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Maryland Football loses elite in-state prospect to Notre Dame

Originally posted on Maryland Terrapins on SI
By Chris Breiler | Last updated Jun 20, 2025 2:26 PM ET

Four-star cornerback Khary Adams was in College Park yesterday for an official visit. Rated as the No. 4 overall prospect from the state of Maryland and the No. 3 cornerback in the nation, there was some hope that head coach Mike Locksley and the Terrapins could keep Adams in his home state. Unfortunately, that won't be the case.

On Friday, Adams announced that he had committed to Notre Dame, leaving the Terps to miss out on one of the top prospects from the state of Maryland.

pic.twitter.com/eJNK8ZB27U
— Khary Adams (@KharyAdams6) June 18, 2025

BREAKING: Elite 2026 CB Khary Adams has Committed to Notre Dame, he tells me for @on3recruits

The No. 3 CB in the ‘26 Class chose the Fighting Irish over Oregon, Penn State, & Michigan

“Thank you God, Go Irish!”https://t.co/EkDUFrolcf pic.twitter.com/8HLgvY8qcb
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 20, 2025

Although it's difficult for Maryland to compete on the recruiting trail against college football's elite programs, Locksley knows that he has to win the recruiting battles in his home state. He was able to do that (so far) with five-star edge rusher Zion Elee, arguably the top prospect in the 2026 class. But Locksley has now missed on Adams, and any hope of landing five-star OL Immanuel Iheanacho appears to be gone as well.

If the Terps can't convince the top talent in the state of Maryland to stay home, it's going to make it even harder for Locksley to turn this program into one that can compete on a national level. Despite the commitment from Elee, Maryland's 2026 class currently ranks No. 65 in the nation and No. 17 in the Big Ten.

Even with the option of acquiring talent through the transfer portal, Maryland can't afford to continue missing on top targets within the state.

This article first appeared on Maryland Terrapins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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