REPRESENT

The Fall 2022 issue of ONE MARYLAND Magazine recently arrived in the mailboxes of Terrapin Club members. ONE MARYLAND features stories of strength and perseverance, of determination and spirit. These stories define our athletics program, and this new magazine will allow us to share these stories with you. Over the next few weeks, we will be rolling out these stories on umterps.com as a preview of what you will find in ONE MARYLAND. To receive future issues of the magazine when they debut, please join the Terrapin Club. We hope you enjoy.

During Michael Locksley's introductory press conference on Dec. 6, 2018, he emphasized the importance of the DMV and the need to attract and retain local talent. 

"As you know this DMV community is very prideful," Locksley said on that historic day. "We root hard for our home teams … So, I have a vision and picture in my mind of what it felt like and what it looked like when we accomplished those goals as a team and I know it can be done again. I know it will take some hard work, it will take some great effort – it will take this community getting behind the program and the players in this area staying home. And developing that sense of pride back in wearing a Terp jersey. I love building, I am a builder by nature and this is a great opportunity and the timing was just perfect for me now." 

Less than four years later, that statement has come to fruition. Sixty-eight of the 118 players on the roster (almost 58 percent) are from either Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC. 

Star wide receivers Rakim Jarrett and Dontay Demus Jr. headline the group of local players. Jarrett is from Palmer Park, and Demus is a D.C. native. Both guys grew up rooting for Maryland on Saturdays. 

Demus recalls watching Stefon Diggs haul in touchdown after touchdown and Will Likely electrifying the crowd with his kick returns. Demus' older cousin Antoine Brooks Jr. was also a Terp football standout from 2016 through 2019. 

"Those guys becoming big stars at Maryland, that made me want to play here even more," Demus said.

Jarrett has a similar story. Growing up approximately 20 minutes from Maryland Stadium, he fondly remembers Anthony MacFarland running all over Ohio State for 298 yards in 2018. 

Above all, however, Jarrett absolutely idolized Diggs—a receiver of similar traits to him that stayed home in Maryland and eventually became an NFL star. The two formed a relationship, and Diggs even played a crucial role in Jarrett picking Maryland after initially committing to LSU. 

"Diggs is a guy that I look up to a lot; I always have," Jarrett said. "He showed that it can be done being a hometown guy. He set the path and I'm just trying to follow in those steps."

During the past offseason, several big-name SEC schools courted Jarrett again, hoping the former five-star recruit would transfer. But, again, Jarrett chose to stay home, citing his relationship with Locksley and his allegiance to his home state as the main factors. 

"This is where I grew up. That says it in itself," Jarrett said. "I play for the team and the people that have been following me for so long. I don't want to let those people down, that's the biggest thing."

Demus also had several other options when it came to picking a college. Both 247Sports and ESPN rated him as the ninth overall player in DC. 

But for Demus, leaving was never an option.

"I knew I wanted to stay home and play from where I'm from," he said. "Maryland was my dream school, so once I got the offer it was easy. Maryland was my first offer, they're right in the backyard and I could do everything I wanted to do at other schools, but do it here at home." 

"I didn't want to be one of those guys to go thousands of miles to play," Demus added. "I wanted to put on for my family, with my family."

Fulfilling Dreams

Jarrett and Demus are far from the only ones on the team who grew up rooting for Maryland with dreams of becoming a Terp.

Corey Dyches, an Oxon Hill native who earned First Team All-Met honors in football and basketball as a senior, had a similar Terp upbringing. 

"Maryland's been my dream school since I can remember," Dyches said. "I love putting on for the area."

The tight end is equally passionate about getting even more local prospects onto Maryland's campus.

"I hope other people from this area learn to keep building this culture because we've got too much talent in the DMV," Dyches said. "I just think everybody should stay home. There's nothing like playing at home."

The DMV area also wholeheartedly embraces its hometown stars— as Jarrett can attest. 

"Growing up I was always a good football player," Jarrett said. "People I met when I was 5-years-old are still following me in college. The fanbase that I have personally is really special with me being from here."

