VIP Maryland basketball recruiting mailbag: Kevin Willard's recruiting strategy, 2026 pursuits and more
Maryland has two commits in its 2025 recruiting class and continues to work on more prospects in multiple classes. What's the latest from the recruiting trail as Kevin Willard gets close to the start of his third season in College Park? Answering your questions in the latest installment of our recruiting mailbag.
Seberhardt: There's a perception here that Willard is all over the place with prioritizing players then backing off seemingly at random. Does reality match perception?
I wouldn't say that perception is reality. I think Willard's approach to high school prospects has changed a lot since last season. There was a ton of hype surrounding last year's class and the freshmen weren't quite ready to take on the significant roles they were being asked to fill.
The layers that go into recruiting with NIL can make things difficult. We're seeing high school seniors get astronomical amount thrown their way to the point where they're making more than some proven upperclassmen. It's a safe bet that the majority of those freshmen won't live up to the market price that they were promised. We'll see the ripple effects from this in the coming seasons.
Willard put his foot on the gas and kept it there throughout the Derik Queen pursuit. People are quick to forget that from a pure NIL perspective, Maryland wasn't the highest bidder and yet, Queen decided to come to College Park. That says something about Willard and his staff. Moving forward, they'll continue to focus on a 2-to-3 man freshman class, but with the certainty that those prospects will be able to produce in some sort of role from day one. He may not cast a wide net, but when Willard is dialed in on a couple of guys, the effort is clearly present.
Sblaney: Can you name our top recruits for 26 and where we stand with them currently ?
To say that Maryland has an established 2026 board at this point would be lying. There are a few prospects that they've already laid groundwork with or will be expected to pursue beginning this winter.
Parker Robinson was on campus last weekend and the staff seems very high on him. Robinson began his high school career at Good Counsel before leaving the state for Overtime Elite. While many are quick to tab him as a local product, Robinson grew up in Indiana before moving to the DMV. His father graduated from Purdue while his mother is a Michigan State graduate. The Boilermakers could be a program to pose a real threat if they get heavily involved down the road.
Qayden Samuels is as polished of a scorer as I've seen in recent memory. A 6-foot-5 lefty, the line of programs that battle for his services will be a long one. Samuels' sister, Cadence, is a sophomore at UConn and the Huskies have already extended an offer to Qayden. It seems like we're in a world where head coach Dan Hurley has his pick of the litter from a recruiting perspective, so I'll be monitoring their efforts here. Alabama, Kansas, Michigan, Syracuse and Tennessee are some of the other programs that have offered Samuels.
Frontcourt targets include Shane Pendergrass, Chase Foster (pictured) and Favour Ibe, who will be names to track. Ibe plays alongside current Maryland commit Christian Jeffrey at Mt. Zion Prep and shows real promise as a 7-footer with potential. Foster, a Baltimore native, currently plays at IMG Academy after winning back-to-back Maryland state titles at Edmondson-Westside. Pendergrass is rising up the boards since making the move to Hargrave Military Academy this summer. He fits the mold of a local prospect who could end up staying close for his college days. Pendergrass has been on campus and should be a familiar face throughout the season.
Nymets9631: Is Jeffrey the future stud point guard in line of the GV, Melo, Cowan after Gillespie leaves? He seems like a great PG just don't know how they play him with Gillespie as a senior but maybe Gillespie is that really good that he is next in line, seems a good problem to have lol
I think Jeffrey is one of the more college-ready point guards in the class when you consider his size, strength and style of play. The fit in the Big Ten Conference specifically should play to his strengths. So far this fall in warm-up events, Jeffrey has been really productive and shown more command on the ball. He gets downhill with ease and uses every bit of his frame to establish separation and make the game easier for him and those around him. He makes thorough reads in pick-and-rolls, changes pace effectively and will surprise you with his ability to see the entire floor off the live dribble.
Defensively, he'll be a valuable piece because again, his sturdy frame should allow him to guard multiple positions. I could see Gillispie and Jeffrey sharing the floor with Gillispie in more of an off-ball role to space the floor. It wouldn't be a flawless pairing, bu could be impactful depending upon the matchup.
The real expectation at this point is for Jeffrey to be a guy off the bench who comes in and provides energy and an on-ball presence for 8-to-10 minutes with the possibility of more if he hits the ground running.
