It’s no secret that Maryland has been targeting tight ends and local talent in its recent recruiting classes, and on Feb. 27, the Terps landed both with one commitment from Washington (D.C.) Archbishop Carroll 2021 three-star wide receiver/tight end Leron Husbands.

Husbands chose the Terps over other offers such as Boston College, East Carolina, Indiana, NC State, Pitt, Purdue, Rutgers, Temple, and West Virginia. He said Maryland recruited him as both a tight end and wideout.

“What went into my decision was that I had a good talk with my mom, my dad, my coach, and (Maryland tight ends coach) coach (Mike) Miller, and after talking to all of them and comparing [Maryland] to my other offers, it seemed like the best one with the best benefits from it off the field wise,” Husbands told TSR. “And I just really liked how everything went well in the process and I decided to stay home.”

Husbands’ last visit to College Park was Jan. 25, and while plenty on the trip stood out to him and made him feel like Maryland is the place he wanted to be at the next level, he said getting to talk to other local recruits about what they could build together if they all stay home was the biggest factor.

“I talked to some other recruits who also have plans on staying home and we felt like we could really make a change here at the University of Maryland,” Husbands said. “It means a lot to stay home because I don’t want my friends to have to see me on TV. They actually have the opportunity to come to a home game and see me play and they can say, ‘I went to school with him,’ or, ‘That’s my friend.’ So that’s kind of cool.”

Husbands mentioned Upper Marlboro (Md.) Wise four-star wide receiver Jalil Farooq, Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha four-star linebacker Greg Penn, and Germantown (Md.) Northwest three-star wide receiver Kaden Prather as just a few of the many local Terps’ targets he’s trying to get to join him as part of Maryland’s 2021 class.

Building the program with local talent is priority No. 1 for head coach Mike Locksley, who is known for his recruiting prowess, especially in the DMV area. Husbands knows Locksley well and has liked what he has seen so far from the Terps’ lead man.

“Coach Locksley is definitely changing the program around,” Husbands said. “I know coach Locksley personally and I think he’s a good man, good coach, and I’m excited to see what he has in store.”

While some college programs were only interested in Husbands as a wide receiver, he primarily played tight end for his high school team. A talented enough pass-catch to be split out wide when needed, Husbands said he prides himself on his versatility and ability to block as well.

“I think that’s what I learned how to do first was block,” Husbands said. “I was taught block so you can receive the ball.”

Having seen Maryland have success with pass-catching tight ends in the past like Vernon Davis, and more recently with Chigoziem Okonkwo and Tyler Mabry, Husbands also factored the Terps’ history with his position into his final decision.

“I like to see what other schools have produced in the past, and Maryland has produced some really good tight ends and they’ve all been pretty successful, so that’s where I wanted to be,” Husbands said.

With a commitment from Husbands, Maryland’s 2021 class sits at nine members — all from the DMV area. The Terps’ recruiting class is currently ranked 10th nationally.