Jarrett's decision to come to Maryland took some by surprise and made his bond with the fans even deeper, Jarrett said. 

"Since the day I've committed, it's always been love and support, especially because a lot of the Maryland fans maybe wouldn't have expected me to come here. I definitely appreciate the support I get being a hometown guy. They always have my back. It's been great."

Demus has felt that same love even though he isn't from the state of Maryland, and it brings him great pride to be able to represent DC as a Terp. 

"It's not just a Maryland thing, there's guys from the 202 as well," Demus said. "Just having that mindset of putting on for my city, that's how I've been since I started being recruited. Just being able to do that and put it on display for the whole world here at Maryland, it means a lot to me."

Family Matters

For Jarrett, Demus, and many of the other hometown kids, arguably the best part of playing close to home is being able to see their families more often and having them in the stands regularly. 

This is especially true for Demus, whose dad tragically passed away while Demus was in high school, just a few months before reporting to Maryland.

"After that it was even more important for me to stay close to home, close to my mom," Demus said. 

Today, Demus' mom and other family members are frequently in attendance at most of his home games. 

"Knowing they're in the stands gives me the confidence and the ability to go out there and do what I love," Demus said. "Just having them on my back and knowing they're watching me do what I love, it means a lot."

Hailing from New Carrollton, offensive linemen Jaelyn Duncan has experienced that same support. 

"This is home," Duncan said. "You never feel like there's nobody not there for you. My family's very supportive; they come to all my games."

Having his family at his games was another significant factor in Jarrett's decision when he first chose a school and during his most recent decision to stay at Maryland.

"That accessibility is a big thing for me," Jarrett said. "Just knowing my family is in the stands, even if I can't see them, just knowing they're there is really big."

It's not just family that makes a difference at the games. Redshirt junior defensive back and Baltimore native Deonte Banks points to the ability for his friends to see play in person as a major plus. 

"It feels real good, just knowing you're from Maryland and you've got people close to home, your friends, they can all come to your game and watch you play," Banks said.

Hometown Pride

There's also a greater sense of pride for these hometown players. They are accomplishing big things on the football field, at a premier school in a premier conference, and they didn't have to go far to do it. 

"It shows that you don't have to go all the way across the country to get recruited or make it to the NFL," Demus said. "You can do all of that right in your backyard. It just means a lot to show that we have the talent here at home to do it all."

For Demus, someone who feels D.C. talent is undervalued, it's been important to him  to represent his city and to do it close to home. 

"It means a lot to show that I'm from an area with a lot of talent and that we can do anything if we put our minds to it. Not a lot of people think that this area has a lot of talent, but now we're putting it on full display."

Duncan has found that wearing the Maryland uniform in his home state gives him a little extra juice on Saturdays. 

"Being able to play at my hometown school, on TV, for my family, I feel the need to represent my state well and put us on the map," Duncan said. "A lot of people don't look at Maryland as one of the top schools, but we have a lot of talent too."

Spencer Anderson, a standout offensive lineman originally from Bowie, also had offers to play all over the country. However, playing in Maryland held a unique sentiment for him. 

"It's always great repping the area," Anderson said. "You're coming out of high school, you can kinda choose to play anywhere, but playing for your hometown has a different feel. You're defending your territory." 

"The DMV area, there's nothing like it," he added. "The area is special and so are the players."

Jarrett knows how much football means to the people of Maryland, and it's an honor for him to represent the state. 

"In Maryland, it's all about crabcakes and football," Jarrett said. "I know it means a lot to the fans, especially to see us do good, so I'm just trying to make that happen. It means a lot to me too, I wouldn't trade it for the world." 

Jarrett, Demus, Dyches, Duncan, Banks, and Anderson are just a few examples of hometown kids who have all had illustrious careers as Terps. They have showcased you can become a big name around the country and set yourself up with a potential NFL future—all without having to leave the backyard. 

Perhaps Demus sums it up best. 

"If you put on for the name in front of the jersey, a lot of things will happen for the name on the back," he said. "I've always played to put on for the DMV and for Maryland and I've made a lot of things happen because of that. It's a great feeling."