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Letter of Intent Day

By Bob W.

It’s that time of year again, “Letter of Intent Day”.  It’s the day where the future of Maryland football is cast in stone….well….paper anyway.  But it’s a signed letter so no de-committing at this point.  This is where the ground work is laid for the future of our program.  And by all accounts the future still looks bright for Maryland Football.  No I’m not going to stand up here and say we got a monster class coming in that turned everyone’s heads on signing day.  That simply isn’t the case, but what we did get was a lot of young athletes who are coming in completely dedicated to taking Maryland Football to the next level.  Previous recruiting classes have been much more highly regarded, but it was fools gold.  Qualifying (or Qulifying) has always been an issue, as well as lack of dedication, but grade wise and character wise, this is one of our finest classes.  So breathe easy. 

Academics

Sure the whole grades and stuff could just as easily be a cop out for why we didn’t land a top 25 class, but I don’t think I have to remind anyone how things have changed in the past decade at Maryland.  According to Ralph Friedgen, the average freshman SAT at Maryland is 1311, and the average weighted GPA of incoming freshman is now 4.0.  So it isn’t easy sneaking kids through, like some of our competitors can.  Ralph also pointed out that over the last 7 years 134 players have earned their degree.  It would probably take Gary Williams 100 years to make that same claim!  But the point was that the football team is graduating kids ABOVE the University average.  In other academic news, Maryland led the ACC with 6 All ACC Academics.  And rounding out the Academic news, in the class of 2004, 12 of the 20 kids brought in have already graduated, and after this springs semester 19 of those 20 kids would have graduated. 

 Job Market

Of course those numbers are great, but graduation rates and SAT’s don’t allow me to mock other college football fans.  But progress is being made in this regard as well.  Since 2003, Maryland has sent 31 Terps into the NFL.  Now how much of an impact they’ve made, whether practice squad, or Shawn Merriman varies, but that is still a nice accomplishment to hang your hat on.  We can now go into kids living rooms and tell them that if the NFL is your goal, Maryland can most definitely get you there.   

Head Count

In terms of how we have changed as a program in the last 7 years, attendance was brought up.  Of the top 25 attended games in Maryland history, 20 have been within the last 7 years (of course expansion may also play a small part in all this).  From 1990-2000 the largest average attendance was 42,000 per year (1995), and from 2001-2007 the LOWEST average attendance per year was 42,000.  We also went to ZERO Bowl Games between 1986 and 2000.  We have since been to 5 in the last 7 years. 

As a product of the University in the 1990’s, I find it hard to believe that anyone can ever call for Ralph’s head.  Sure things could always be better, but I NEVER, EVER want to go back to how things were when I was in school.   

If You Build It…

In addition to the attendance figures, it was clearly evident from the parking lot that Stadium renovations have already begun. This will include the new suites in the Tower and hopefully the upper deck in the end zone one day.  When I attend a game where that has been accomplished, and the stadium is completely full.  We’ll know that we’ve arrived.  Hell for those of us who graduated HS in 1994, we didn’t even have an upper deck our freshman year.   

Loose Ends

Some other loose ends from the recruiting day celebration, for those of you who watched Terrapin Rising this summer, you remember the infamous point system.  This is a system where each player is awarded points based on their behavior.  The “team”, or group of 4 guys, with the most points at the end are given a reward, and on the flip side, teams that do poorly are punished.  Well for this year Ralph is putting a little spin on it.  Instead of assigning teams he had a draft.  The most well behaved players were elected captains and they were allowed to draft their team.  This put the trouble makers in an awkward position of being picked last.  In order to avoid being taken last many of them begged to be chosen promising they’d changed their ways.  Ralph seemed pretty amused by it all and said he is always looking for ways to motivate his kids, and this method seemed to work pretty well. 

