After a 3-9 first season at the helm for Terps head coach Mike Locksley, some were left wondering if the 50-year-old from Washington, D.C., was the man for the job – the job of rebuilding a program that hasn’t had a winning season since 2014 and is fresh off the tragic death of former Maryland offensive lineman Jordan McNair.

Locksley inherited a few playmakers on each side of the ball but also a roster not yet ready to be competitive in the gauntlet that is the Big Ten.

Being hired in late 2018, he had to scramble to put together a 2019 recruiting class left in shambles by the bad publicity the program was receiving after McNair’s death that stemmed from over exertion during a team workout. Maryland’s recruiting class ranked 61^st nationally that year according to Rivals, but it was highlighted by snatching away both the No. 2-ranked player in the state of Maryland, Nick Cross, and four-star quarterback Lance Legendre from Florida State.

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The recruiting wizard who came for his third stint in College Park after three years under Nick Saban at Alabama, has been building the Terps from the ground up ever since.

Maryland’s 2020 recruiting class is ranked 31^st nationally according to Rivals, and this time, Locksley reeled in the No. 1 overall recruit from a part of the DMV (D.C.). The Terps’ fanbase is eager to see five-star wide receiver Rakim Jarrett take his talents from St. John’s College High to College Park. They’re nearly as eager to see four-star linebacker Ruben Hyppolite entrench himself in the middle of the defense.

But Locksley is outdoing even himself when it comes to the recruiting he has done so far for the 2021 class.

Rivals currently has Maryland ranked as the 19^th best recruiting class nationally, and the Terps already have 16 prospects pledged to the 2021 class with 14 hailing from the DMV area.

The local haul includes a trio of Rivals four-star recruits: St. John’s College High (Washington, D.C.) defensive tackle Taizse Johnson, Quince Orchard (Gaithersburg, Md.) outside linebacker Demeioun “Chop” Robinson, and Robinson’s teammate, defensive tackle Marcus Bradley.

Johnson was the first to hop on board as one of the Terps’ first commitments after the turn of the New Year. Robinson followed about two months later, shortly after the Coronavirus pandemic sent the country into lockdown. And Bradley recently committed on May 1.

Since Bradley’s commitment to kick off May, Maryland has landed two three-star tight ends, two three-star defensive ends, and an All-WCAC running back. The two tight ends – Weston Wolff and CJ Dippre are currently the only two non-DMV recruits in the class.

Colby McDonald – St. John’s College High’s all-conference runner – is a nice under-the-radar pick up for the Terps. Between Jarrett, Johnson, and now McDonald, Locksley has made quite the inroads with the D.C. powerhouse.

Another local program Locksley has seriously improved Maryland’s relationship with is Baltimore powerhouse St. Frances, where the Terps’ most recent commit, Terrance Butler, plays defensive end.

Locksley not only has improved his recruiting each and every year he has been the head coach in College Park and made major headway with the DMV’s top high schools, he has also landed one of the program’s biggest grad transfers in recent memory in former Alabama quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa.

With the class of 2021 and Maryland’s football future looking bright, there’s still work left to be done before Signing Day.

Who’s Next?

The crown jewel (at least within the DMV) of the 2021 class is Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) five-star quarterback Caleb Williams, who is the No. 1-ranked signal caller in the class. Early in the cycle, Locksley and his staff put all their quarterback eggs into the Williams basket. In fact, the Terps didn’t even take a serious look at other quarterbacks in the class until about spring.

But with the chances of Williams heading to Oklahoma looking likelier, Locksley took the sure thing and landed Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa’s presence doesn’t mean Williams definitely won’t be a Terp, but it does make the chances seem highly unlikely.

The Terps’ coaching staff has its sight set on a trip of wide receivers – all of which are DMV prospects that would be strong additions to the offense.

Malcolm Johnson Jr.: Johnson is a four-star wideout from Alexandria, Virginia, with world-class speed. Maryland recently made his top eight along with Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Georgia, Texas, Florida, and USC. Despite the stiff competition, many think he will soon be a Terp.

Jalil Farooq: Farooq is close with Caleb Williams and the two of them could possibly be a package deal at the next level. The two likeliest landing spots are Oklahoma and Maryland. The Sooners seems to have the slight edge now, especially with Williams, but I’ve been told not to count the Terps out with Farooq even if Williams goes to Oklahoma.

Kaden Prather: Prather is probably the longest shot of the three to be a Terp, as many project him to Penn State. Oklahoma is again a player here. But you can never count Locksley out with the local guys.

Maryland’s biggest need moving forward is offensive linemen. The DMV wasn’t a strong region for the position in 2021 and the Terps have yet to add a blocker to next year’s class.  But that could soon change is Locksley is able to land some of his offensive line targets.

Tristan Leigh: Leigh is the ultimate prize here. The four-star tackle has about 40 offers but narrowed his list down to 15 in early May. Maryland made that shortlist and is still in the running. Hailing from Fairfax, Virginia, it will be up to Locksley to work his local recruiting magic.

Mike Myslinski: Myslinski is an underrated center from Florida who is likely to land at Iowa, but the Terps are doing what they can to get him on board. His father is currently the Strength & Conditioning Coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars and played nine seasons as an offensive lineman in the NFL.

Josh Street: This is a dark horse prospect who recently picked up a Maryland offer but offers BIG upside, literally. Street is 6-foot-6, 285 pounds. The Terps are currently the only Power Five offer the Arkansas native has.

Others to keep an eye on:

Greg Penn: The stud linebacker from DeMatha has Maryland in his final six along with Alabama, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas A&M.

Jamon Dumas Johnson: Johnson has a who’s who list of offers, but Locksley has built a strong relationship with St. Frances, as previously stated, and several key members of his high school defensive front are already pledged to the Terps.

Roman Hemby: Although Maryland already has two running backs committed to the 2021 class, the Terps are still pursuing Hemby, who is listed as an athlete but says his being recruited to play in the backfield in College Park. Even so, Hemby brings a different skill set than the backs already pledged to the Terps and Maryland was the last place the Bel Air, Maryland, native had a chance to visit before quarantine.

Ryan Barnes: Barnes recently cut his long list of more than 30 offers to 15, and the Terps made the cut. The three-star cornerback from Quince Orchard is said to have a lean toward Notre Dame but, again, you can never count out Locksley with the local guys, especially with several of his teammates already on board.