best chance to continue to build our program.”
Maryland’s signees for 2022:
*Jaishawn Barham, four-star linebacker from St. Frances Academy (District Heights, Md.)
Ramon Brown, four-star running back from Manchester High (Midlothian, Va.)
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Shaleak Knotts, four-star wide receiver from Monroe High (Monroe, N.C.)
Octavian Smith Jr., four-star wide receiver from Paint Branch High (Silver Spring, Md.)
*Andrew “Bam” Booker, three-star linebacker from Winton Woods High (Cincinnati)
Coltin Deery, three-star offensive lineman from Malvern Prep (Glen Mills, Pa.)
Perry Fisher, three-star wide receiver from Lincoln High (Tallahassee)
*Gavin Gibson, three-star safety from Hough High (Mooresville, N.C.)
Leon Haughton Jr., three-star wide receiver from Benedictine (Richmond)
Preston Howard, three-star tight end from McDonogh School (Arbutus, Md.)
*Keon Kindred, three-star offensive lineman from Glades Central High (Belle Glade, Fla.)
*Maximus McCree, three-star offensive lineman from Iowa Central Community College (Kansas City, Mo.)
*Ja'Kavion Nonar, three-star offensive lineman from Glades Central High (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
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Daniel Owens, three-star defensive lineman from Calvert Hall College High (Pikesville, Md.)
*Andre Roye Jr., three-star offensive lineman from St. Frances Academy (District Heights, Md.)
*Jayden Sauray, three-star quarterback from Wise High (Landham, Md.)
Lavain Scruggs, three-star defensive back from Archbishop Spalding High (Baltimore)
*Caleb Wheatland, three-star linebacker from Avalon School (Centreville, Va.)
Lionell Whitaker, three-star cornerback from Rikards High (Tallahassee)
Kellan Wyatt, three-star linebacker from Archbishop Spalding High (Severn, Md.)
*denotes a player who plans to enroll early
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