4. Rakim Jarrett – Maryland Terrapins receiver
Rakim Jarrett was one of the biggest surprises of the recruiting cycle when he flipped his commitment to perennial powerhouse LSU, the defending National Champions, to the Maryland Terrapins. Jarrett is a D.C. area native and talked to former Terrapin star Stefon Diggs before making his decision.
Now that he’s here, there’s a good chance he can start right away. That’s the reason a five-star recruit would go to a program like Maryland. They want to play. Jarrett is no different. He’s got the inside lane to start on the outside, as a lot of Maryland’s talent is in the slot.
There’s a lot of decisions yet to be made at Maryland. The biggest is how Taulia Tagovailoa is going to play after transferring from the Alabama Crimson Tide. The brother of superstar Tua, Taulia Tagovailoa is expecting to make a major impact on the Terrapins right off the top.
He doesn’t have a lot of time to build chemistry with his receivers, so he can only rely on talent. There’s no greater talent on this team than Jarrett. He is going to run the best routes, outrun the best cornerbacks in the ACC, dominating one side of the field, and let his quarterback know that every time the ball goes in his direction, odds are he’s coming down with it.
Jarrett could be the freshman with the most receiving yards in the country. His mixture of immediate opportunity, interesting quarterback combination, and expectation of a much better offense in Maryland will lead to a stat machine with ever-growing expectations.