With ’12 recruiting class, football looking to move on

Fresh off of a forgettable first season and in the midst of a tumultuous offseason, coach Randy Edsall took the first steps toward putting last season in the past with yesterday's unveiling of the Terrapins football team's 24-man recruiting class.

The class — the first Edsall has assembled in its entirety — includes five four-star recruits and no five-stars and ranks among the top 50 nationally by 247Sports.com (No. 45) and Scout.com (No. 47).

Though those rankings suggest a class that isn't particularly program-changing, Edsall was certainly pleased with his haul, which includes 11 players from this state and Washington.

"One of the main things that we talked about is the fact that we really wanted to try to make endroads here in Maryland, D.C., Pennsylvania, Virginia," Edsall said. "We wanted to keep the local talent here in Maryland, and again, I think we're on the right track with what we've done this year."

Three local stars highlight the Terps' recruiting class: Good Counsel (Olney) four-star recruits Wes Brown, a running back; and Mike Madaras, an offensive lineman; and Friendship Collegiate (Washington) running back Albert Reid. Massachusetts linebacker Abner Logan and Georgia offensive lineman Nick Brigham round out the Terps' top recruits.

Perhaps most significant about the local signings for Edsall is where they come from. Good Counsel and Friendship Collegiate are two of the area's most prestigious high school programs, and with the signing of running back Kenny Goins, who played at Baltimore power Gilman, Edsall feels he's established himself with the area's best.

he's got to start recruiting those juniors, and he's already done it," Edsall said. "The same thing with Wes and Mike… sometimes, that's all it takes."

The Terps also found success in Pennsylvania, where they landed five recruits, and Georgia, where three incoming Terps hail from. The team also signed one player each from California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, South Carolina and Virginia.

Tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator John Dunn noted that the team placed considerable attention on the "four-to-five-hour radius" around College Park, and both he and Edsall added they would likely reach out to Georgia and Florida more in coming years.

Still, some saw the class as a disappointment, especially after the team's addition of lauded recruiter Mike Locksley to its coaching staff as offensive coordinator.

"I think that the expectation may be a bit unrealistic when Mike Locksley came in that he might rally and land some more four-star recruits," said Dave Lomonico, who covers high school football and recruiting for MDHigh.Rivals.com. "From what I've heard, Locksley's trying to sell the fact that there's a ton of talent in Maryland, and you can go to your Alabamas and be another cog for an 18th championship, but at Maryland you can come here and you can be that proverbial big fish in the small pond.'

"I just don't know if it's worked."

One giant question mark remains for the Terps, as Good Counsel star Stefon Diggs, Rivals.com's No. 8 recruit nationally, remains uncommitted. Lomonico believes that Diggs, who reportedly won't decide until Feb. 10, will choose between the Terps and Florida.

"He can instantly change a program and impact future recruiting classes," Lomonico said. "Then this class, all of a sudden, becomes pretty darn good."

Regardless of Diggs' decision, the Terps' class addressed several holes, most notably at running back, where their No. 2-ranked running-back class — according to Scout.com — will help take some of the pressure off the team's only returning running back, rising sophomore Justus Pickett.

This class also marks what Edsall and his staff hope will be the start of a program-wide transformation under Edsall.

"We did have a tough season, but these guys see what the future holds and the program we're establishing and the foundation that we're building," Dunn said. "They can be the reason why we take this to the next level."

cwalsh@umdbk.com