Now that either myself or my colleagues have spoken with the majority of the prospects that are currently committed, I wanted to make a new thread to breakdown everything we've been able to learn over the past 24 hours or so.
One thing I'm going to continue to stress is that this is a very fluid situation. These are just my impressions as of now. We still have a few months to go, so there are a lot of things that will likely impact each recruits individual situation between now and not only the end of the season, but also up until signing day.
QB Dwayne Haskins - FILM - Potomac, Md. - Bullis School
I think it's pretty obvious that Haskins is, without a doubt, the most important recruit in this class. Not only is he one of the highest ranked players, but as all of you know, he's the most outspoken when it comes to the movement. He's gone out of his way to push Maryland on other recruits on a daily basis for months now. I've seen some great leaders over the years and he may be the best I've ever seen when it comes to impacting an individual recruiting class. Out of the prospects I've been able to cover over the past five years, Haskins has taken player-to-player recruiting to a different level.
As of now, I believe that as long as Mike Locksley's future at Maryland is secure, Haskins will still end up signing with the Terps come February. That said, he has mentioned in the past that if there were major changes with the staff, he would consider looking around. I'm sure most of you remember his comments about potentially visiting Florida if there's a change, so I do think it's something to monitor, but I also believe he's too entrenched in everything that's surrounded Maryland recruiting over the past year to officially open up his recruitment. Until a new coach is hired, we'll have to just monitor the situation the best we can, but he's well aware of the fact that, if he backs out, it could be disaster for the Terps. I believe he loves this school too much to do that. He's said all of the right things so far and has given me no reason to not take his word. He also did a great interview with one of the local television stations last night. If you'd like to watch that, Click Here.
DeMatha Prospects - WR Tino Ellis (FILM), RB Lorenzo Harrison (FILM) and WR Darryl Turner (FILM)
Haskins is the most important individual in this class, but all three of the DeMatha prospects have also been very outspoken about the movement dating back to the winter. All three have also stepped up and made it very clear that they'll remain firm, so for now, I have no reason to doubt that.
If there was one prospect I'd highlight, it would be Tino Ellis, mainly because of how close he was with Virginia Tech's coaching staff. That said, the Hokies haven't been lighting it up this season. When you add in the fact that Frank Beamer likely won't be at the helm for the next five years, Maryland probably presents him the best opportunity for a stable coaching staff throughout his career.
As for Turner, it's unfortunate, but I think his injury will likely impact other schools making a push for him. He probably holds more than the 4-5 offers he claimed before making a commitment to Maryland, but the fact that there isn't much film on him this season will probably keep some schools that may have been tempting from making a serious push. All that said, I'll still stress that I don't think he wants to go elsewhere anyways. Just noting that, over the years, I've seen serious injuries really impact prospects that could potentially get additional looks during situations like this.
Harrison gave me this quote last night.
"I'm 100% committed to the Terps. I committed to the University of Maryland, not the coaches. Although I have a pretty good relationship with coach Edsall, I made the decision to stay home because of how close I am with my family and my love for my hometown."
I think that about sums it up for him.
Good Counsel Prospects - LB Keandre Jones (FILM) and DB Travon Stott (FILM)
Out of all the local prospects, LB Keandre Jones is definitely the one that I believe fans need to keep an eye on the most. The fact that he doesn't open up much will make that difficult, but there have been rumors swirling about him since the summer. Right now, I personally don't have much to add on this specific situation regarding Edsall and the current staff, but I've had reporters from multiple schools ask me about Jones on multiple occasions, so I think there's clearly some smoke there. All of these reporters are connected. They wouldn't be asking me about one specific recruit if they didn't get that information from someone they trust, so if this all does take place, you have to think that multiple big-time programs will make an even bigger effort to get Jones to take an official visit.
With Stott, his situation is similar to Turner. I don't believe he has any real interest in looking elsewhere. Over the past few months, he's been very outspoken about his love for the school, but I also think that his injury will likely impact other schools from making a big push.
