DeShawn Harris-Smith becomes second Terp to transfer elsewhere, will face Maryland in 2025-26

Roughly one week into the coaching transition in College Park, the biggest question was whether head coach Buzz Williams would retain anyone from the 2024-25 roster with all but one roster spot left to be filled once he officially took over. But there have been few signs of anyone opting to remain in College Park through the transition, and now coming out of the weekend, two have instead found new landing spots in 2025-26.

DeShawn Harris-Smith became the latest to announce his transfer destination on Sunday after committing to nearby Georgetown, now cementing at least one date against Maryland with the two DMV teams set to square off inside the Xfinity Center next season for the first meeting in the four-year series. Harris-Smith joined Ja’Kobi Gillespie as the second Terp to head elsewhere after Gillespie followed through on the expectation of closing out his career at home with Tennessee under head coach Rick Barnes.

While the coaching transition cemented Gillespie’s decision to transfer, Harris-Smith was long expected to find a new home for his third season of College Park. Harris-Smith had his best performance of the season in Maryland’s dominant win over Grand Canyon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, scoring 11 points and four rebounds in 24 minutes on perfect 5-of-5 shooting. Harris-Smith, a former blue-chip signee in the former head coach’s first full recruiting class, also fell out of Maryland’s starting lineup just four games into the season with Rodney Rice’s outside scoring touch proving to be too lethal to keep merely in the rotation.

Braden Pierce, Tafara Gapare, Jahari Long and Jay Young have all entered the portal as well, while former starter Rodney Rice has materialized into a top-25 portal prospect with a host of blue-blood interest including Villanova. Malachi Palmer became the first former player to team up with the former Maryland staff at Villanova, announcing his decision roughly 15 minutes after former Maryland signee Chris Jeffrey went public with his commitment to the Wildcats.

Meanwhile, Buzz Williams didn’t waste much time reloading the roster with former Aggies Pharrel Payne and Solomon Washington already announcing their intention of following Buzz to College Park. Former Washington State and Indiana guard Myles Rice, meanwhile, announced his decision to stay in the Big Ten and head to College Park on Sunday morning to restock the backcourt.

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