With the Early Signing Period quickly creeping up, Mike Locksley was able to land an important piece to Maryland’s 2020 recruiting class.

Saturday evening, junior college offensive lineman Johari Branch announced via Twitter that he is committed to the Terrapins. He took a visit to the school on Dec. 6 and made his decision shortly after. He becomes the 15th player to verbally commit in the 2020 cycle.

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“Recruitment over,” Branch wrote. “My dream really coming true. Big 10 here I come.”

According to 247Sports, Branch is a three-star offensive lineman from Independence Community College and is ranked as the eighth-best JUCO guard in the 2020 class. He received interest from eight FBS schools, but ultimately chose Maryland.

Purdue, SMU, Southern Miss, UAB, UTEP, Old Dominion and New Mexico State were also interested in landing Branch.

Branch is a 6-foot-3, 325-pound lineman. He should add tremendous size and some experience to the Maryland front line, which was a liability for the Terrapins all season long. With his commitment, the Terps rank 11th in the B1G and 48th nationally in the 2020 recruiting rankings.