National Signing Day 2016: Tyrek Tisdale signs with Maryland

D.J. Durkin and his staff dipped into the South again on National Signing Day.

Oak Ridge (Fla.) safety Tyrek Tisdale has signed with Maryland. Tisdale, who was previously a Florida commit, chose the Terrapins over offers from the likes of Miami (Fla.), Ohio State, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, and West Virginia.

Tisdale was also an all-purpose back in high school, but will play safety at Maryland. He had officially visited College Park this weekend, along with new quarterback commit Tyrrell Pigrome.

The three-star pledge is the third safety in the 2016 class as he joins Cardinal Gibbons’ (Fla.) Elijah Daniels and East Gadsden’s (Fla.) Qwuantrezz Knight. According to 247Sports, Tisdale is rated as the No. 641 player in the country as well as the 92nd best player in the state of Florida.

Tisdale will join a secondary that is undergoing a changing of the guard in 2016. Maryland will see cornerback/safety Sean Davis, safety A.J. Hendy, and safety Anthony Nixon graduate this spring, so cornerback William Likely will be the only returning starter in the secondary.

Jarrett Ross and Darnell Savage should compete for playing time opposite Likely along with potentially Tisdale.

Tisdale is a player that has good size at 6’1/199 lbs. and certainly comes with a high-level pedigree. The Orlando native had offers from several schools in the Big Ten and the SEC.

This is definitely a guy that can be a playmaker down the road for the Terps. Maryland needs depth at the position at the very least, but Tisdale is a very athletic safety that can make an impact.

Next: National Signing Day 2016: Tyrrell Pigrome commits to Maryland