Maryland Football Recruiting Notebook
Nov 24, 2012; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Maryland Terrapins head coach Randy Edsall on the sidelines. The Tar Heels defeated the Terrapins 45-38 at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
As the high school football season largely came to a close last weekend I wanted to take the opportunity to give a breakdown of the Terrapins current commitments as well as take a look at a couple of prospects left on the board as we set our sights on signing day in February. You can find the recruiting profile for each Terrapins commitment/target linked to their name.
Hard Commitments
Deon Long – The wide receiver from Washington D.C., by way of Iowa Western C.C., set junior college records on his way to 100 catches for 1,625 yards receiving and 25 touchdowns this season. Long is looked at as one of the consensus three best JUCO WR’s in the country. Look for Long to be a major contributor to a wide receiver corps that will also include talented sophomore’s Stefon Diggs and Marcus Leak.
Derwin Gray – Gray will highlight a Senior season to remember with a trip to the 2013 Under Armour All-American Game. The 6-5, 295 lb offensive tackle is considered the top recruit in Washington D.C. as well as one of the top 5 OT recruits in the country. Gray helped lead the way for his Friendship Collegiate team that won the DCSSA (DC Statewide Athletic Association) championship in convincing fashion over Dunbar. It usually takes offensive linemen time to adjust to the college game but I expect for Gray to contribute in some way next season as a freshman.
Shane Cockerille – The Elite 11 QB led his Gilman High team to the MIAA Class A Championship as a Senior. Being named an Elite 11 finalist is no small task and speaks volumes about the potential upside the Terrapins have in Cockerille. With the logjam at QB next season I would expect Edsall would look to redshirt Cockerille, but if this season taught us anything, it is that any and every QB should be ready to be called upon. Cockerille is considered a three-star recruit and one of the top 15 dual threat QB’s by the major national recruiting services.
Andrew Isaacs – Widely considered as the top recruit in the state of Connecticut, Isaacs originally pledged his commitment to the Eagles of Boston College before ultimately switching his allegiance to the Terps in August. Isaacs, a four-star recruit by Rivals, is ranked as the #9 TE in his class. At 6’3 and 230 lb with the ability to run a 4.6 40 yard dash, it isn’t out of the question to think that Isaacs will grow into a major contributor for Maryland over the course of his career in College Park.
Derrick Hayward – The Salisbury, MD native mulled over other offers from Boston College, the Naval Academy and Rutgers before committing to his in-state school in May. As a Senior at Wicomico High School Hayward racked up 50 solo tackles and 3 sacks from the Outside Linebacker position. 247Sports ranks Hayward as the 20th best prospect in the state of Maryland and the 46th best OLB in the 2013 class.
Demetri McGill – The defensive tackle from Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, VA finished his HS career as the runner up in the AAA Division 6 championship game last weekend. Despite the loss in the title game McGill had an impressive year he helped man a front line that caused problems for the opposition all season long. McGill is considered a three-star prospect and the #46 DT recruit in the country by 247Sports.
Malik Jones – The Baltimore, MD native by way of Dunbar High School committed to the Terps in June but has received interest from a number of schools throughout the process. At 6-3 and having shown the ability to play both on the offensive and defensive lines Jones is what Randy Edsall hopes will turn into one of the first of many high major recruits from Baltimore to head south on I-95 to play in College Park. Jones is considered a three-star prospect and a top 25 recruit in the state of Maryland.
Milan Collins – The athlete from Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, MD is a Louisiana transplant from Hurricane Katrina. Louisiana, being home to some of the top HS football in the country, is not a place that Maryland usually has the chance to pull players out of but they took advantage of one being forced to relocate to the area. Collins stands at 6’2 and runs a 4.5 40 yard dash, he also only weighs 190 pounds so he will be able to put on some more muscle while keeping that speed. Collins is considered to be a consensus three-star prospect and one of the top 25 recruits in the state of Maryland.
Jermaine Carter – Carter, who along with fellow Maryland commits Derwin Gray and Cavon Walker helped lead Friendship Collegiate to a win in the inaugural D.C. title game, is a three-star OLB prospect that Mike Locksley recruited to Maryland. Locksley is known as having a keen recruiting eye so I am sure Carter showed him plenty to be pursued by the Terps coach. Maryland looks for Carter to contribute as a weak-side LB because of his speed and athleticism as Carter has been clocked at a 4.7 40 yard dash.
Cavon Walker – Walker, teammate of Gray and Carter at Friendship Collegiate, is the last of the FCA group to pledge their commitment to the Terps. Walker had offers from Houston, New Mexico, N.C. State and Purdue before choosing the Terps in June. He is a consensus three-star prospect according to the 247Sports Composite rankings as well as one of the top prep players in the District.
Jarrett Ross – Ross, a cornerback from Delaware, is considered to be the #2 recruit in all of Delaware by the major recruiting services. the 5-11 and 180 lb CB is a consensus three-star prospect and the #83 CB prospect in the country according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Ross committed to Maryland very early on in the process but received interest from Penn State, Boston College, UCONN and Duke.
Jajuan Dulaney – Dulaney, a three-star offensive tackle prospect, is one of two Maryland commitments who hail from the state of Georgia. Dulaney is considered the 100th best prospect in the talent rich state of Georgia and the #92 OT in the 2013 class by the 247Sports Composite rankings. Dulaney who starred for McEachern, a Cobb County, GA powerhouse, chose Maryland over Cincinnatti and East Carolina among others.
