Homecoming Roots, Defensive Grit: Jamare Glasker Finds His Purpose Back in College Park

“I wanted to really be a hometown hero,” Jamare Glasker said. 

It was one of many factors that brought the redshirt junior to College Park after two seasons at Wake Forest. He’s already been a key component of the Terps’ mighty defense and is enjoying the benefits that come with playing close to home. 

“It’s been good so far,” Glasker said. “I have a lot of family members and friends that come to the games that couldn’t make it last year, so they’ve been a big effect on my impact on the game.”

Maryland’s homecoming game against No. 2-ranked Indiana on Saturday will celebrate the Terps’ return to College Park and give the program the chance to continue to elevate their young team in SECU Stadium.

“Ideal situation for us, and our players are really looking forward to it,” Locksley said of the upcoming homecoming bout. But for Glasker, it’ll be just another page in a chapter of reunion. His transfer back to Maryland increased his support system exponentially. 

“Growing up, I didn’t always have my family in attendance,” he said. “But now, with the level that I’m at, you’ve got to have that type of support around yourself.”

Glasker grew up in Temple Hills, Maryland, and attended Potomac High School. In his years at Wake Forest, he longed for his family to be able to watch him play. Coming to College Park let that happen. Glasker’s had his mom, stepdad, uncles, aunts, brother, nieces and friends out to SECU Stadium. 

“It made it easier for friends and family to come to my games,” Glasker said. “That’s really why I chose Maryland. I’m built on trust and I knew half of the players on the team already.”

That preexisting chemistry has been evident all season, especially in the Terps’ secondary. Maryland’s hauled in 14 interceptions in 2025 and scored four defensive touchdowns on a quartet of pick-sixes. 

“The excitement when we score is outrageous,” he said. “We have a turnover chain so every time somebody gets a turnover, they put the chain on. For a moment, you feel kind of famous.”

Glasker’s donned the chain twice this season: once against Nebraska's Dylan Raiola and once after returning a Nico Iamaleava interception eight yards for a pick-six against UCLA.

“That was my first pick-six so it felt good,” Glasker said. “I knew it was coming. They had been running that same route, that same play all game, so I knew. It felt amazing. The whole family was proud of me. I came back to my phone with a lot of messages.”

The return to College Park is already paying off for Glasker, who’s become a quiet leader on the Maryland defense. 

“Jamare’s more of a lead-by-example guy,” freshman Sidney Stewart said. “He doesn’t have the loudest voice, but he’s a funny guy with a great personality and a great leader for sure.”

Glasker lets his play do the talking. He’ll continue to snag interceptions, make crucial tackles and leave quarterbacks’ heads spinning, but you’ll never hear him brag about it.

“I’m a hard worker,” he said. “I don’t really talk a lot. I don’t really say too much. I stay behind the scenes. Even on the field, I don’t get too excited. Even on the pick-six, I didn’t really have a celebration. I was just in the moment with a next-play mentality.”

Glasker’s gained the confidence and praise of his teammates and coaching staff, another indication that his gamble on himself in the transfer portal hit.

“A year ago we had to reset the DB room,” Locksley said. “We gave up a lot of passing yards so we set out to fix that issue and we fixed it with getting a guy like Jamare Glasker to come back home.”

Locksley said that Glasker "excels" at man-to-man coverage and has been pleasantly surprised by the physicality that he plays with. 

“Jamare has settled down that corner room for us,” Locksley said. “He’s a veteran presence. He’s been a really high-end tackler for us and brings a physicality to the position, as well as his size and length.”

Part of his quiet and stoic demeanor comes from the wisdom he gained in the transfer portal and the lessons it taught him. 

“I learned that you’ve got to stay patient,” Glasker said. “You’ve got to let things come to you. You don’t have to do everything by yourself. There are people out there that want to help you and want to see you achieve greatness. Of course, in the portal, I went through some adversity. I think every player in the portal goes through adversity, but it’s about how you come back from adversity. I definitely feel like I learned to be more patient and trust myself and the process of it.”

He had other offers from Michigan and Ole Miss, but one was too cold and the other too far. Neither felt like home, so Glasker packed up camp and came back to Maryland with two years of eligibility remaining.

“It was really about the coaches and building trust,” Glasker said. “I already knew they wanted me to come back and I wanted to come back home.”

The season’s had its ups and downs, but Locksley’s new-look secondary continues to turn heads week after week.

“It’s really been a lot of fun,” Glasker said. “The secondary is a big reason why I’m having so much fun and is a big reason why we’ve been playing well. We all relate to each other. We all came from tough backgrounds, so that makes us even closer.”

Now, he and the Terps turn their focus on Maryland’s homecoming game and the task at hand. Glasker will have a small brigade cheering him on again, but his focus solely rests on the Hoosiers. 

“I’m having fun, but you can’t get complacent,” Glasker said. “You’ve got to stick to the grind. We’ve got a big game this week, so we’re really locked in.”

That grind includes a meeting with the Indiana Hoosiers, a homecoming game amidst a season of reunion for Glasker.