With all of the new craziness surrounding football recruiting now that isn't likely to end anytime soon, going to do regular Friday morning updates on where things stand with recruiting, both football and hoops. Got a lot to break down today so here we go....
Resetting the 2019 football class
We start by resetting the 2019 football class, which currently sits at 9 commits. Of those, one--four-star WR Isaiah Hazel--has committed since Locksley took over. So of the other 8, what is most likely to happen? Here's our thinking.
Tank Land- Of those committed, four-star DB Tank Land is the most obvious choice to end up elsewhere when the dust finally settles. The four-star has been looking around since as soon as he committed to Maryland and chose the Terps, in part, because they were basically his best offer, despite being a four-star, due to his lack of size. Maryland has also proven they know how to utilize a talented undersized DB, just take a look at Will Likely.
The issue is going to be, if he does not sign with Maryland during the early period, which looks likely, other schools could very well jump in once they see their original plans have fallen through following the early signing period. So as of now, he isn't going anywhere, but that could very easily change in the coming weeks.
Jordan Houston - The three-star RB is another interesting case, as his original top choice was Virginia Tech, but the Hokies backed off before his committing to Maryland. The issue now could be, if the Terps bring in another running back, Houston could become expendable. One school that has taken recent interest in Houston is Rutgers, who is sending a coach down to Va. to check on him this weekend. Should Maryland be able to flip Keilan Robinson (more on that in a bit), Houston could very well be headed elsewhere.
Of the remaining six commits, it seems likely they all stick for now. Of course, that could change in the future.
As for flips, Maryland already landed one in Isaiah Hazel, who was previously committed to West Virginia. Quite a few possible flip candidates are still in play as we see it. Here is who the Terps have the most likely chances to flip between now and the close of the late signing period.
Nick Cross - The Rivals100 safety visited College Park the other day and with Florida St. slipping this season and both Mike Locksley and Elijah Brooks now at Maryland, the Terps look to be in very good shape here. This would be a HUGE addition for the Terps, as Cross projects as someone who could possibly come in and play as a true freshman.
Keilan Robinson - As Adam Friedman reported here yesterday, Robinson is not expected to sign during the early signing period which begins next week, which is huge for the Terps. Robinson was recruited to Alabama by Mike Locksley and with him not committing early, the Terps will be able to get him on campus for a big recruiting weekend in early Jan. The four-star back would be another huge addition to the class and is one of the most dynamic running backs in the country and is a perfect fit for Locksley's spread offense.
DeMarcco Hellams - As of yesterday, we continued to hear from multiple sources that the Rivals100 WR is likely to stick with his commitment to Alabama. That said, the possibility of having Mike Locksley, Elijah Brooks and possibly Nick Cross and Keilan Robinson also at Maryland might prove to be too alluring when it is all said and done. We are approaching the idea of Hellams possibly flipping cautiously, but with enough time, it could eventually happen. But for now, we are putting the chances at low.
Malik Jackson - The two-star TE out of Ft. Meade high school in Maryland was spotted by TSR being shown around by Marcus Berry at the Terps' last home basketball game. According to sources, Jackson could very likely to flip to Maryland soon after committing to former Maryland head coach Randy Edsall at UConn last month. Jackson looks to be a solid blocking tight end with some decent pass catching ability.
Adrian Cole - The two-star CB out of Plantation, Fla. is currently committed to Syracuse but told TSR that he hopes to visit Maryland before signing day. Rutgers and former DB coach Cory Robinson, who is now a part of Mike Locksley's staff, had previously tried flipping him to the NJ school, but with Robinson now at Maryland, he is hoping to get up to College Park sometime in the coming days. Should Cole be able to make the trip up, we see him as a very likely flip candidate. Cole also held offers from Buffalo, Kansas, Kansas St., Pitt, South Florida, Toledo and more.
For now, we see those as the most likely flip candidates, should things change, we will update with more names.
As for new offers and uncommitted prospects for 2019, the newest and biggest of the bunch is Good Counsel OT Mason Lunsford. We caught up with Lunsford the other day and Maryland coaches were expected in to see him yesterday. Maryland is an offer that Lunsford had been wishing for and now that he received it from new head coach Mike Locksley, we expect him to commit to Maryland in short order.
