Football unveils 2011 recruiting class

When Randy Edsall became the new Terrapin football coach a month ago, he faced an unusual pair of recruiting goals: target new players who would make up the future of his program, and keep those who had already pledged to play for former coach Ralph Friedgen.

With the surprising ouster of the longtime coach, what had been a solid if unremarkable class was suddenly jeopardized by the uncertainty of a new coaching staff. But despite the exit of Friedgen and loss of heralded recruiter James Franklin to Vanderbilt, a 20-member recruiting class that many experts ranked toward the bottom of the ACC remained largely intact.

Rivals.com ranked the haul No. 46 nationally and ninth in the ACC, a departure from Friedgen's historically solid classes during his 10-year tenure. But given the circumstances surrounding his first recruiting class, the former Connecticut coach was satisfied with his crop of newcomers.

"I'm as excited as can be about what took place earlier this morning, and the job that the assistant coaches did in assembling this class," Edsall said. "I think we got a lot accomplished in a short period of time."

The Terps again struggled locally, netting just one top-10 recruit from this state, according to Rivals. Cornerback A.J. Hendy, a three-star recruit from Bowie who officially recommitted to Edsall on Tuesday night, is one of only five from the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area.

Though Edsall stressed that not every area star is a fit for the Terps' program, he made it clear that local recruiting will be priority.

"We've been very well received," Edsall said. "We understand the talent level that is here in this area, and we're going to recruit it very, very hard."

Edsall said the program would target areas similar to those Friedgen had recruited during his time as coach. Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida will remain areas of emphasis, according to Edsall, who added the team's recruiting would not be limited to the East Coast.

"If there's other people throughout the United States who have an interest in the University of Maryland, then we're going to target those guys," Edsall said. "We'll go anywhere."

Not every commitment Edsall inherited lasted, however. Ryan Malleck, a three-star tight end according to Rivals, decommitted in late December, just days after Athletics Director Kevin Anderson announced Friedgen's contract would be bought out. Malleck later committed to Virginia Tech.

Defensive end Jimmy Stewart, of Cape Coral, Fla., who committed to the Terps in October, opted to reopen his recruitment and instead follow Franklin to Vanderbilt.

"The coaching change hurt, but the old staff had done a decent job with the players," MaxPreps.com football recruiting expert Tom Lemming told The Baltimore Sun. "This staff is just trying to kind of rally, circle the wagons and make sure they have quality athletes coming in."

While the group is heavy on offensive linemen — tackle Nathaniel Clarke, the lone four-star Rivals recruit in the Terps' class, is one of five — arguably the haul's biggest strength is at the wide-receiver position.

Highly touted wideouts Tyrek Cheeseboro, Nigel King and Marcus Leak make up the 20th-best wideout class in the nation, according to Rivals. Cheesboro and King will be eligible to participate in spring practice after enrolling early.

As he turns his attention to the class of 2012, Edsall said he's anticipating the opportunity to recruit a class for a full year — not just one month.

"People get caught up too much in these rankings," he said. "The only ranking that really matters is what me and my staff think."

schneider@umdbk.com