ExtremeRavens Posted yesterday at 12:30 PM Posted yesterday at 12:30 PM To some, the idea of University of Maryland landing a generational recruit with international recognition was laughable. One long-time donor actually cackled. But Andrew Valmon noticed something that could at least get his foot in the door of Quincy Wilson’s recruitment. Valmon, the decorated Terps’ track and field coach of two-plus decades, watched Wilson wear Maryland on his sleeve, figuratively when he had name-dropped the DMV after returning home from the 2024 Paris Games with a gold medal resting on his chest and literally when he donned the Maryland state flag on a singlet at the Olympic trials. “That gave us an indication that he’s a hometown kid,” Valmon said. “There was a possibility of representing his state with pride if we were able to present a Maryland united front.” That’s how the Terps secured Wilson. The record-breaking sprinter signed with Maryland on Nov. 24. From the outside, it might be easy to look at a 17-year-old like Wilson, the high schooler with a New Balance deal who ran in the Olympics before taking his driving test, and assume a metaphorical duffel bag of cash would sway his college decision. The Baltimore Sun spoke with Wilson and folks around the Terps community. Those conversations told a different story, one of a happy-go-lucky senior earnestly interested in representing his hometown. “I was talking to my mom about this a couple days ago,” Wilson said. “Why start something from scratch? Why restart something if it’s already working? Why rewrite another part of my life somewhere else when you can keep on building to the resume that you have here in Maryland?” It’s quite the resume. Wilson earned national acclaim in the track community as a middle schooler. He ran 400 meters in 47.59 seconds at the AAU Junior Olympic Games, breaking an under-14 record that previously stood for three decades. At Bullis School in Potomac, Wilson shaved his 400 time to earn national championship and All-America status as a high school underclassman. Then, at 16 years old, he outran full-grown men during the Olympic trials, becoming the youngest male athlete on the U.S. Olympic track and field team — ever. Top programs in the country flocked to Maryland, hoping to land the prodigal recruit. Wilson’s Olympic relay teammate, Vernon Norwo od, joined LSU on a home visit. Schools such as UCLA and Southern California attempted to lure him across the country, where he would have trained in the backyard of the 2028 Summer Games host site. South Carolina tried pairing Wilson’s campus visit with another DMV star, Jayden Deleon, hoping to secure the top-two finishers from this summer’s New Balance Nationals together. “It’s huge for Maryland to keep our elite talent here,” Terps athletic director Jim Smith said. “One of our top priorities.” Maryland threw the kitchen sink. From left, WNBA star Angel Reese, Olympic track stars Masai Russell and Quincy Wilson and Wizards rookie Bub Carrington pose for a photo before a Ravens game. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Gov. Wes Moore checked in with relative frequency leading up to Wilson’s commitment. University President Darryll J. Pines, clad in a tan suit and turtle pin, visited Wilson’s home in July to pitch the prospect as well. That required special permission from the NCAA to be deemed a permissible recruiter for the day. Bullis coach Joe Lee noticed a swell of support, calls from prominent state figures to locals who recognized Wilson at the grocery store, ensuring that the Olympian knew “he’s one of ours and at the very least, let’s show that we actually care.” Terps football coach Michael Locksley and women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese joined the effort, too. Locksley, a Washington native, declined to share specifics from those conversations. But he insisted recruiting is about relationships. He’s been at Maryland for 17 years and knows College Park as well as anyone. Locksley, a controversial football coach but a flag bearer for the university, spent time with Wilson and his family, selling them on the value of staying home. “We are the flagship university. We should be represented that way,” Locksley said. “What you’re seeing is a generation of kids from this region now that get it. They understand the importance of brand, they understand the importance of staying here in the region.” Locksley and Frese offered their state-of-the-art facilities and hammered home a connectedness within Terps athletics. That hit home with Wilson. “You don’t see a lot of basketball or football coaches talking to a track athlete,” he said. “It’s just not the world we really live in.” Valmon made clear Maryland wasn’t trying to win Wilson with a hefty NIL offer. He focused on the educational resources available to Wilson, who is interested in broadcast journalism at Maryland’s esteemed Philip Merrill College of Journalism, and how to best prepare him for the 2028 Olympic Games. And of course, what it meant to represent the state. “We didn’t make it just about an arms race and just about money,” Valmon said. “We made it about family and the state and Maryland pride.” Wilson’s interest in staying home wasn’t enough to seal the deal. Coach’s pedigree affirmed his confidence. Valmon has a pair of gold medals as a member of the U.S. 4×400-meter relay team in 1988 and 1992. He’s helped several Terps reach the Olympics alongside two staff members with Olympic ties. Valmon was on hand in Paris to see Wilson run last summer. Those in the Terps’ community were still shocked by the announcement. Fernando Palacios, a Maryland donor and 1991 graduate, said the signing defies competitive logic with where Maryland stands in the Big Ten. The Terps finished last in the 2025 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Even compared with other Big Ten facilities, Maryland lags behind — its outdoor track circles the soccer field rather than anchoring its own dedicated facility. He applauded the athletic department for their effort in signing Wilson. Bullis School hosted an Olympic watch party in Potomac over the summer to support school stars Quincy Wilson and Masai Russell. (Sam Cohn/Staff) “I’ve been to Oregon and seen that facility, and it’s pretty Mac Daddy,” Palacios said. “Why wouldn’t you go to the No. 1 program in the country? If he represents Maryland in the Olympics, I think that will be a bigger deal than just signing with Maryland.” Joe Forgette, a Terrapin Club member, said that the signing didn’t align with how the Terps typically stack against the rest of the conference. He described Wilson’s decision as a “spark” for a program that has long operated with fewer resources. And “maybe it does equate out to more of a recruiting platform for more DMV people,” Forgette said. At least, that’s the future Wilson sees. In the weeks following his signing, the track program has received interest from college athletes looking to join the Maryland program and race alongside Wilson. He kept the decision tight-lipped for weeks. Wilson chose Maryland about three weeks before announcing publicly. Only his parents and sister knew, he said. Not even grandma got looped in, for fear of her spilling the beans to her church friends, Wilson quipped. Last month, he stood before family and friends, dressed head to toe in Louis Vuitton denim, declaring “there’s nothing like being able to run for your hometown” and “in 2028, I want to have the whole city behind me. And I’m ready to do it for the University of Maryland.” Wilson was promptly added to a group chat with Terps freshman quarterback Malik Washington and five-star men’s basketball commit Baba Oladotun. They call it “DMV Avengers.” Washington organized the group chat, inviting his fellow DMV natives, two elite recruits who passed on blue bloods in favor of the Terps, to watch the men’s basketball team host Michigan on Saturday. The trio and five-star edge rusher signee Zion Elee met during the game for a photo opportunity. That same night, Washington announced he would return to the Terps in 2026. The DMV Avengers represent a collective sign of hope for their respective programs and the athletic department in College Park. “That’s a group chat that will get texted in a lot next year,” Wilson said. Last year, he watched Baltimore native Derik Queen sink a buzzer-beater to send Maryland basketball to the Sweet 16. Asked what gave him the confidence to take the shot, Queen didn’t hesitate: “I’m from Baltimore, that’s why.” Now picture Wilson at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, or the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The same kind of moment — medal around his neck, cameras in his face What would he say? “The best in the DMV stay in the DMV; I’m definitely gonna be saying that.” Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.x.com. Contact Michael Howes at mhowes@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Mikephowes. View the full article Quote
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