Maryland loses former five-star recruit to transfer portal

Maryland football suffered a major blow on Monday when it was revealed that a freshman and former five-star recruit would be leaving via transfer portal. Linebacker Terrence Lewis did not play this season after receiving surgery before Spring practices began, and will be entering the transfer portal without playing a game for Maryland.

Maryland loses big recruit to transfer portal

“Maryland linebacker Terrence Lewis, a former five-star recruit and ex-Tennessee commit, has entered the transfer portal,” reported On3 Sports’ Matt Zenitz on Monday.

Lewis signed with Maryland after a heavy recruiting effort from multiple schools, but ultimately decided on Maryland because of his chance for immediate playing time and his relationship with coach Michael Locksley.

Originally, Lewis committed to Tennessee but was won over by the Maryland program. Injury would unfortunately keep Lewis from seeing the field all season. Upon joining Maryland the medical staff diagnosed a high school injury of his as a torn ACL that he had been playing with.

After his surgery, Locksley did not have a timeline for Lewis’ return but were optimistic he would be ready for the season opener. Now, Lewis will get a chance to begin his college career in a new location.

Lewis was ESPN’s No. 10 player in the nation when recruited and the top ranked inside linebacker. As a Junior at Miami Central high school, Lewis recorded 105 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, nine sacks and three interceptions in 2019.

Aside from Tennessee’s efforts, Lewis was also recruited locally by Miami, as well as by Auburn, Florida and Texas A&M.

Maryland ended their season with a 6-6 record, going 3-6 against Big Ten Conference opponents. Despite struggling against top teams in the conference, the Terrapins’ ended with a big win over Rutgers that prevented the losing season and earned them bowl eligibility.