DB Devin Butler - FILM - District Heights, Md. - Frederick Douglass
Butler has admitted that he may look around, but he also made it clear to me yesterday that he remains committed. For now, he wants to speak with his family and coaches to see how this all plays out. I do believe there's a chance that he'd talk to other programs over the next few weeks, but that'll also likely depend on which programs come calling. I believe that North Carolina is the school that he's most interested in, so that's something to monitor. I haven't been able to get concrete info on how serious UNC is considering him, so that's something that I need to continue working on. He's definitely one of a handful of guys that I'll be watching the closest. Right now, it's close to 50/50 in my eyes.
OL Michael Clark - FILM - Exton, Pa. - Downingtown East
"I'm not going anywhere. I like the coaches at Maryland, but I like the school and everything else just as much. I've been talking to all the guys tonight and I know that they're right there with me. There's a lot to love about Maryland. It's not just about football, ya know? It's the whole package. That's why I committed."
Out of everyone I spoke with last night, Clark was absolutely the most outspoken when it comes to his love for Maryland. He told me that, not matter what happens, he plans to stick with the Terps because of his love for the school. I know Clark also started a group chat to push his opinion on others. Some of the prospects I know he spoke with include Dwayne Haskins, DJ Turner, Brian Plummer and Terek Zingale, but he said he spoke with others, too, so it's great to see guys like Clark going out of his way to really make his opinion known. I have no reason to doubt anything he told me, so I expect Clark to be a Terp come February.
WR Evan Fairs - FILM - Richmond, Texas - Foster
"I still feel that Maryland is a good home for me. We have a good incoming recruiting class coming in and we should make a big impact. I want to be part of that."
Fairs is another prospect that I'll be keeping my eye on closely. I think his situation will mainly be impacted on what eventually happens to Keenan McCardell. There were rumors last year that McCardell could leave the staff, so if Edsall were to leave, I would expect McCardell to be one of the more attractive assistant coaches that's currently at Maryland.
Fairs is also having a pretty good season. Recently, he hasn't opened up much about which schools are still contacting him, but now that he's committed to a power five school, that could spark other schools down south to give him a serious look. I don't expect him to make any moves publicly until he knows more about what will take place with the assistant coaches.
One thing I'm going to continue to stress is that this is a very fluid situation. These are just my impressions as of now. We still have a few months to go, so there are a lot of things that will likely impact each recruits individual situation between now and not only the end of the season, but also up until signing day.
QB Dwayne Haskins - FILM - Potomac, Md. - Bullis School
I think it's pretty obvious that Haskins is, without a doubt, the most important recruit in this class. Not only is he one of the highest ranked players, but as all of you know, he's the most outspoken when it comes to the movement. He's gone out of his way to push Maryland on other recruits on a daily basis for months now. I've seen some great leaders over the years and he may be the best I've ever seen when it comes to impacting an individual recruiting class. Out of the prospects I've been able to cover over the past five years, Haskins has taken player-to-player recruiting to a different level.
As of now, I believe that as long as Mike Locksley's future at Maryland is secure, Haskins will still end up signing with the Terps come February. That said, he has mentioned in the past that if there were major changes with the staff, he would consider looking around. I'm sure most of you remember his comments about potentially visiting Florida if there's a change, so I do think it's something to monitor, but I also believe he's too entrenched in everything that's surrounded Maryland recruiting over the past year to officially open up his recruitment. Until a new coach is hired, we'll have to just monitor the situation the best we can, but he's well aware of the fact that, if he backs out, it could be disaster for the Terps. I believe he loves this school too much to do that. He's said all of the right things so far and has given me no reason to not take his word. He also did a great interview with one of the local television stations last night. If you'd like to watch that, Click Here.
DeMatha Prospects - WR Tino Ellis (FILM), RB Lorenzo Harrison (FILM) and WR Darryl Turner (FILM)
Haskins is the most important individual in this class, but all three of the DeMatha prospects have also been very outspoken about the movement dating back to the winter. All three have also stepped up and made it very clear that they'll remain firm, so for now, I have no reason to doubt that.
