A number of reasons went into Maryland hiring Mike Locksley as head coach last year but chief among them were the recruiting prowess he brought to the table, particularly in the ever important Washington D.C./Maryland/Virginia area.
While the wins haven’t come on the field for the Terps just yet, Locksley has at least delivered on the recruiting part during his first full early National Signing Day. In one of the biggest surprises out of the entire Class of 2020, St. John’s College (Washington D.C.) five-star WR Rakim Jarrett announced he was spurning his longtime LSU commitment and staying home to go to Maryland.
It’s not every day that you see somebody say no to a team in the College Football Playoff for a muddling Big Ten program but the pull of home was undoubtedly huge for Jarrett, who is considered a top 20 prospect by most recruiting services and ranks as the No. 2 receiver in the country in 247Sports’ Composite.
The six-foot, 210 pounder is among the biggest names to ever sign with the Terps as a result and undoubtedly reminds many in the region of another local superstar staying home in current Minnesota Vikings star Stefon Diggs joining the program back in 2012. Jarrett doubles as the first five-star to commit to Maryland in at least seven classes and the first in the Big Ten era at the school.
LSU head coach Ed Orgeron and Locklsey staged a few recruiting battles against each other back when the latter was at Alabama but things have changed just a bit for both guys this time around as they went head-to-head again in a very different manner.