Joe Momma

Also one last point from the recruiting celebration, during the Q & A period, one guy stood up and said “You know coach, this Portis kid seems like a heck of an athlete, but Turner has really shown that he is capable of running the team.  Has there been any discussion about moving him to another position in order to take advantage of his athleticism?”.  To this Ralph responded “Sure I’d move him, but I’d make you be the one to tell his mom!”.  They say there’s a little truth in every joke, but I’m guessing there’s probably a lot of truth in that one.   

It’s All About the Kids

OK, moving back to the players, I’m excited about this class for a variety of reasons.  The first of which is the WR corp that we have brought in.  The 3 WR’s we got were all highly regarded and highly recruited.  The combination of them, as well as Franklin taking over the Offensive Coordinator position is a good omen.  I believe it was the Sun that said the 2009 recruiting class is full of local stud QB’s, with Maryland bringing in some of the best WR’s, it sure would be easy to lure a blue chip QB next year.  So if that is the case, we’ll have the 08 recruiting class to thank. 

The class by position looks like this:

OL-3

QB-1

DL-6

WR-3

TE-2

DB-1

RB-2

LB-2

 

 

So the big position winners this year was the WR’s.  We also got a lot stronger and deeper on both the offensive line and defensive line.  I think next year what we are going to see is a strong push for some of the more “sexy” positions such as QB, RB, and Place Kicker (what I can’t give some love for the kicker?).  Because of this, I feel like we had a great recruiting year.  We filled a lot of needs with some solid character kids.  And we are now set up for a great 2009 class which will complete this year’s, and in 2011 we should have quite the team.

 

Zzzzzzzzz

Now this segment is new to the D7 recruiting report, but I’m going to pick the sleeper of the 2008 class.  I think we can all agree that WR Kenny Tate was THE get for Ralph and the Terps, but at the end of the day, once this class has matured and left.  A name we are all going to be thinking about is Eteyan Edet.  From all indications it looks as though this kid flew completely under the radar.  He has great talent, but due to family and financial issues, he was never able to stay in the same school for an extended period of time.  So no one ever got a true read on this kid.  Except for Maryland.  So Eteyan Edet is my Class of 2008 sleeper.  Mark it down, and then make fun of me when he transfers to Towson in 2010. 

 

Back in My Day…

So getting back to the class, for those of you who like to look at death as an unavoidable specter creeping closer and closer to you, the birth year for this year’s class is 1990. These kids have no idea what the 80’s were like (whether that’s good or bad I guess comes down to your own personal preferences).   They were born AFTER Ronald Reagan left office, and AFTER the Orioles 1989 Why Not Season.  They were 2 years old when the first Gulf War broke out, and had no idea what the “evidence” was on Monica Lewinski’s blue dress. So there is your dose of “I’m getting old” for the day.

 

Where You At?

The geographical breakdown for this years class goes like this:  Maryland/DC 9, Virginia 2, North Carolina 2, Connecticut 1, Georgia 1, New Jersey 1, Pennsylvania 1, and South Carolina 1.  There has been a lot of talk about letting some places go, such as Florida in order to concentrate on the local talent.  I’m not sure how I feel about this.  I guess with the emergence of the SFU, Central Florida, and Florida Atlantic, plus the traditional Big 3, maybe it is time to get out of the crowded pool, since such guys as D’Qwell Jackson won’t be flying under the radar anymore.  But I hope this move isn’t a surrender, but a true reallocation of resources.  If we say we are going to focus on local guys (last year we had 5 from Md/DC) then by all means please deliver.  I am a firm believer that we have enough talent between Baltimore/DC as well as the Tidewater Area in Virginia which we seem to be taping into, to compete at the highest level.  But don’t be losing any more key guys to Penn State or Illinois.  We have to lock this area down.

 

So without further ramblings, let’s look at the incoming class.

 

When it came time to summarize the 2008 class, I looked back over the previous recruiting recaps I’ve written and realized that they aren’t very readable.  They spout out stats and rankings which though relevant, don’t make for good reading.  After all, if a guy has 60 pancake tackles that’s great, but did he do it against the top schools in the state?  Or did he do that against the Perryville’s or Northern’s of the world?  So this year I tried to cut back numbers and put more emphasis on the person as opposed to the 40 time.  I don’t know if it will be as informative, but I have a feeling it will be a lot more enjoyable to read and if it isn’t very readable, then what’s the point anyway, right??

