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Maryland football officially brought three-star linebacker Gereme Spraggins back home, signing him Wednesday.
The Hutchinson Community College prospect originally hailed from Arundel High School and went the junior college route to reach Division I. He continues head coach Mike Locksley’s pipeline of JUCO players who can make immediate impacts in College Park.
“I’m in JUCO right now, and being so far away from the crib makes me want to come back to it,” Spraggins told Testudo Times back in January. “The recruiting — they’ve always been hardcore recruiting me, but out of high school I wasn’t qualified, so I had to come out here and grind. I’ve been grinding in JUCO and got the opportunity to commit to Maryland.”
Spraggins is ranked as the No. 24 prospect and No. 3 inside linebacker from the junior college level in the 2021 class. He held offers from Arkansas, Purdue and South Carolina, among others.
At 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, Spraggins arrives at Maryland with a good frame for the linebacker position. He predominantly plays on the inside, showing off great play-recognition and speed whether defending the pass or run. Spraggins is quick to close gaps or slide into coverage, with great speed to the sideline as well.
While the defensive haul for Maryland stacked up on the defensive line and on the edge, Spraggins will provide key talent in the heart of the defense. The inside linebacking corps that includes Chance Campbell, Ayinde Eley and 2020 signee Ruben Hyppolite II has already proven itself, and Spraggins will be another key piece to that puzzle.
Spraggins also played the 2019 season with 2020 Maryland signee Jakorian Bennett, which helped seal the deal.
“Him being from Alabama and me being from Maryland, seeing him fall in love with the state of Maryland made me fall in love even more with my state,” Spraggins said. “For somebody to not pick Ole Miss or Auburn and pick Maryland ... that really opened my eyes to ‘Yeah, I got it good back at home.’ I know Mike Locksley’s got something brewing up there and I want to be a part of it.”