Mike Locksley and the Terps landed their first offseason commitment from the transfer portal on Sunday, as Cincinnati defensive back Ja'Quan Sheppard announced his intentions via social media.

Sheppard, who held offers from the likes of Arkansas, Cal, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and West Virginia since entering the transfer portal, chose the Terps over UCF, who he had originally been planning to officially visit next weekend.

Sheppard redshirted as a true freshman in 2019 and then played sparingly the next two seasons as a special teams ace.

After sitting behind his former roommate and first round NFL Draft pick Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner in 2021, Sheppard earned the starting boundary corner position this season and flourished. He finished the regular season with 50 tackles (33 solo), a sack and 10 passes defended, earning first-team All-AAC honors.

With Maryland starting cornerback Deonte Banks' recent announcement that he would forgo his final season of eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft, the need for another experienced cornerback became that much more important. At 6-foot-2, 200-pounds, Sheppard has the size and experience that he should be able to step right in as a replacement for Banks.

A Sunshine State native, Sheppard was initially a three-star prospect out of Zephyrhills (Fla.). He flipped from Temple to Cincinnati shortly before the Early Signing Period began in December 2018. He has two years of eligibility remaining due to COVID.