St. John’s (DC) five-star wide receiver Rakim Jarrett turned heads when he flipped his commitment from LSU to Maryland. The decision to stay close to home, picking Maryland over an SEC school, was much like Stefon Diggs did as a five-star recruit in 2012.
It’s fitting Jarrett’s commitment to Maryland compared to Diggs, considering it was Diggs who played a huge role in helping Maryland land Jarrett.
Maryland head coach Mike Locksley can testify to Diggs’ experience helping to flip Jarrett to the Terrapins. Talking to Barton Simmons while appearing on 247Sports’ Social Distance interview series, Locksley said he wishes he could take the credit but Jarrett’s relationship with Diggs ultimately landed the wideout.
“I wish I could say it was all me,” Locksley said. “Obviously recruiting is a group effort and we’ve got a staff. I know Scottie Montgomery and Joker Phillips both recruited [Jarrett] as much as I did. But the secret to it, to me and it’s kind of been my motto, is that this third-party validation in recruiting is what kind of separates you from others. And somehow he had forged a relationship via social media with Stefon Diggs. And I hadn’t been real aware that they had been communicating. And I know in the end, Stefon’s conversation with Rakim played a huge part of it.”
Diggs is credited with spearheading a resurgence in DMV area recruits opting to stay close to home and play for Maryland. Diggs progressed and was a fifth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, becoming a budding star in five seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
During Diggs’ time at Maryland, Locksley was the Terrapins’ offensive coordinator. He was trying to establish the same “stay home” movement then as he is now as the head coach. He knows Diggs’ commitment then has continued to have a lasting effect.
“Because I know Rakim grew up, when I recruited Stefon to Maryland, he was a young, seventh, sixth-grader coming to Maryland games,” Locksley added. “This whole area fell in love with the type of player Stefon Diggs was and what he did for Maryland. So I know that those two had a mutual connections in that, here it is, four or five years later, Rakim is in the same position to do something similar.
“And I got to tell you, I was as shocked as everybody when he sent me a text, as we’re getting text messages and national letters from others, saying, ‘Coach, I’m ready to do this.’ And I was like, ready to do what? ‘Cause we were all of the opinion he would [decide] in February, and he was like, ‘No. I’m ready to do it now.’ I almost fell out my chair.”
Jarrett is projected to be an NFL-caliber talent. Now, he will hope to build on the path Diggs set ahead with others to follow.
