Starting with football recruiting …

• Where does the Terps’ football staff turn for players when in-state guys go elsewhere? According to The [Newport News, Va.] Daily Press, the talent-stocked Hampton Roads area has increasingly become a UM recruiting destination.

State champions last year at Phoebus High School, fullback Haroon Brown and offensive lineman Maurice Hampton are redshirting this season for Maryland.

The former Phantoms are among six Hampton Roads players recruited to the Terps program by assistant coach Tom Brattan. Moreover, Maryland has a commitment from receiver Kerry Boykins, a senior at Chesapeake's Oscar Smith High who chose the Terps over Virginia, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Tennessee.

• UM running back commit Davin Meggett has lead the Surrattsville High School football team to a completely unfamiliar scenario -- contending for a playoff berth.

The Clinton school has never sent its football team to the playoffs, but it looks like it’s going to happen this year, as the Hornets currently hold the third of four playoff spots available in the 1A South Region. After Saturday’s game, Surrattsville (6-1) will close the season against middle-of-the-road teams, Largo and Crossland. The Hornets are led by running back Davin Meggett’s 17 rushing touchdowns, but they’ve also allowed just 71 points in seven games.

• Scout.com is pretty high on Maryland’s three prep school football commitments. Hargrave linebacker Zach Brown, The Hun School tight end Matt Furstenburg and Hargrave tight end Devonte Campbell are Nos. 12, 17 and 22 respectively on Scout’s newly-released Prep School Class of 2008 Top 50.

• As part of The Sun’s ‘Football: The tie that binds’ series, Stefen Lovelace profiled one of Maryland’s top 2009 football targets, Baltimore’s own Tavon Austin.

The entire story is definitely worth the read, but to give you an idea of just how much competition the Terps will face for the Dunbar running back’s services, here’s an excerpt from the article.

Austin's smile fades and his expression becomes serious when he starts sifting through the envelopes, with return addresses from universities like Alabama, Illinois, Ohio State, Auburn, Syracuse, Arizona State and Florida State.

• One-time Terp wide receiver target Ben Barber pledged this week to the in-state Hokies.

Virginia Tech picked up the 21st commitment Wednesday for its 2008 football recruiting class from Ben Barber, a 5-foot-10, 200-pound wide receiver from Thomas Edison High in Alexandria. He also considered scholarship offers from Virginia and Maryland.

Finishing with basketball recruiting …

• Adam Zagoria of the Herald News in West Paterson, N.J. caught up with 2009 big man Greg Echenique. The St. Benedict (N.J.) Prep player commented on Penn, Duke and Rutgers, but also gave a little love to the Terps.

Echenique added that he also likes Maryland, which features fellow Venezuelan Greivis Vasquez, and Pitt and hopes to take some more visits when his parents come from South America for Easter.

• CSTV.com’s Van Coleman offers Part 1 and Part 2 of his ACC Fall Recruiting Preview. Per usual, ACC teams are bringing in absurd collections of talent.

Coleman also hosted his weekly chat, and one Terp fan got Coleman’s opinion on UM commitments Gus Gilchrist and Jin Soo Kim.

Gary Md: How good are Gilchrest and Kim? Do you see Md getting any other recruits?What about junoirs? THANKS

Van Coleman: Right now I think Gus Gilchrist comes in right away and has an opportunity to start at one of the two inside spots. He's made tremendous strides this past year, has improved his body, runs the floor well, has great hands. With Kim, he's one of the best shooters in the prep school league but he'll need to get stronger.

• Gilchrist’s commitment officially spelled the end of Maryland’s courtship of Elizabeth, N.J. power forward Quintrell Thomas. This week, Thomas officially found a home by offering a verbal commitment to Kansas.

He turned down the big-city lights of UNLV and Maryland and staying home to play at Rutgers to go with KU's tradition. Not to mention a chance for playing time as a freshman.

• Looks like Tubby Smith will be just fine at Minnesota. The former Kentucky coach pulled a commitment yesterday from former Terp target Ralph Sampson III.

• South Kent (Conn.) Prep center Assane Sene, another one-time UM target, committed to Virginia this week.

"It was a tough decision. I had only good schools," said Sene, who also visited UConn and Syracuse and had interest from UCLA, Texas, Kansas and Maryland. "But Virginia is my favorite."

• Remember former UM shooting guard target Chris Turner? Back in August, Sean Mosley beat Turner to the punch, committing to Maryland, and thus leaving Turner looking elsewhere to play his college ball.

Now it appears Turner is looking elsewhere to play his high school ball as well.

Patterson (N.C.) School coach Chris Chaney said that 6-5 shooting guard Chris Turner is no longer enrolled at the school, and that he and others were working on finding Turner a better situation.

Turner, a Durham, N.C. native who spent last season at Winchendon (Mass.) Prep, attended "Madness After Midnight" last week at Seton Hall and was thought to be an option for the Pirates if they don't land Tyreke Evans or Kevin Jones.