Despite coming off of a National Championship, the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers have suffered a huge blow. On Dec. 18, 5-star recruit Rakim Jarrett officially de-committed from LSU and decided to stay in his hometown and commit to the Maryland Terrapins.
Jarrett was an outstanding wide receiver for Saint John’s College High School throughout his 4-year career. He is the number 20 recruit for the class of 2020 and the second-best wide receiver in the Class of 2020 according to 247Sports Composite.
Despite initially committing to Louisiana State University, Jarrett never felt fully connected to the LSU coaching staff. When he took his first official visit at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) in December of 2019, however, there was no such issue.
“[The biggest impact] was more so Coach [Mike] Locks[ley] and the plan he presented. How you’re going to develop me as a player and as a person and use my face to kind of brand myself even more than what I kind of do now in high school. How being in the hometown is a big thing, going further than just football,” Jarett said, according to the Testudo Times.
Jarrett has always idolized star Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs, a UMD alumnus, and received key advice from Diggs on advancing to the next level. “He just told me I got to start surrounding myself with people [with] the same focus as me,” Jarrett said.
“They always say that in the system he runs, [Coach Locksley]’s going to get you the ball,” Jarrett explained. Locksley, a former Alabama coordinator, had previously been recognized in 2018 as the best assistant coach in college football. “Even other coaches in college, they have nothing but respect for Coach Locks.”
Locksley, however, is no stranger to pulling off such a recruitment. Diggs himself, in 2012, pulled a similar move by turning down major college football powerhouses and signing with the Terrapins. Despite this, Jarrett’s move came as a surprise to him. “We had no idea he was signing today,” Locksley told the press.
Jarrett’s commitment has elevated the Terrapins to the 26th best recruiting class of 2020. After a season where the Terrapins had the 47th best recruiting class in 2019, the Terrapins may have finally found a centerpiece to their offense.
Article by Andrew Plotnick of Walter Johnson High School and Kevin Zhang of Richard Montgomery High School
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