Courtesy of Maryland Athletics
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland signed 19 student-athletes to national letters-of-intent for the 2010 football season, head coach Ralph Friedgen announced Wednesday.
Friedgen and the staff replenished the Terps depth in a number of areas. There was an emphasis on defense with the class including four linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs.
Among the eight offensive signees, four are linemen.
The Terps received high marks nationally at quarterback, linebacker, defensive back and offensive line. The linebackers and defensive ends were each ranked No. 13 in the country by Rivals.com. The offensive line was tied for No. 23 in the nation by Rivals.com and Maryland’s quarterback class, while small in number (two), was ranked No. 9 in the country by Scout.com.
Four of the signees - OL Nate Clarke (Washington, D.C.), LB Javarie Johnson, QB Tyler Smith (Easton, Pa.) and DB Titus Till (Upper Marlboro, Md.) - were also labeled four-star recruits by Rivals.com and/or Scout.com.
LB David Mackall (Baltimore) was also a four-star recruit, though he signed with the Terps last season and attended Fork Union Military Academy in the fall. He was joined at Fork Union by another Terps signee from 2009, LB Lorne Goree (Springdale, Md.). Mackall and Goree both enrolled this semester and will take part in spring practice.
Johnson and QB Devin Burns (Columbus, Ga.) also enrolled in classes in January and will participate in spring practice. All four will have four years of eligibility beginning this fall. The remaining 17 signees will join the team in August.
“I’m really pleased with this class,†Friedgen said. “I think our staff did a heck of a job throughout the whole process. We really filled needs in key areas, but also improved our overall speed and athleticism.â€
The recruiting class has a number of high ranking individuals at their respective position. Nearly every recruit ranks among top 100 players at his position nationally, including Clarke, OL Sal Conaboy (Clarks Summit, Pa.), LB Ian Evans (Atco, N.J.), Johnson, RB Rahsaan Moore (District Heights, Md.) and Smith.
Conaboy is ranked 10th nationally among offensive guards by Scout.com, Evans is No. 36 among outside linebackers and Moore is the No. 16 fullback by according to Scout.com. Smith was rated as the eighth-best QB recruit in the nation by Scouts, Inc.
Once again the Terps kept quite a bit of talent at home as 10 members of the class hail from the Maryland/Washington, D.C. footprint, and two more - DB Mario Rowson (Norfolk) and DB Jeremiah Wilson (Winchester) reside in Virginia. According to Rivals.com, the Terps landed the top two players in Washington, D.C. in Clarke and Johnson.
The Terps also plucked three players from Florida and two from Georgia, including standout offensive lineman Max Garcia (Norcross), a high school teammate of Terp RB D.J. Adams.
Maryland also hauled in one of the top quarterbacks in the state of Pennsylvania for the second straight year in Smith. C.J. Brown served a redshirt season in 2009, but was one of top dual-threat quarterbacks in the country as a high school senior.
There were also 12 players who earned all-state distinction, including Burns, Conaboy, Evans, Garcia, Goree, DB Jeremiah Johnson (Forestville, Md.), Mackall, Moore, Matt Robinson (Columbia, Md.), Rowson, Smith and Till.
Moore and Till were teammates at Wise High School in Upper Marlboro.
In all, the 19 signees hail from seven states, including Maryland/Washington D.C. (10), Florida (3), Virginia (2), Georgia (2), Pennsylvania (2), North Carolina (1) and New Jersey (1). The addition of Goree and Mackall push the Maryland/D.C. number to 12.
2010 Maryland Class
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr.-Elig Hometown (High School/Previous School)
Devin Burns QB 6-3 185 Fr.-HS Columbus, Ga. (Carver High School)
Tyrek Cheeseboro WR 6-0 180 Fr.-HS Baltimore, Md. (Milford Mill Academy)
Nate Clarke OL 6-6 280 Fr.-HS Washington, D.C. (Archbishop Carroll High School)
Sal Conaboy OL 6-5 255 Fr.-HS Clarks Summit, Pa. (Abington Heights High School)
Ian Evans DL 6-2 245 Fr.-HS Atco, N.J. (Hammonton High School)
Max Garcia OL 6-5 285 Fr.-HS Norcross, Ga. (Norcross High School)
Lorne Goree* LB 6-2 200 Fr.-HS Springdale, Md. (C.H. Flowers High School/Fork Union Military Academy)
Javarie Johnson LB 6-3 215 Fr.-HS Washington, D.C. (Dunbar High School)
Jeremiah Johnson DB 6-0 170 Fr.-HS Forestville, Md. (Suitland High School)
Desmond Kearse DB 6-2 180 Fr.-HS Fort Myers, Fla. (Dunbar High School)
Darius Kilgo DL 6-4 285 Fr.-HS Charlotte, N.C. (Weddington High School)
David Mackall* LB 6-3 256 Fr.-HS Baltimore, Md. (Edmonson-Westside High School/Fork Union Military Academy)
Andre Monroe DL 6-0 280 Fr.-HS Upper Marlboro, Md. (St. John’s College High School)
Rahsaan Moore RB 6-2 240 Fr.-HS District Heights, Md. (Wise High School)
Clarence Murphy DL 6-3 240 Fr.-HS Hollywood, Fla. (Hollywood Hills High School)
Matt Robinson DB 6-3 220 Fr.-HS Columbia, Md. (Atholton High School)
Mario Rowson DB 6-3 185 Fr.-HS Norfolk, Va. (Lake Taylor High School)
Tyler Smith QB 6-3 195 Fr.-HS Easton, Pa. (Wilson Area High School)
Titus Till DB 6-2 205 Fr.-HS Upper Marlboro, Md. (Wise High School)
Jake Wheeler OL 6-9 250 Fr.-HS Hollywood, Fla. (American Heritage High School)
Jeremiah Wilson DB 5-10 175 Fr.-HS Winchester, Va. (Handley High School)
* - signed in 2009 and enrolled in January.