A couple of previous prospects who had Maryland offers but now appear to be off the board are Chibueze Nwanna of Lackawanna (Scranton, Pa.) JUCO and Kaleb Boateng.
Nwanna committed to Arkansas the other day after naming the Razorbacks and Terps as his two finalists, despite the new Maryland staff having not reached out to him. As for Kaleb Boateng, he had previously been committed to Maryland and the Terps still appeared to be in the running even after he rescinded his pledge, but he's now supposed to visit Arizona this weekend. We no longer see the Terps being involved here.
One other new offer to keep an eye on is Eugene Asante out of Westfield, Va. He is supposed to visit Virginia Tech this weekend but has picked up recent offers from TCU and Maryland in the past few days as schools have been impressed with his senior film at LB. If he does not commit to Virginia Tech in the coming days, the Terps could become players here.
As for 2020, we will delve further into that next time, but the Terps are set to host two local Rivals250 prospects this weekend in five-star and No. 1-ranked wideout in the country Rakim Jarrett of St. John's, as well as his highs school teammate, four-star DT Tre Williams.
Hoops Recruiting
The big recent news on the hoops recruiting trail is the play of Terps commit Makhi Mitchell at the recent National Hoopfest at DeMatha. Going up against a pair of five-stars committed to UNC and Villanova, Mitchell more than held his own, scoring 16 points. It is very possible that Makhi will get a bump up to five-star status during the next 2019 hoops rankings update.
As for his brother Makhel, he played well also, despite not scoring a lot of points, showing off his skills as a rebounder, defender and rim protector. Both of the Mitchell twins should see immediate playing time next season for the Terps.
Their teammate, 2020 four-star SG Dimingus Stevens who scored in double figures against nationally ranked IMG Academy and is a high level three-point shooter remains a priority recruit for the Terps and we are told that both Maryland and Louisville are the two schools to really watch out for in this recruitment at the moment.
Finally, the Terps hosted 2020 three-star wing guard DJ Gordon of First Love Academy in Pittsburgh last Saturday in Baltimore at the Loyola-Chicago game. The 6-foot-5 guard currently holds offers from Virginia Tech, TCU, USF and more.
Resetting the 2019 football class
We start by resetting the 2019 football class, which currently sits at 9 commits. Of those, one--four-star WR Isaiah Hazel--has committed since Locksley took over. So of the other 8, what is most likely to happen? Here's our thinking.
Tank Land- Of those committed, four-star DB Tank Land is the most obvious choice to end up elsewhere when the dust finally settles. The four-star has been looking around since as soon as he committed to Maryland and chose the Terps, in part, because they were basically his best offer, despite being a four-star, due to his lack of size. Maryland has also proven they know how to utilize a talented undersized DB, just take a look at Will Likely.
The issue is going to be, if he does not sign with Maryland during the early period, which looks likely, other schools could very well jump in once they see their original plans have fallen through following the early signing period. So as of now, he isn't going anywhere, but that could very easily change in the coming weeks.
Jordan Houston - The three-star RB is another interesting case, as his original top choice was Virginia Tech, but the Hokies backed off before his committing to Maryland. The issue now could be, if the Terps bring in another running back, Houston could become expendable. One school that has taken recent interest in Houston is Rutgers, who is sending a coach down to Va. to check on him this weekend. Should Maryland be able to flip Keilan Robinson (more on that in a bit), Houston could very well be headed elsewhere.
Of the remaining six commits, it seems likely they all stick for now. Of course, that could change in the future.
As for flips, Maryland already landed one in Isaiah Hazel, who was previously committed to West Virginia. Quite a few possible flip candidates are still in play as we see it. Here is who the Terps have the most likely chances to flip between now and the close of the late signing period.
Nick Cross - The Rivals100 safety visited College Park the other day and with Florida St. slipping this season and both Mike Locksley and Elijah Brooks now at Maryland, the Terps look to be in very good shape here. This would be a HUGE addition for the Terps, as Cross projects as someone who could possibly come in and play as a true freshman.
