One of Maryland’s top targets on the recruiting trail came off the board on Friday evening.
DeMatha (Md.) defensive end Chase Young spurned the hometown Terrapins and committed to Ohio State at the school’s Friday Night Lights event in Columbus.
Maryland had been the team to beat throughout most of Young’s recruitment. Coach D.J. Durkin had hoped to pair Young with IMG Academy (Fla.) defensive end Joshua Kaindoh.
Young visited the Ohio State campus back in April and that seemed to put the Buckeyes in strong contention for his services.
Since then, Young had visited Maryland at least three times while also traveling to Tuscaloosa to visit Alabama twice this summer. It always seemed to be about Alabama, Maryland, and Ohio State throughout Young’s recruitment.
This is certainly a big blow to the Terps.
According to 247Sports, Young was ranked as the 28th best player in the country. The highly-respected recruiting service also tabbed Young as the third-best weak-side defensive end and the top player in the state of Maryland.
The Terps have really made the defensive line a priority in the 2017 class.
Durkin and his staff already have pledges from Kaindoh and St. John’s College (D.C.) defensive tackle Cam Spence. They’ve also heavily recruited Victor Dimukeje (Boys Latin), Tyree Johnson (St. John’s College), and Joshua Paschal (Good Counsel).
By all accounts, Young is one of the most talented defensive ends in the country. He can be flat out unstoppable at times and that’s why this hurts Maryland.
It’s hard to watch a talented player like this walk out of the DMV, especially just months after Dwayne Haskins and Keandre Jones did the same.
Next: Has Jamaal Charles Lost a Step?
Obviously, you can’t keep every star player close to home, so it’s not the end of the world. Durkin is already doing a phenomenal job on the recruiting trail and more success will come from wins on the field.