DEFINED: Maryland's Newest Receivers Bring Production, Purpose and Something to Prove
Chris Durr and Na'eem Gladding have spent the last seven months in College Park with one goal: complete Maryland's next great receivers room.
7/27/2026
When Maryland's coaching staff set out to rebuild its wide receiver room, statistics were only part of the equation.
The Terrapins had to replace veteran playmakers after the departures of Octavian Smith Jr., Shaleak Knotts and Jalil Farooq. Production mattered, but so did experience, competitiveness and mentality.
"We knew we needed to bring in some older guys, some veteran guys that have played," Maryland wide receivers coach Latrell Scott says in the program's "DEFINED" video series. "One of the biggest things we look for in the portal is production. You want guys who are competitive. You want guys that have been there and done it."
That search led the Terps to two receivers whose journeys couldn't be more different geographically but are remarkably similar in mindset: Wyoming transfer Chris Durr Jr. and Old Dominion transfer Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding. Both arrive with proven production, both embraced being overlooked, and both believe their best football is still ahead.
For Durr, football has always been personal.
"My dad played football," he says. "Ever since then, it's just been an every summer thing, every day thing. It's all I really think about."
Growing up in Chicago, however, he repeatedly heard the same criticism.
"People were just coming to my school telling me, 'You're too small,'" Durr recalls. "It was heartbreaking."
Instead of accepting those evaluations, he turned them into motivation.
"That's all I did was work," he says. "That's all you can do is work."
That relentless approach helped him become Wyoming's leading receiver in each of his first two collegiate seasons. After posting 31 catches as a true freshman, Durr followed with 45 receptions for 469 yards and four touchdowns in 2025, including a career-high 146-yard performance against Akron.
We knew we needed to bring in some older guys, some veteran guys that have played. One of the biggest things we look for in the portal is production. You want guys who are competitive. You want guys that have been there and done it.Maryland wide receivers coach Latrell Scott
Now comes the next challenge.
"I did it in the Mountain West," Durr says. "Now I need to show you how I do it in the Big Ten."
Scott believes Durr's impact extends well beyond the stat sheet.
"I call him the professional," Scott says. "He walks in, he does what he needs to do, plus some."
The praise continues throughout Maryland's coaching staff. Durr is described as one of the toughest players on the roster pound-for-pound, someone who mastered the offense quickly and attacks every practice rep with purpose. His willingness to block and compete despite his size has earned respect from veteran teammates.
Abdul-Rahim Gladding arrives with a different story but the same hunger.
Raised in Brooklyn, New York, he remembers his first toy wasn't a football—it was a basketball that he carried like one. Growing up in the city taught him perspective.
"It definitely could be rough," he says. "I tried my best to stay out of the way, keep my head on a swivel and understand that I had different goals."
Those goals became reality at Old Dominion. After contributing primarily on special teams in 2024, Abdul-Rahim Gladding broke out last season with 51 receptions, 667 receiving yards and six touchdowns, earning All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention honors while leading the Monarchs in every major receiving category.
Despite that success, he still sees himself as an underdog.
"I've been a very undercooked player my whole life," he says. "I still got something to prove to myself—not to the world."
Scott has quickly noticed the veteran's leadership.
"He's a guy that's going to be first out on the field," Scott says. "He's very serious, very focused about what he wants out of this game."
That seriousness has created an instant bond between Maryland's two newest receivers. During practice, they challenge one another constantly, celebrating big plays while holding each other accountable after mistakes.
"How can we make each other greater?" Durr says of the relationship they've developed.
That mentality reflects exactly what Maryland hoped to find in the transfer portal.
"The brotherhood gets built every day," Durr says.
How can we make each other greater? The brotherhood gets built every day.Chris Durr, Jr.
Neither player is interested in talking about individual accolades. Instead, they embrace the opportunity to prove themselves again on a bigger stage.
"We like being underdogs," Abdul-Rahim Gladding says. "It gives us more of a story."
For a Maryland receiver room searching for new stars, that's exactly the kind of story the Terps hope is just beginning.