If there was one prospect I'd highlight, it would be Tino Ellis, mainly because of how close he was with Virginia Tech's coaching staff. That said, the Hokies haven't been lighting it up this season. When you add in the fact that Frank Beamer likely won't be at the helm for the next five years, Maryland probably presents him the best opportunity for a stable coaching staff throughout his career.
As for Turner, it's unfortunate, but I think his injury will likely impact other schools making a push for him. He probably holds more than the 4-5 offers he claimed before making a commitment to Maryland, but the fact that there isn't much film on him this season will probably keep some schools that may have been tempting from making a serious push. All that said, I'll still stress that I don't think he wants to go elsewhere anyways. Just noting that, over the years, I've seen serious injuries really impact prospects that could potentially get additional looks during situations like this.
Harrison gave me this quote last night.
"I'm 100% committed to the Terps. I committed to the University of Maryland, not the coaches. Although I have a pretty good relationship with coach Edsall, I made the decision to stay home because of how close I am with my family and my love for my hometown."
I think that about sums it up for him.
Good Counsel Prospects - LB Keandre Jones (FILM) and DB Travon Stott (FILM)
Out of all the local prospects, LB Keandre Jones is definitely the one that I believe fans need to keep an eye on the most. The fact that he doesn't open up much will make that difficult, but there have been rumors swirling about him since the summer. Right now, I personally don't have much to add on this specific situation regarding Edsall and the current staff, but I've had reporters from multiple schools ask me about Jones on multiple occasions, so I think there's clearly some smoke there. All of these reporters are connected. They wouldn't be asking me about one specific recruit if they didn't get that information from someone they trust, so if this all does take place, you have to think that multiple big-time programs will make an even bigger effort to get Jones to take an official visit.
With Stott, his situation is similar to Turner. I don't believe he has any real interest in looking elsewhere. Over the past few months, he's been very outspoken about his love for the school, but I also think that his injury will likely impact other schools from making a big push.
DB Devin Butler - FILM - District Heights, Md. - Frederick Douglass
Butler has admitted that he may look around, but he also made it clear to me yesterday that he remains committed. For now, he wants to speak with his family and coaches to see how this all plays out. I do believe there's a chance that he'd talk to other programs over the next few weeks, but that'll also likely depend on which programs come calling. I believe that North Carolina is the school that he's most interested in, so that's something to monitor. I haven't been able to get concrete info on how serious UNC is considering him, so that's something that I need to continue working on. He's definitely one of a handful of guys that I'll be watching the closest. Right now, it's close to 50/50 in my eyes.
OL Michael Clark - FILM - Exton, Pa. - Downingtown East
"I'm not going anywhere. I like the coaches at Maryland, but I like the school and everything else just as much. I've been talking to all the guys tonight and I know that they're right there with me. There's a lot to love about Maryland. It's not just about football, ya know? It's the whole package. That's why I committed."
Out of everyone I spoke with last night, Clark was absolutely the most outspoken when it comes to his love for Maryland. He told me that, not matter what happens, he plans to stick with the Terps because of his love for the school. I know Clark also started a group chat to push his opinion on others. Some of the prospects I know he spoke with include Dwayne Haskins, DJ Turner, Brian Plummer and Terek Zingale, but he said he spoke with others, too, so it's great to see guys like Clark going out of his way to really make his opinion known. I have no reason to doubt anything he told me, so I expect Clark to be a Terp come February.
WR Evan Fairs - FILM - Richmond, Texas - Foster
"I still feel that Maryland is a good home for me. We have a good incoming recruiting class coming in and we should make a big impact. I want to be part of that."
Fairs is another prospect that I'll be keeping my eye on closely. I think his situation will mainly be impacted on what eventually happens to Keenan McCardell. There were rumors last year that McCardell could leave the staff, so if Edsall were to leave, I would expect McCardell to be one of the more attractive assistant coaches that's currently at Maryland.
Fairs is also having a pretty good season. Recently, he hasn't opened up much about which schools are still contacting him, but now that he's committed to a power five school, that could spark other schools down south to give him a serious look. I don't expect him to make any moves publicly until he knows more about what will take place with the assistant coaches.
