COLLEGE PARK | Maryland loaded up on the front lines with its 2015 recruiting class.
Eager to build a physical team that can be a consistent winner in the Big Ten, coach Randy Edsall signed nine linemen Wednesday — six on offense, three on defense.
That constitutes half of Maryland’s 18 recruits.
“We wanted to build our team from the inside out,” Edsall said. “That’s where you win ballgames, especially in the Big Ten. It’s a lineman league. You win up front.”
The Terrapins fared well in their debut season in the league, going 4-4 in the conference. Next season, they should be beefier up front.
Maryland’s recruiting campaign received a significant boost in early December when four-star defensive tackle Adam McLean announced his commitment. The 6-foot-1, 293-pound product of Quince Orchard High in Gaithersburg was rated the No. 1 player in the state by Scout.com.
McLean originally gave a verbal commitment to Penn State, but changed his mind after sustaining a season-ending knee injury six games into his senior campaign. He had been selected to appear in the Under Armour All-American game and was the 13th best player at his position, as ranked by Rivals.com.
Maryland’s recruiting class not rated highly by either of the top recruiting websites, getting No. 43 by Scout.com and No. 52 by Rivals.com. The Terrapins moved up a few spots on Tuesday night when consensus four-star offensive guard Quarvez Boulware committed.
Boulware, who attends Friendship Collegiate Academy in the District, is a 6-3, 283-pounder. He chose Maryland after mulling over Alabama, Florida, Wake Forest and many others.
Edsall and the Terrapins suffered a late blow when in-state standout Isaiah Prince selected Ohio State on Wednesday. Prince, who attends Eleanor Roosevelt in Greenbelt — about 10 minutes away from Maryland’s campus — was rated the nation’s No. 4 offensive tackle and the top prospect in Maryland by Rivals.com. The 6-foot-6, 270-pounder had given a brief verbal to Alabama, but quickly retracted it and visited both Maryland and Ohio State.
Maryland went down to the wire for one other top target, but Trinity-Pawling (N.Y.) defensive end Austrian Robinson chose Ole Miss.
Virginia loads up with ’blue-collar’ class
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. | Virginia coach Mike London said his program signed a recruiting class without a lot of the “glitz and glamour” of five-star athletes. He believes he has a “blue-collar” group that fills his team’s needs.
The school signed 21 players on Wednesday, and has two more who have already enrolled in school.
The class is heavy on defensive players with five linebackers, four defensive linemen and three prospects for the defensive backfield. The Cavaliers lost two linebackers to graduation and had two underclassmen decide to leave school early to make themselves available for the NFL Draft.
The class includes nine players from Virginia and quarterback Nick Johns, who attends Gonzaga High School in the District.
They also signed a wide receiver, Warren Craft of Roanoke, who originally signed with Virginia Tech to play basketball, but reconsidered after the Hokies made a coaching change.
Only two players were given four stars by Rivals.com, and both are linebackers — Jahvoni Simmons, from Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, and C.J. Stalker, from West Chester, Ohio.
Hokies add plenty of linemen
BLACKSBURG, Va. | Virginia Tech went hard after linemen in recruiting, and got plenty for each side of the ball.
The Hokies announced a Signing Day class that includes seven players already enrolled and 17 who signed national letters of intent Wednesday.
The 24 players include six defensive linemen and five offensive linemen. Rivals.com had it ranked as the 24th-best class, with eight four-star prospects — including Darius Fullwood, a defensive end from Good Counsel High School in Olney, Md.
Recruiting coordinator Bryan Stinespring said the program needed to shore up both lines to be ready for departures after next season. He says many of the recruits committed to the Hokies long ago and it was gratifying that they held firm to their word.
Nine of the 17 who signed letters Wednesday are from Virginia. Four more are from Florida, including four-star quarterback Dwayne Lawson. Stinespring says Lawson is a dual-threat quarterback who can challenge a defense in multiple ways.
Gonzaga’s Petitbon heading to Alabama
Richie Petitbon, the grandson of the former Washington Redskins safety and defensive coordinator of the same name, honored his commitment by signing with Alabama.
The 6-foot-3, 309-pound offensive lineman, who attends Gonzaga High School, originally committed to the Crimson Tide in April 2014. He was ranked as a four-star recruit and the top player in the District by Rivals.com.
His teammate, four-star defensive back Marcus Lewis, signed with Florida State.
Isaiah Prince, an offensive lineman considered the top recruit in Maryland, accepted a scholarship offer from Ohio State on Wednesday over offers from the Terrapins and Alabama, which were his finalists.
Juwuan Briscoe, a defensive back at Thomas Stone High School in Waldorf, signed with Georgia, while Gaithersburg’s Kamonte Carter, recruited as an athlete, has signed with Penn State.
In Virginia, linebacker Chad Smith, who attends Dominion High School in Sterling, signed with Clemson, while Matthew Burrell, an offensive lineman at C.D. Hylton in Woodbridge, signed with Ohio State.
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