Football Recruiting Updates 3.1.14

Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

A pretty busy week of recruiting for Maryland after hosting junior day this past Saturday and hosting some of the top recruits in the nation for the Syracuse game. Check out to see how Maryland stands with some of their top prospects.

• Three-star guard David Robbins (Glenelg High School) was in attendance for Maryland’s heartbreaker against Syracuse. He informed me that the game “really helped Maryland’s chances with him”. At the game, he met with commit Damian Prince, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, and running back Wes Brown. These three Terps explained to Robbins and other football targets what it means to be a Terp and why staying home to play for their team was a great decision. Maryland will remain in his list when he eventually decides, but for now, he’s taking his recruitment slow. Maryland seems to be in good position with him right now. Robbins is not sure of the date yet, but he will be visiting Wake Forest within the next two weeks and will take an unofficial trip to Auburn on March 22. He may also be in attendance for Maryland’s spring game.
• Quince Orchard defensive tackle Adam McLean seems to be very positive with his outlook for Maryland. Although he said Maryland is still outside his top five, the Terps are in his top eight schools that he is still considering. My gut feeling is that Maryland will still be there until he decides, making the Terps a legitimate threat to land the top-100 player. McLean was supposed to visit Maryland last weekend, but instead made the trip north to Penn State. McLean is another recruit that is taking a step back after receiving offers from South Carolina, Alabama, and Florida. Maryland has ground to make up in order to reach the top of his list, but for now, they seem to be in a good position.
• New Jersey athlete Dontae Strickland, has a busy schedule coming up. He will visit Georgia Tech for their spring game, West Virginia sometime in March, and travelled to Penn State two weekends ago. In addition, he will attend junior days for Virginia (March 1) and Rutgers (March 28). Strickland also added that Penn State has to reevaluate Strickland for a scholarship offer due to the new staff. Strickland is looking to trim his list of schools in April and “will have a better feeling for a top five” in the spring or summer. Right now, I would say Maryland should make the cut for him, but it is still early and the extent that Maryland is pursuing is a little tougher to read. Strickland was at Maryland’s junior day and had a great time. That should be enough for Maryland to stay in contention.
• Wilson High School outside linebacker Kareem McDonald had Maryland as his favorite, but since he still has not received an offer from the staff, he has taken Maryland outside of his top five. When asked about junior day, he said it was “awesome, but Maryland needs to make up their mind soon before I make up mine.” Right now, I would still say that if Maryland offers, they will land the cousin of Damian Prince. But it remains to be seen. This is definitely something to keep an eye on.
• Gonzaga quarterback Nick Johns had a phenomenal visit to Maryland as the staff has really made him a priority. When asked where he stands in terms of favorites in his recruitment, he said he wants to wait until he receives all of his offers, but “Maryland is not ever going to get cut I can tell you that.” Right now, I think Maryland is in the driver’s seat for the pocket-passer from Gonzaga, but the Terps will likely go head-to-head with Virginia. The Cavaliers will host Johns this weekend.
• Linganore offensive guard E.J. Donahue is still “90 percent committed to Maryland,” as he is still hosting a number of schools. Right now, he knows he will be attending West Virginia’s junior day and has a number of scheduled visits, including Florida and South Carolina. Georgia is also picking up interest in Donahue as well. The fact that Donahue is still on board despite receiving offers and high interest from some of the top schools in the nation, is incredible by the staff. I still think he stays on board, but his recruitment is far from over, and the staff is well aware of this.
• After speaking with St. John’s outside linebacker Eric Assoua, Maryland may be forced to make up some ground fast. Assoua said that Rutgers is the favorite, but that he enjoyed himself at Maryland. At his junior day at Maryland, Assoua spoke with linebacker coach Lyndon Johnson about how Assoua would play if he chose Maryland. Assoua has always had a lot of contact recently with Maryland because of quarterback Will Ulmer, Assoua’s teammate at St. John’s. Other schools that are recruiting Assoua hard are Penn State, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Old Dominion, and Ohio State. Right now, Maryland is a safe pick for Assoua’s hypothetical top three, but Rutgers seems to be in the driver’s seat as of right now.
• Florida wideout Rashad Blunt told me that he will be attending Central Florida’s junior day and received an offer from Florida Atlantic. While I do believe that Blunt will continue to rack up offers, it seems Maryland will have a very good shot at landing the rising senior. “Maryland is a really big thing for me and I’m really looking forward to going up. I hear great things about it,” Blunt told TSMD. He added that his father attended Clemson, but Blunt is looking to create his own legacy elsewhere. He will be visiting Georgia, USC, Georgia Southern, Clemson, and N.C. State, but Maryland is certainly making an impression on Blunt.
• Millburn (NJ) tight end Jake Pickard played numerous positions during his junior season, having to fill in at offensive tackle for the first two weeks of the season before switching back to his natural position. His versatility and athleticism has allowed him to become one of the most intriguing prospects in this class. Pickard is considering future Big Ten rival Michigan, who was in attendance for their thriller against Ohio State. Pickard also said that Rutgers and Penn State are offering at tight end, Maryland at defensive tackle, and Colorado at both. Pickard believes that Maryland is a school that could really develop into a Big Ten powerhouse. However, with so many schools including recently Texas, entering the mix. It’s too early to determine where Maryland stands compared to the rest. But as of right now, Maryland has Pickard excited.

New Offers

• Alabama has offered four-star quarterbacl Zach Gentry and four-star offensive tackle Grant Newsome
• Georgia has offered four-star offensive tackle Grant Newsome
• UGA has offered four-star offensive tackle Matthew Burrell
• Tennesesee has offered four-star defensive tackle Adam McLean
• Maryland has offered four-star defensive end Darrell Taylor, offensive tackle Clark Yarbrough, four-star running back Bryce Love, three-star running back Deltron Sands, four-star inside linebacker Josh Barajas, three-star outside linebacker D’Vonta Hinton, four-star outside linebacker Ricky DeBerry, offensive tackle Blake Camper, four-star inside linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr., three-star defensive end Jamie Gordinier, and safety Jameel Cook
• Iowa has offered three-star offensive guard Tommy Hatton
• Alabama, Florida, Florida State, South Carolina, Nebraska, Connecticut, and Central Florida have offered four-star TE Chris Clark
• Florida has offered four-star cornerback Kareem Ali
• N.C. State has offered three-star quarterback Nick Johns
• Louisville has offered three-star tight end/defensive end Jake Pickard