For the fourth straight year, Maryland flipped a blue-chip recruit on signing day.
Head coach Mike Locksley and Maryland football signed four-star defensive back Braydon Lee — a previous South Carolina commit — on Wednesday, marking the Terps’ first successful flip of the early signing period. Lee’s signing brings Maryland’s number of blue-chip signees in the class of 2024 to three.
Lee will enroll at Maryland in January for the spring semester.
“It’s been my dream to be in the position I am today,” Lee said during a ceremony at his high school. “… Everyone knows I’m committed to the University of South Carolina. After speaking with my family, I would like to be flipping my commitment to the University of Maryland.”
The last player to flip from South Carolina to Maryland was four-star linebacker Jaishawn Barham — a move that stirred headlines when Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer accused the Terps of orchestrating the flip in advance. Maryland and South Carolina have battled over a handful of recruits since, however Barham is no longer with the Terps; he announced Wednesday that he will transfer to Michigan.
Locksley has flipped a blue-chip recruit on signing day each of the last four years. In addition to Barham (class of 2021), he flipped four-star edge rusher Neeo Avery from Ole Miss last cycle, four-star linebacker Branden Jennings from Michigan two years prior and five-star wideout Rakim Jarrett from LSU in 2019.
Lee committed to South Carolina in April but took an official visit to Maryland earlier this month. He also held offers from numerous schools, including Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State, but chose to stay local and play for the Terps.
Lee, ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 24 cornerback in the nation and No. 13 player from Maryland, attends Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Upper Marlboro. The 6-foot, 163-pound corner recently finished a strong senior season that culminated in a selection to The Washington Post’s All-Met first-team defense. The Jaguars were one of the top teams in the Washington, D.C. area, but had to forfeit the Maryland state playoffs after a player on their roster was deemed ineligible.
The Terps now have four cornerbacks signed in their 2024 recruiting class in addition to four-star safety Brandon Jacob. Three-star safety Shamar McIntosh is yet to sign but is committed to Maryland as well.