Florida ATH Lionell Whitaker commits to Maryland
Tallahassee (Fla.) Rickards athlete Lionell Whitaker has double-digit offers, and he has been in strong communication with numerous schools the last few months, but one school began to separate the last few weeks and that was Maryland.
"I have been thinking a lot about Maryland and Tennessee lately, but I just think Maryland is the right fit for me," said Whitaker. "Other than those two, Kansas State, West Virginia, South Florida, Coastal Carolina and Wake Forest have coming at me hard, but I just feel right with Maryland."
The 6-foot, 177 pound athlete in the 2022 class can play both sides of the ball, but the Terps like him at cornerback. The versatile junior has talked to multiple Maryland coaches, but the one for his area is outside linebackers coach Brawley Evans.
That connection really accelerated this decision.
"I have been talking to coach Evans every day for a while now. He has been really recruiting me hard for a couple of months, and he really helped Maryland catch my eye.
"He is a great guy, we have a strong relationship and he made me feel very comfortable with my decision. I am talking to him a lot, I have done a lot of research on the school and I just like the fit for me."
Maryland offered Whitaker right after his first game this past season. Since then, they have made him feel like a priority. Whitaker started to think about the decision early in December, then the day after Christmas, he made the call.
"I texted coach Evans about my commitment first, but he didn't believe me, so he made me facetime him," said Whitaker with a laugh. "He wanted to actually see me say I was committing to Maryland, so as soon as that happened, he was so excited. He thought I was playing at first, but after we talked more, he knew I was serious."
The decision may have come a little earlier than Whitaker expected it, but once he had that feeling, he felt there was no reason to wait.
"I feel like Maryland is my next home now," said Whitaker. "I love the coaches, I like the way the program is going and I do not have to stress about recruiting anymore.
"I can't wait to get up there for a visit and to see what it is like, but I am excited about my commitment. I know where my next home is now."