Maryland football 2020 LB commit Ruben Hyppolite II has become a fast-rising prospect

Class of 2020 linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II, who committed to Maryland football just before the Spring Game in April, has gained momentum and landed on the national recruiting radar.

In the month of June, Hyppolite has spent his time at college camps and gained experience working out with some of the premier coaches in the country, earning some marquee offers along the way. During the first week of June, Hyppolite camped at Alabama, where he caught the eyes of head coach Nick Saban and his staff, earning the elusive Crimson Tide offer.

“It felt great, just knowing my hard work paid off,” Hyppolite told Testudo Times. “I was able to impress Coach Saban, and it meant a lot to me.”

Hyppolite also attended the Ray Lewis Academy in Florida, winning the defensive MVP award from the former All-Pro Baltimore Ravens linebacker himself.

After competing in Tuscaloosa, as well as traveling to Clemson for a camp, Hyppolite was greeted with a hometown offer from the Florida Gators. “The quarterbacks coach [Brian Johnson] contacted my defensive coordinator at McArthur High School and he said they made the offer,” Hyppolite said. “It meant a lot. Being from Florida, that was one of my favorite teams growing up.”

Both Hyppolite and the Maryland coaches have been in contact “as much as possible,” simply because of the family atmosphere. The bond built on both sides is what continues to draw Hyppolite to Maryland despite major suitors joining the picture, as he reaffirmed his commitment and continues to use his pull on social media in favor of the Terps.

“It’s a movement,” Hyppolite said about his use of the hashtag #TerpTakeover on Twitter. “I’ve got a lot of guys to commit and to join the process with me. ... It’s a statement, being able to get guys that I want to play with and guys that match my intensity at every position on defense just to play alongside me.”

Hyppolite’s commitment to Maryland and helping head coach Mike Locksley build a foundation certainly cannot go unnoticed. He mentioned that coming out of the dead period he plans to return to College Park for a cookout in order to hang out with the staff and other recruits to continue building that connection.

When the fall comes around, though, Hyppolite does plan on taking some, if not all, of the allotted official visits. Maryland will certainly get a visit for one game week, and he also plans to take trips to Penn State and Alabama to experience their atmospheres as well. Florida and Miami are in-state programs that may earn the fourth and fifth visits if he decides to take them, but nothing is set in stone outside of the first three.

Even with the notoriety and hype surrounding him, Hyppolite is spending his summer and this time during the FBS dead period — from June 24 to July 24 — working on himself and his skills. McArthur defensive coordinator Junior Rosegreen has been working out and posting Hyppolite’s progress, which has been a point of emphasis for the Maryland staff.

“Really, what I’m focusing on this summer is getting my body ready for the season, and for college,” said Hyppolite, who now measures in at 6’1, 230 pounds. “I’m going to be enrolling early, so I just want to to the best I can to build my body up and put myself in the best shape to be successful.

“[The Maryland staff] has been commenting on my workouts that I put up on a daily basis. They are just telling me how other people down there at Maryland love me, they love what I do, and they can’t wait for me to get up there.”