 

Disclaimer

Also please note the new feature about other schools the athletes were interested in.  You will find some that say Also Considered, Also Recruited by, and Received Offers from.  I copied this directly from the press release so that there would be no confusion.  I don’t know if considered means they actually had an offer, and I don’t want to say some players turned down other schools offers if they were never offered to begin with, so I choose to list it this way.  This way I know I’m accurate. 

 

MEET THE NEW TERPS!

 

Tyler Bass

Pos: QB           Ht:  6-3  Wt: 210         Hometown: Stockbridge, GA  HS: Stockbridge HS

Also Recruited by:  Louisville, Purdue, Western Kentucky, Memphis, and East Carolina 

Observations:   Bass is this years Chris Turner.  Highly talented QB that didn’t get nearly as much attention.  Bass is a dual threat QB, who was ranked 73rd overall at his position, as an athlete he was ranked 57th.  Bass was born in Hawaii, but grew up in Georgia.  His father is a native of Prince George’s County and a life long Terps fan which I guess helps the recruiting process.   Bass is involved in an Elementary mentoring program and is enrolling as undecided, but favoring either pre-dentistry or communications.  I for one hope Bass eventually takes over the QB position from Chris Turner.  It’d be nice to keep the Napoleon Dynamite references alive and well in CP.  “I caught you a delicious bass”. 

 

Cody Blue

Pos:  DT          Ht:  6-5  Wt: 280    Hometown:  Columbia, MD          HS: Wilde Lake HS

Also Considered:  Illinois, Connecticut, Boston College, and Virginia Tech

Observations:  Blue is the 19th ranked prospect in the state of Maryland.  He ranks 64th in the nation at defensive tackle, and 78th as an offensive tackle.  Blue also lettered in track at the high hurdles…just kidding, it was shot put.  Blue’s father played QB at Towson, and Cody plans on majoring in criminal justice.  I wonder if he’ll get class credit for the FSU and Miami games?  Possible nickname; how about “Code” Blue???  Wait, don’t answer now, let it settle, and then decide. 

 

Kerry Boykins

Pos. WR          Ht: 6-1  Wt: 200       Hometown: Chesapeake, VA     HS: Oscar F. Smith HS

Also Recruited by:  Tennessee, Michigan State, UNC, NC St, Virginia Tech, and UVA 

Observations:    Boykins was the 138th ranked prospect in the nation per ESPN.  Rated 20th best WR nationally.  Kerry was also considered the 8th best overall prospect in the state of Virginia.  Though Tate gets all the attention as the highest rated WR, Boykins is going to be a star in his own right.  In addition to Football, Kerry tutors elementary school kids.  He was also an honor roll student in high school, and he plans on majoring in Criminal Justice so that he can pursue a career as an FBI agent (let’s just hope for his sake that his past isn’t as shady as Snively’s!).

 

Devonte Campbell

Pos. TE            Ht: 6-3  Wt: 240          Hometown:  Forrestville, MD       HS: Forrestville

Received Offers from:  Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Illinois, and Syracuse.

Observations:  As you may remember from last years recruiting recap Devonte’s name is once again listed.  He went to Hargrave last year, but has already enrolled in Maryland for the Spring Semester.  Also if you notice last years stats on Devonte, you’ll see he has grown an inch and gained 5 lbs.  Devonte is another kid from Forrestville.  He was one of the top recruits in the nation.  A Superprep All-American.  Ranked 12th nationally among TE’s per Scouts INC.  In addition to football, Devonte also averaged 22 points per game in High School playing basketball. 

