Maryland Basketball: Terps add to 2023 class with top-100 Jamie Kaiser

As one of three finalists, Maryland Basketball was able to secure the commitment of regional prospect Jamie Kaiser. What does he bring to the Terrapins?

New Maryland Basketball head coach Kevin Willard has made an emphasis on recruiting in the local region, particularly in the “DMV” area. The first pickup for him was former Memphis commit and freshman Noah Batchelor for the upcoming season, along with three-star class of 2023 prospect Jahnathan Lamothe, who hails from Baltimore.

As the Terrapins continue loading up talent, they just picked up another commitment in Jamie Kaiser, a consensus top-100 prospect and a four-start guard/wing. At 6’6 and 200 pounds, he’s a quality scorer and shooter overall and is a very good defensive player as well. His stock has risen dramatically ever since he started primarily playing basketball, as Kaiser had been playing both hoops and football as a three-star QB recruit as well.

Kaiser’s traits of being a quarterback should help him translate to his new home, which we now know will be Maryland.

It’s a big recruiting win for the Terapins, beating out both Indiana and Virginia for his services. On paper, this option made the most sense when it came to potential early playing time a year from now. Among the current options to play either shooting guard or small forward are Batchelor, Seton Hall transfer Jahari Long, and returning starting wing Hakim Hart, who very much could opt not to take that 5th year, clearing out the room even more.

As far as who could be next for Maryland Basketball, look out for 6’4 combo guard DeShawn Harris-Smith, who hails from Fairfax, Virginia. He’s another top-100 prospect who has the Big Ten program among his still large list of finalists but is rumored to be a strong contender. Landing him would be a big coup for the Terrapins.

Had Jamie Kaiser focused solely on basketball growing up, he could very well be a top-30 prospect and even more acclaimed prospect. Yet the football development should help both he and Maryland Basketball in the long run.