Maryland Football: DMV to UMD Movement is Legit
Jul 30, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Maryland head coach Randy Edsall speaks during 2015 Big Ten Football Media Days at Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
For years the Maryland football program struggled to keep local recruits in-state. Now, under the direction of Randy Edsall, they have started a movement and it is gaining plenty of steam. It really started to gain notoriety in December of 2014, when the program sent out pitches to elite high school prospects in the area, in an effort to persuade them to play for their home state.
At the time, we were still unsure of how serious these attempts were or how far this could actually go, but it was certainly intriguing. Fast forward to Summer 2015 and what was once a dream has since become a reality. It could be argued that ‘The Movement’ got kicked off in 2011 when Stefon Diggs and Wes Brown decided to spurn powerhouse college football programs to play for the home-state Terps. Diggs and Brown essentially opened up the floodgates, so more big-time talent from the DMV area could make their way to College Park.
Now, as the Terps head into the 2015-16 season, the movement is in full-effect. Maryland did really well (by their standards) recruiting the Class of 2015, reeling in two 4-star recruits and 15 3-star recruits, nine of which were from the DMV. The class was headlined by defensive tackle Adam McLean out of Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Md. and offensive guard Quarvez Boulware out of Friendship Academy in Washington, DC. According to 247Sports, McLean was the 14th best defensive tackle in the class and the No. 2 player in the state. Boulware was rated the No. 18 offensive guard and the third best prospect in the District.
Terps’ 2015 commit and 3-star offensive lineman Ellis McKennie (McDonough School) said of the movement, “I think we have so much talent in the area, why not recruit from here? I think it’s going to be successful and in the right direction.”
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McKennie was right. It has picked up and fast. Coach Edsall and his staff have been actively pushing the movement to the Class of 2016 and their efforts have paid off. So far, Maryland has locked up three 4-star prospects and 11 3-star prospects, 10 of those being from the area.
The Terps were able to land their prized recruit, 4-star quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr., the 2014 Gatorade Player of the Year in Maryland. Haskins has improved his stock this offseason on the camp circuit, as well as at Nike’s ‘The Opening’. He is now widely regarded as one of the premier quarterbacks in the class.
Maryland nabbed a big-time defensive recruit as well, in 4-star outside linebacker Keandre Jones (Good Counsel). Jones is one of the top players at his position and was rated as the No. 6 player in the state.
The Terps have also done well recruiting at Good Counsel’s conference rival, DeMatha Catholic. They have already received three Class of 2016 commits, including wide receiver Darryl Turner and running back Lorenzo Harrison. The third is the most important of them all. Four-star receiver Tino Ellis decided to join the movement a few days ago and now, Haskins has an elite receiver to get the ball to.
Officially committed to the University of Maryland #TheMovement is in full effect thanks to all that assisted me 🙏🏼🐢 pic.twitter.com/v7mHq4AEen
— Tino Ellis (@IamTinoEllis) July 31, 2015
Following Ellis’ commitment, some of those already committed took to Twitter to celebrate.
We really are going to do something special! Stay tuned 🐢🙏🏼
— DJ (@_DjTurner1) July 31, 2015
While it’s been an astounding turnaround for the Maryland football program recruiting-wise, they are far from done. There are still a number of local recruits still on their board who they’d love to get to commit, most notably 4-star offensive guard Terrance Davis and 4-star athlete Trevon Diggs. The Terps are currently the favorites to land Diggs and are battling with B1G foe Michigan for Davis. If Maryland can bring in both and possibly 4-star guard Richard Merritt from DC, they will have one of the top recruiting classes in the country.
This is no longer a dream for Maryland, but a reality. It’s amazing how this is coming to fruition right before our very eyes. The Terps are building something special and if this trend keeps going, they could find their way near the top of the Big Ten in no time.