The Maryland Terrapins have entered their second season under head coach Michael Locksley, and are currently a few months away from the start of spring practice. The coaching staff’s primary focus is on recruiting, with National Signing Day just a few weeks away. The majority of the 2020 recruiting class is in place, but there’s always a chance for some late additions or transfers.
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2020 Recruiting
The Terrapins currently have 23 signed letters of intent from members of their 2020 recruiting class, with 4 commits unsigned as of yet. The class is highlighted by 5-star WR Rakim Jarrett, a Top 25 player nationally and one of the best high school wideouts in the country. The coaching staff is still attempting to add a few players to the class before National Signing Day, with their primary targets listed below.
– 4-star JuCo DE Deandre Butler (Independence, KS)
– 3-star TE Allen Horace (Crockett, TX)
– 3-star JuCo DE Dionte Gipson (Independence, KS)
– 3-star JuCo OT Kobe Rios (Council Bluffs, IA)
– 3-star JuCo OT Amelio Moran (Scranton, PA)
The majority of the team’s remaining targets are Junior College transfers on both the offensive and defensive lines, with two from Independence Community College where the Terrapins have already received multiple players in this recruiting class. Butler is the highest-ranked target, and will be visiting Auburn and Oregon during the next two weeks. Oklahoma is also in the mix for his commitment.
Lorenzo Harrison III Retires
Maryland running back Lorenzo Harrison III, who would’ve been entering his fifth season with the team, announced earlier this week that he’d be retiring from football for medical reasons. This comes after suffering two season-ending knee injuries in consecutive seasons. His departure, combined with the early exits of Anthony McFarland, Jr. and Javon Leake to the NFL, leaves a massive hole in the team’s running back room.
To make matters worse, each of the two returning ball-carriers from 2019 have concerns surrounding their ability to get on the field next season. Tayon Fleet-Davis was charged with a DUI towards the end of last year and Jake Funk suffered a season-ending knee injury. Locksley and his coaching staff added three running backs in their 2020 recruiting class, but one of them (Ebony Jackson) is likely to end up at a preparatory school due to academic issues. For a position that’s been as deep as it has for the last few seasons, it’ll be extremely thin and unproven in 2020.
One Coaching Change
Locksley has kept his entire coaching staff intact from last season with the exception of John Papuchis, who left to join Mike Norvell’s staff at Florida State. He served as Maryland’s special teams coordinator and inside linebackers coach in 2019 and was a solid local recruiter. In his place, Locksley has hired George Helow, who spent the last four seasons with Colorado State. He began his coaching career at Alabama, with additional stops at Florida State and Georgia. He’s considered to be a rising star in the coaching ranks, but this will be his first experience as a special teams coach.
Terps Analyst
Zack is a financial analyst for a defense contractor in Washington, DC. The Owings Mills native focuses most of his efforts on Maryland Football recruiting and individual coach and player pieces; but also covers Terps Basketball. He has established relationships with Big Ten beat reporters across the conference, which he utilizes in his game previews. Now a Sr. Terps Analyst for BSL, Zack can be reached at: zack.kiesel@baltimoresportsandlife.com.