Targets acquired

For reasons related to fashion or scandal or the actual game itself, the Terrapins football team's season-opening win over Miami on prime-time national television did one thing above all else for a program in transition: It garnered attention.

With loud, flashy new uniforms and a boisterous, sold-out Byrd Stadium, many across the nation took notice. Chief among coach Randy Edsall's concerns, though, were a select handful of 17- and 18-year-olds tuning in.

A number of recruiting targets were on hand for the Terps' 32-24 win over Miami, and with a week off between that game and Saturday's matchup with No. 18 West Virginia, Edsall and his staff have hit the recruiting trail hard.

"We had a lot of recruits here tonight, and they were all very good," Edsall said after the Terps' victory Sept. 5. "You couldn't come to this game tonight and not be impressed with the different colors that the fans were wearing and the noise."

That sentiment appears to be ringing true with several local recruits, including one of the nation's top cornerbacks: Potomac High School senior Ronald Darby.

Darby, who has verbally committed to Notre Dame, was in attendance for the Miami game, and Rivals.com football recruiting analyst Mike Ferrell reported Saturday that Darby called his visit to Byrd Stadium "great" and said he would return if his schedule allowed for it.

While Darby's eventual enrollment in this university is still unlikely given the laundry list of top programs courting him, his interest is indicative of a recent trend among local players.

Our Lady of Good Counsel High School wide receiver Stefon Diggs and Gilman School athlete Cyrus Jones, two four-star prospects, both reportedly moved the Terps up their short lists following the team's victory over Miami. Underclassmen Shane Cockerille (Gilman) and Jalen Tabor (Washington's Friendship Collegiate Academy) also were reportedly impressed.

Despite the Terps' recent recruiting strides, though, the immediate future remains somewhat ordinary.

With only 15 commits as of yesterday — and just one player, four-star offensive tackle Mike Madaras, earning higher than three stars from Scout.com — the Terps' recruiting class ranks eighth in the conference and No. 53 nationally for the graduating class of 2012.

There's likely a link between their immediate recruiting struggles and the sweeping change that has consumed the Terps' program over the past nine months, but coaching changes are far from uncommon in college football.

Miami, which underwent similar offseason change when it replaced coach Randy Shannon with Al Golden in the offseason, boasts the nation's No. 5 recruiting class in 2012, according to Scout.com.

How the remainder of the 2012 recruiting period plays out likely depends on the Terps' performance the rest of the season.

"While Edsall's first class isn't going to enjoy a lofty national ranking, he proved at UConn that he doesn't need elite NFL talent across the board to win a lot of games," Farrell wrote last month.

If they're able to harness the momentum gained from their Labor Day victory and subsequent spot in the national limelight, there's a chance Edsall and his staff could expand a relatively unimpressive 2012 class and set a precedent for future classes.

If they can't maintain the same level of play, though, it will likely only add an extra element of difficulty to the Terps' recruiting efforts.

cwalsh@umdbk.com