 

Cameron Chism

Pos. CB           Ht: 6-2  Wt: 180        Hometown: Forestville, MD      HS: Bishop Mcnamara HS

Also Considered:  Pittsburgh, Illinois, Boston College, NC State, and UNC

Observations:  Cameron was ranked as the 20th best CB in the nation by Rivals, and 28th by Scout.  He was also considered the 7th best prospect in the state of Maryland.  Cameron, in addition to football, also ran track.  Cameron also has the distinction, or misfortune of being born on Christmas Day.  His older brother Carl starts at safety for Texas-Southern.  He also volunteers as an assistant at his old pre-school which I guess is keeping it really, really old school.  And lastly like everyone else on the football team, he is pursuing a criminal justice major.  I just hope he doesn’t get too carried away like Wesley Jefferson did!

 

RJ Dill

Pos.  OT          Ht: 6-7  Wt:  275         Hometown:  Camp Hill, PA  HS: Trinity HS

Also Considered:  Connecticut, Temple, Duke, and Akron.  Then he remembered those schools only play basketball.  

Observations:  Regarded as the 25th best prospect in the state of Pennsylvania.  Also ranked 61st in the nation among OT’s.  In addition to football, he was captain of his HS basketball team as well as the starting center.  RJ’s father is a graduate of the Naval Academy, and in his free time RJ referee’s youth basketball games, I’m guessing there aren’t many kids who argue his calls.  RJ plans on majoring in Business, but I’m guessing he’ll eventually transfer to criminal justice.

 

Kevin Dorsey

Pos. WR          Ht: 6-2  Wt: 175     Hometown:  Forestville, MD    HS:  Forestville HS

Also Recruited by:   Illinois, Connecticut, and Marshall

Observations:  I’m not 100% on this one, but since it’s only our website and we don’t have the responsibility of having to report only clear cut facts, I believe Dorsey committed to Maryland as a sophomore.  That is why the also recruited by list isn’t that extensive, his other accomplishment however are.  Kevin, another talent from Forestville, or College Park HS as it should soon be known, is ranked as the 77th best player in the nation, and 3rd best prospect in the state of Maryland.  As a WR he is ranked 19th in the nation.  Kevin Dorsey also isn’t a slouch when it comes to the books, he graduated from Forestville early to enroll at Maryland for the Spring semester.  Kevin is majoring in business management. 

 

Gary Douglas

Pos. RB           Ht: 6-10  Wt: 178     Hometown:  Durham NC                 HS:  Hillside HS

Also Considered:  NC State and Cal 

Observations:  Gary was rated as the 46th best RB in the nation, and 27th best prospect in the state of North Carolina by Rivals, and 19th best in NC by Scout.  In High School Gary fumbled only twice while carrying the ball 350 times.  Gary also ran track in High School and helps coach his stepfathers Pop Warner Football team.  Gary’s major is currently undecided, which just means pre-criminal justice. 

 

Eteyen Edet

Pos. MLB        Ht:  6-2  Wt:  185        Hometown: Fort Washington, MD     HS:  Friendly HS

Also considered:  Louisville, Michigan State, Tennessee, and NC State

Observations:  As mentioned above, Eteyen is what I think the sleeper of the class.  He went to 3 different schools over the last 4 years and no one ever really got a good look at him.  Eteyen was ranked 41 nationally among middle linebackers based on his one season at Friendly HS.  Eteyen’s mother is Nigerian and his name is pronounced eh-Tay-n Edit. 

 

AJ Francis

Pos. DL           Ht: 6-4  Wt: 314          Hometown:  Washington, DC    HS:  Gonzaga College HS

Also Considered: Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, UCLA, Florida State, UVA, and BC  

Observations:  AJ was the number 4 overall prospect coming out of Washington DC.  He is ranked 68th nationally among defensive lineman.  AJ also played in the 2007 US Army All American Bowl.  For those keeping score at home his full name is Anthony Joseph.  He plans on majoring in communications.  AJ also enjoys writing poetry and music.  AJ also participated in his schools spring musical each year.  Ladies and Gentleman, we have finally found the next Orlando Strozer!  In addition to acting, AJ also volunteers with the program “So Others May Eat” (SOME) which is a program in DC to help feed the homeless. 

