Mike Locksley credits a favorite marketing professor from his time at Towson University some 30 years ago for the philosophy the Maryland football coach uses when it comes to recruiting.
“People buy from people they like,” Locksley remembers his professor saying.
All these years later, Locksley knows that mantra still rings true, be it during Zoom conversations or in-person visits. The coronavirus pandemic has complicated recruiting; a “dead period” through April 2021 has left coaches and players to navigate the process virtually.
But to Locksley, one thing still translates to recruits and parents, whether he’s talking to them through his computer or sitting in their living room.
“You have to do a good job of selling who you are and the great things Maryland has to offer,” Locksley said. “There’s no secret thing you say or do, or way to say or do it. I just think people can tell when you’re genuine.”
Locksley has made that a point during his career, and it has resulted in recruiting success at many of his stops. And during the Terrapins’ early signing period, which ended Wednesday, his mission for sincerity resulted in securing 21 players.
The class is ranked No. 19 in the country, per 247 Sports, and it’s the fourth-best unit in the Big Ten. The group features three four-star prospects, is focused on the defense and welcomes 14 players from the ’DMV’, the area of the country Locksley has focused on controlling since becoming head coach in 2018.
Locksley and his staff targeted this class when he got the job, wanting to take advantage of the two years they had to develop relationships. For many of the local players, they had time before the coronavirus pandemic to visit the campus and watch games at Maryland Stadium.
Some of the players from further away in the country didn’t have that luxury, making this process more challenging. Still, the Terrapins secured four players from Florida — including four-star linebacker Branden Jennings, who flipped his commitment away from Michigan.
As Locksley attempts to turn Maryland into a competitive Big Ten program, he has targeted the trenches as the main area for improvement. In last season’s recruiting class, Locksley added six offensive linemen. This year, he secured six defensive linemen, with Tommy Akingbesote — a four-star tackle from Upper Marlboro, Maryland — as the standout member of that group.
“When I first got here, we were a little lopsided in some position groups,” Locksley said. “I remember having seven quarterbacks on scholarship and six wide receivers in one class. So what we’ve done and been able to do here the last couple of years is try to balance that scholarship distribution out to where we’re starting to fill and hit the needs of where we want to be.”
With Akingbesote, Jennings and Demeioun Robinson, a linebacker who’s the top-ranked player in Maryland, the Terrapins bolstered a young defense that has made strides this season.
“I asked Santa for some defensive help,” Locksley said, “and I guess I was a good boy for most of covid, and he delivered early.”
But Locksley also added three tight ends, three running backs, a wide receiver and a fullback. He likes how his offense is shaping up, with quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa still just a redshirt sophomore and all the major pass-catching threats returning for at least another season.
At 2-3, Maryland has shown the inconsistency that can expected from an inexperienced team during a season with ample coronavirus interruptions. The Terrapins face Michigan State on Saturday and may wind up in a bowl game before fully shifting their focus toward next season.
Some of the additions announced Wednesday could immediately find their way on the field as Maryland looks to cement itself as a middle-of-the-road Big Ten program.
“The thing I like about this group is they’re all really confident in their abilities to come here, add to what we have, to help get this thing to the next step, to the next level,” Locksley said. “We’re doing a lot of the heavy lifting now, and hopefully this group will be the catalyst to get us through the growth stage and into the success stage.”
And Locksley has put his team in that position through his ability to sell prospects on Maryland through whatever medium is at his disposal — such as Zoom — remembering the axiom Professor Smith used to repeat in his marketing class.
• Andy Kostka can be reached at akostka@washingtontimes.com.
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