Moise Larose – A one time Rutgers commitment, Moise Larose switched his allegiance to the Terps last month. The 6-5, 285 lb offensive tackle from Wilde Lake HS is a consensus three-star prospect and ranked as the 33rd best prospect in the state of Maryland by the 247Sports Composite rankings. Larose was a starter on both sides of the ball for his Wilde Lake team this season finishing with 51 tackles, 5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles on the defensive side of the ball. He projects as an OT for the Terrapins.
Jalen Brooks – Brooks, the Terps other recruit who comes from the state of Georgia, is an outside linebacker that stands at 6-2.5 and weighs in at 215 lb.’s. In Brooks the Terrapins will be getting a good athlete who has the ability to shed blockers in pursuit of the football. Brooks is rated as a three-star recruit by the 247Sports Composite rankings, he is the #117 OLB in the country and the #132 recruit in the state of Georgia.
Elvis Dennah – The 6-4, 200 lb safety prospect from Annapolis, MD is a two-star recruit according to both 247Sports and Rivals. Dennah has been clocked as running a 4.46 40 yard dash at Maryland camp prior to being offered by the Terps. Dennah, who mainly was used as a pass rusher in HS, will shift to the secondary as he begins his career at Maryland. Dennah is ranked as the #38 prospect in the state of Maryland and the #115 safety prospect overall.
DeAndre Lane – The athlete from Catonsville, MD is a regular track star. Lane has been clocked at the MFCA Combine as having ran a 4.38 40 yard dash. He also won the AAAA North Region 100-meter dash with a time of 11.03 seconds, needless to say the kid has wheels. Lane was offered a scholarship on the same day he camped at the University of Maryland and committed on the spot. DeAndre Lane will participate in the Maryland Crab Bowl this year.
Adam Greene – Finally, we reach the committed kicker. Adam Greene committed to Maryland over offers from the Naval Academy, Ohio University and Wake Forest. The kicker from Broadneck Senior High will battle Brad Craddock for the kicking position in 2013.
Soft commits/Remaining Prospects On Board
Kingsley Opara – Opara, a defensive tackle recruit from Jacksonville, FL, has softened up a bit on the commitment he gave to the Terps back in July. A three-star prospect Opara is ranked as the #53 DT recruit in the country as well as the #135 ranked prospect in the state of Florida. Opara just conducted his official visit to the University of Maryland last weekend and by all accounts it could not have gone better. Opara has an official visit scheduled with N.C. State on 1/11/13, he has already rescheduled this visit once and it would not surprise me if Opara were to shut things down as his official to UMD seems to have opened his eyes to being a Terp again.
Yannick Ngakoue – The Friendship Collegiate Academy linebacker was at one point in time committed to the Terrapins along with his three other HS teammates. A four-star inside linebacker, Ngakoue, is the #243 ranked player in the country according to the 247Sports Composite rankings and the #12 ILB recruit in the country. Ngakoue is considering Maryland, Miami (FL), South Carolina (Whom he unofficially visited while still committed to UMD), Tennessee and West Virginia. He is being recruited by Mike Locksley and took an official visit to College Park last weekend as Maryland hosted a number of prospects. I expect South Carolina to pick up the pressure on getting Ngakoue to commit to them as they have lost two LB commitments already this week.
Na’Ty Rodgers – The OT from McDonough HS is one of, if not the premier, remaining uncommitted offensive lineman in the class of 2013. A four-star prospect Rodgers is a consensus top 10 prospect in the state of Maryland as well as the #20 OT prospect in the country according to 247Sports. It was originally thought that Rodgers would be an early enrollee candidate but it has come to light that this will no longer be the case. This has shaped up to be another recruiting battle between the Terrapins and the Gamecocks with South Carolina turning up the heat in recent weeks. In the last month alone Rodgers has been visited by his recruiter G.A. Mangus and head coach Steve Spurrier while also taking an unofficial visit to the Columbia campus. Rodgers is scheduled to officially visit Maryland this upcoming weekend and will take an official to South Carolina in January before announcing his decision at the Under Armour All-American game.
Will Likely – The three-star cornerback/athlete from Glades Central HS in Belle Glade, Fl placed the Terrapins in his top five last week. The other schools fighting for the services of Likely are Florida State, LSU, Wake Forest and Louisville. Likely broke onto the national scene with an impressive performance at “The Opening” all-star summer prospect camp. Likely also officially visited Maryland on November 2nd and has been visited at home by head coach Randy Edsall as well as Brian Stewart and Andre Powell. Look for a potential decision from Likely in the coming weeks as Maryland has positioned themselves well for the Florida athlete.
Chongo Kondolo – The 6-4, 290 lb JUCO offensive lineman from Fresno, California was offered by the Terrapins on November 23rd. Kondolo holds offers from BYU, Illinois, Syracuse and Colorado State in addition to the Terps. Kondolo states that he will be visiting Maryland sometime in January, however, he has yet to lock down an exact date for when his visit will take place. Kondolo has family in the Washington D.C. area which could help to some extent as his recruitment unfolds. Kondolo wants to take all of his visits and not rush this decision so don’t expect any sort of decision from him until much closer to signing day in February.
There you have it, our inaugural TerrapinStationMD Recruiting Notebook…Be on the lookout for a feature on Maryland’s basketball commitments/targets coming tomorrow.