Keilan Robinson - As Adam Friedman reported here yesterday, Robinson is not expected to sign during the early signing period which begins next week, which is huge for the Terps. Robinson was recruited to Alabama by Mike Locksley and with him not committing early, the Terps will be able to get him on campus for a big recruiting weekend in early Jan. The four-star back would be another huge addition to the class and is one of the most dynamic running backs in the country and is a perfect fit for Locksley's spread offense.
DeMarcco Hellams - As of yesterday, we continued to hear from multiple sources that the Rivals100 WR is likely to stick with his commitment to Alabama. That said, the possibility of having Mike Locksley, Elijah Brooks and possibly Nick Cross and Keilan Robinson also at Maryland might prove to be too alluring when it is all said and done. We are approaching the idea of Hellams possibly flipping cautiously, but with enough time, it could eventually happen. But for now, we are putting the chances at low.
Malik Jackson - The two-star TE out of Ft. Meade high school in Maryland was spotted by TSR being shown around by Marcus Berry at the Terps' last home basketball game. According to sources, Jackson could very likely to flip to Maryland soon after committing to former Maryland head coach Randy Edsall at UConn last month. Jackson looks to be a solid blocking tight end with some decent pass catching ability.
Adrian Cole - The two-star CB out of Plantation, Fla. is currently committed to Syracuse but told TSR that he hopes to visit Maryland before signing day. Rutgers and former DB coach Cory Robinson, who is now a part of Mike Locksley's staff, had previously tried flipping him to the NJ school, but with Robinson now at Maryland, he is hoping to get up to College Park sometime in the coming days. Should Cole be able to make the trip up, we see him as a very likely flip candidate. Cole also held offers from Buffalo, Kansas, Kansas St., Pitt, South Florida, Toledo and more.
For now, we see those as the most likely flip candidates, should things change, we will update with more names.
As for new offers and uncommitted prospects for 2019, the newest and biggest of the bunch is Good Counsel OT Mason Lunsford. We caught up with Lunsford the other day and Maryland coaches were expected in to see him yesterday. Maryland is an offer that Lunsford had been wishing for and now that he received it from new head coach Mike Locksley, we expect him to commit to Maryland in short order.
A couple of previous prospects who had Maryland offers but now appear to be off the board are Chibueze Nwanna of Lackawanna (Scranton, Pa.) JUCO and Kaleb Boateng.
Nwanna committed to Arkansas the other day after naming the Razorbacks and Terps as his two finalists, despite the new Maryland staff having not reached out to him. As for Kaleb Boateng, he had previously been committed to Maryland and the Terps still appeared to be in the running even after he rescinded his pledge, but he's now supposed to visit Arizona this weekend. We no longer see the Terps being involved here.
One other new offer to keep an eye on is Eugene Asante out of Westfield, Va. He is supposed to visit Virginia Tech this weekend but has picked up recent offers from TCU and Maryland in the past few days as schools have been impressed with his senior film at LB. If he does not commit to Virginia Tech in the coming days, the Terps could become players here.
As for 2020, we will delve further into that next time, but the Terps are set to host two local Rivals250 prospects this weekend in five-star and No. 1-ranked wideout in the country Rakim Jarrett of St. John's, as well as his highs school teammate, four-star DT Tre Williams.
Hoops Recruiting
The big recent news on the hoops recruiting trail is the play of Terps commit Makhi Mitchell at the recent National Hoopfest at DeMatha. Going up against a pair of five-stars committed to UNC and Villanova, Mitchell more than held his own, scoring 16 points. It is very possible that Makhi will get a bump up to five-star status during the next 2019 hoops rankings update.
As for his brother Makhel, he played well also, despite not scoring a lot of points, showing off his skills as a rebounder, defender and rim protector. Both of the Mitchell twins should see immediate playing time next season for the Terps.
Their teammate, 2020 four-star SG Dimingus Stevens who scored in double figures against nationally ranked IMG Academy and is a high level three-point shooter remains a priority recruit for the Terps and we are told that both Maryland and Louisville are the two schools to really watch out for in this recruitment at the moment.
Finally, the Terps hosted 2020 three-star wing guard DJ Gordon of First Love Academy in Pittsburgh last Saturday in Baltimore at the Loyola-Chicago game. The 6-foot-5 guard currently holds offers from Virginia Tech, TCU, USF and more.
