Maryland football extended 2 of its best recruiters. It was an easy call.

Maryland football’s new coaching staff is recruiting at a level previously unseen by the program, and two of the main catalysts behind the recent surge will be sticking around for the near future.

Chris Beatty and Azaar Abdul-Rahim, both of whom joined DJ Durkin’s staff after the 2015 season, are officially under contract through February 2019, InsideMdSports reported over the weekend. The coaches have also received raises, with Beatty’s annual salary climbing from $320,000 to $400,000 and Abdul-Rahim’s from $170,000 to $250,000. Both contracts also include bonuses for things like bowl appearances.

This surely wasn’t a hard choice for Maryland. Abdul-Rahim, the team’s defensive backs coach, has been at the forefront of the Terps’ recruiting efforts in the D.C. area. He made his name as the founder and head coach at Friendship Collegiate Academy in Washington, D.C., and has been critical in the recruitment of several local blue-chippers, most recently (and arguably most notably) DeMatha blue-chippers Austin Fontaine and Evan Gregory

Beatty was named Maryland’s associate head coach in April, so it makes sense that a new contract would follow. The wide receivers coach has focused his recruiting efforts in Virginia, where he’s helped land 2018 quarterback Tyler DeSue and three 2017 signees from one school, among other prospects. (He’s also at least somewhat responsible for bringing Caleb Henderson to College Park, as Henderson’s father coached Beatty at Chantilly High School and called Beatty early in the process.)

With these two in their current positions through at least the 2019 recruiting cycle, Maryland should continue its Mid-Atlantic focus on the trail. The Terps are establishing pipelines at local prospect factories like never before, and those figure to grow even stronger over time.

Recruiting is only part of the equation, of course, but it’s the first part. Without success in this realm, success on the field becomes that much harder. Beatty and Abdul-Rahim have been solid as position coaches and exceptional as recruiters, so Maryland is doing exactly the right thing for keeping them with the program for as long as possible.