Notable football recruiting links from the past week …

A win for education

Ask a recruit what some of the most important factors are in selecting a college and probably 75 percent of the time the recruit will mention academics. Often a recruit’s choice reflects an awareness of a school’s academic reputation. Other times, said recruit will shun the Dukes, Stanfords and Northwesterns of the world for (insert Tier 3 academic institution/football factory here).

Terps defensive end commitment Tyler Urban clearly falls into the former category, telling USA Today that academics gave Maryland the edge in his recruitment.

"It's been a long process this recruiting, and I wanted to get it done before the season started," Urban said. "I narrowed it down, and it was between West Virginia and Maryland the past couple of weeks. I thought Maryland had the better academics. They have great football and a great conference."

Another wide receiver possibility

Ralph Friedgen and staff have already done a tremendous job in wide receiver recruiting for the class of 2008, having secured verbal commitments from four-star Kevin Dorsey and three-star Kerry Boykins.

It’s clear the Terps aren’t done yet at that position, going after the likes of DeMatha’s Kenny Tate and Florida native O’Neil Chambers.

While it’s always tough prying kids out of the Sunshine State, Chambers could be an exception, according to this article from The State.

USC is among the favorites of wide receiver O’Neil Chambers (6-3, 205) of St. Cloud, Fla., along with Maryland, Miami, BYU, Purdue, Georgia and Florida.

USC, in this case, refers to the University of South Carolina. Chambers’ Scout profile indicates "High Interest" in Maryland and BYU. How often do you think the Terps battle the Cougars for a recruit? Chambers is definitely one to watch.

Speaking of Kevin Dorsey …

CSTV’s Tom Lemming updated his Top 100 list earlier this week, and the Illinois-based recruiting guru likes the 6-foot-3, 186-pound Forestville product, ranking him the 79th-best prospect in the country for 2008.

Kevin Dorsey: Early commitment, will be an All-American in College Park. Big, fast and productive (20+ yards per catch).

All-American?? That’s some lofty praise from Lemming, a scout who was around long before Rivals and Scout launched.

Other players of interest on Lemming’s list include Tate (76), Ft. Washington Friendly’s Lamaar Thomas (88) and Owings Mills resident and Notre Dame commitment Lane Clelland (94).

A big fella still in play

Depending on which recruiting service you check, Maryland has either one or two offensive line commits. R.J. Dill is a definite offensive tackle prospect, while A.J. Francis could play on the offensive or defensive line. Regardless, the Terps could use more O-linemen for the class.

Enter Justin Lewis, a two-star offensive guard who is high on the Terps according to The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C.

Johnsonville OL Justin Lewis (6-4, 300) has offers from N.C. State, Maryland, S.C. State and Buffalo while Clemson and South Carolina have shown interest. He currently favors N.C. State and Maryland and he camped with both this summer.

People will probably frown at the two stars attached to Lewis’ name, but if there’s any position that routinely gets misevaluated, it’s offensive line. I'd chalk this one up to trusting the coaches.