After hosting him for an official visit earlier this month, Maryland and head coach Kevin Willard will now await a final decision from their top target as St. Rose (NJ) three-star Matt Hodge is set to make his commitment on Friday.
Hodge will announce among a final group with Maryland, Marquette, Penn State, Seton Hall and Villanova still in the mix.
The Wildcats hosted Hodge for an official visit back in late July as head coach Kyle Neptune leads the charge on the 6-foot-8 forward. Hodge then hit the road once again beginning in late August, giving him a chance to check out Penn State, Marquette then Maryland on official visits before bunkering down into decision mode.
Maryland was the last visit for Hodge with assistant Mike Jones leading the way with the son of his former college roommate, Odell Hodge. That relationship has carried weight throughout the pursuit of Matt Hodge as they gradually added to their pitch, while the staff was able to roll out the red carpet on Hodge's official visit with freshman Braden Pierce alongside him throughout.
“They were just very clear what they expect from me, that they were really interested in me and I could come in and compete right away as a freshman, which is a big thing in my recruitment right now too,” Hodge said of his official visit. “I want to obviously work and develop but also come in and have a chance to come in and compete with the team. Donta is a fifth-year senior, so I could be a good replacement for him.”
Hodge admitted he felt like a priority for Maryland on the visit.
“I knew that I was a priority and I felt like they really wanted me and after that visit, it only got more clear hearing it from the whole staff because I have a good relationship with coach Jones,” Hodge said. “And then being able to hang around the whole staff for two days was huge. I got to hear everyone’s opinion about me and what they see in me, what they expect of me. The fact that I felt the whole staff was big on me meant a lot.”
Now, Maryland will hope those efforts pay off with a commitment as Willard, Jones and the rest of the staff look to close on the top target and Belgian forward.
Hodge is rated a three-star prospect and an 89 overall by On3, sitting as the 114th-best prospect in the country.
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