 

Matt Furstenburg

Pos.  TE           Ht:  6-4  Wt: 240         Hometown:  Princeton, NJ       HS:  The Hun School

Also Recruited by:  Pittsburgh, UNC, and Vanderbilt

Observations:  Matt is a big TE who was considered a 4 star recruit by Scout.  Matt was 1st team all State in New Jersey and if the Football thing does work out, he was also all state and honorable mention All-American in lacrosse, in fact in High School, Matt led his team to 3 state championships in Lax.  Matt’s dad played football at Richmond, his one sister plays basketball at the College of Charleston, and his other sister plays lacrosse at Richmond, his little brother isn’t old enough to go to college yet, but I’d guess he’d play something too.  Matt enjoys hunting and fishing, and is considering kinesiology for a major.  Matt is also one of those eggheads who graduated early and is enrolled for the Spring Semester. 

 

Justin Gilbert

Pos.  OT          Ht:  6-6  Wt:  280        Hometown: Richmond, VA    HS:  Monacan HS

Also considered:  Virginia Tech, Penn State, East Carolina, and Marshall 

Observations:  Justin played both ways in High School (hey you could probably use that sentence for Leavitt too, but it doesn’t have anything to do with sports!!).  He is ranked 68th in the nation for offensive guards by Scout. Justin also participated in Track where he lettered for 4 years at the shot put and discuss.  Justin also enjoys hunting and fishing, and plans on majoring in Business. 

 

Demetrius Hartsfield

Pos.  WLB       Ht: 6-1 Wt:  210         Hometown:  Raleigh, NC         HS: Southeast Raleigh HS

Also Considered: NC State, Duke, an East Carolina

Observations:  Demetrius was rated 30th nationally among inside linebackers by Rivals and was also ranked the 18th best player in the state of North Carolina.  He was all state as a senior and also played basketball and ran track.  For track he did the high jump, long jump, shot put, and 200 meter.  Demetrius was an honor roll student at Southeast Raleigh HS, and graduated early to enroll this spring at Maryland.  He plans to major in psychology. 

 

Masengo Kabongo

Pos.  DT  Ht:  6-2  Wt:  280      Hometown:  Fairfield, CT       HS:  Fairfield College Preparatory

Also considered: Florida, Notre Dame, NC State, Colorado, and Syracuse 

Observations:  Masengo was rated the #15 defensive tackle in the country by Scouts.  He was also the #2 overall prospect in the state of Connecticut.  He made all state 3 times.  Masengo was born in Lubumbashi, Congo and came to the US in 2002.  Despite not speaking English initially he was able to adapt and earn a 3.5 GPA in high school.  He is very active in the community back in Fairfield and according to Freidgen, he can speak 4 different languages.  He is undecided but looking to major in the very un-football like fields of economics, international business, or engineering. 

 

Zach Kerr

Pos. DT           Ht: 6-3  Wt: 295          Hometown:  Gaithersburg, MD   HS:  Quince Orchard HS

Also Recruited by:  Rutgers, Penn State, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota 

Observations:  Zach is the 11th ranked player in the state of Maryland and ranked 31st nationally among defensive tackles.  Was all state in both 2006 and 2007.  Zach did not play football prior to High School for the simple reason that he was too big.  Zach plans on majoring in communications.

 

Justin Lewis

Pos.  OT          Ht:  6-4  Wt: 285         Hometown:  Johnsonville, SC   HS: Johnsonville HS

Also Considered:  NC State, South Carolina, Clemson, and UNC

Observations:  Justin made All State his senior year at Johnsonville, and was ranked 48th nationally among offensive guards.  He is also the 25th ranked player in the state of South Carolina.  In addition to his on field accomplishments Justin was also named to the Class A All-State Academic Team for both his junior and senior seasons.  Justin also was an honor roll student who is very active in his community.  He tutored in his high schools after school program and worked mornings in homework center.  He was also in the Math and Science Clubs and served as a recreation league basketball coach.  Justin plans on majoring in Business.

 

Davin Meggett

Pos.  RB          Ht:  5-8  Wt:  204     Hometown:  Clinton, MD    HS: Surrattsville HS

Also Considered:  Penn State, Rutgers, and UVA 

Observations:  Davin was an all state RB at Surrattsville who had 32 touchdowns.  He is the 16th ranked player in the state of Maryland.  Davin also ran track for four years where he ran the 100 and did the shot put.  His father is Dave Meggett, but according to The Sun, he and his dad aren’t very close.  Davin also plays chess, and likes to bowl (who doesn’t??).  Davin was a member of the Honor Roll at SHS and also served on the debate team, and last but not least he also wrote for the schools newspaper.  Any chance he can be a D7 special correspondent?  Oh and of course, he is majoring in criminology.  But most importantly the successful recruiting of Davin continues the trend at Maryland of landing players with semi-famous fathers (DJ, Turner, and now Davin)

 

Carl Russell

Pos. DL           Ht: 6-6    Wt: 270       Hometown: Washington, DC   HS: HD Woodson HS

Also Recruited by:  Rutgers, North Carolina, Illinois, and Michigan State

Observations:  Carl originally signed with Maryland in 2007, he has since enrolled this spring and should be ready to go for spring ball.  In high school he played both offense and defense and during his senior season recorded 14 sacks with 5 forces fumbles.  Carl was also an Honor Roll student at Woodson, and won the 2007 US Marine Corp Distinguished Athlete of the Year Award.  He also plays keyboards and likes to draw in his spare time (Wow keyboards and drawing, I’m guessing he’s a big fan of Aha’s “Take on Me” Video).  Carl plans on majoring in kinesiology. 

 

Kenny Tate

Pos.  WR         Ht: 6-4  Wt: 195          Hometown:  Hyattsville, MD    HS:  Dematha Catholic HS

Also Considered:  Illinois, Penn State, Florida, Ohio State, and Michigan

Observations:  Kenny is a highly regarded WR out of Dematha. He is a member of ESPN’s top 150 players and the 16th ranked WR in the country.  Kenny was named all state 3 times.  The biggest factoid I can find for Kenny Tate is that he had over 100 scholarship offers, and he ended up picking Maryland.  Kenny is interested in majoring in business.  Based on the buzz regarding Tate, I’d be surprised if he didn’t make an impact as early as 2009.  

 

Joe Vellano

Pos. DL           Ht: 6-2 Wt:  270  Hometown:  Rexford, NY  HS: Christian Brothers Academy

Also Considered: Boston College, UConn, and Penn State

Observations:  Joe was rated by Superprep as the #10 overall prospect in the state of New York.  Joe also has a pretty famous dad.  His father Paul Vellano played at Maryland in the early 70’s.  Joe also has a brother Paul, who plays football at Rhode Island.  Joe is a member of the National Honor Society and he enjoys boating in his spare time.  Joe is a real trailblazer as well looking to major in finance, which I believe makes him the only one not doing criminal justice, kinesiology, or communications.  How come we never get any Aggie recruits??  Anyway, don’t worry about Joe qualifying.  He’s already enrolled for the spring semester. 

 

 

And there you go; The Class of 2008.  The all seem like good kids who have their head on straight and I don’t think you can empathize that enough in this day and age.  Afterall would you trade a 5 star guy like Melvin Alaeze for a two star Erin Henderson?  Or how about a curly haired QB from California who no one gave a second thought?  You just never know.  But I’m willing to cast my lot with this bunch.  They seem easy to like, and the University should be proud of them.  Of course only time will tell how well the 2008 class pans out, but I have a good feeling about them.  I also left the recruiting celebration with a good feeling about the program.  In the 90’s the ceiling used to be 6 wins, in the 2000’s (or whatever we call this decade) that seems to be the basement.  I used to worry that we could always go back to how things were in the pre-Ralph days, but after going to these events year after year, I think it’s safe to say those dog days are over.  So heres to the Class of 2008, I can’t wait to see you all on the sidelines this fall!!