Bossard and recruiting
The reshuffling of the Terps’ football staff continued this weekend with the announcement that Maryland had let go wide receivers coach Bryan Bossard.
I’ve received a few e-mails asking how the loss of Bossard impacts recruiting. Overall, it looks like Bossard (who recruited Prince George's County, Washington D.C., eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware) had some big hits, a few misses and a couple notable recruiting losses during his three-year Terps tenure.
According to Rivals.com, Bossard was responsible for recruiting the following players:
2006: Linebacker Adrian Moten from Gwynn Park High School, quarterback Jeremy Ricker from Harrisburg, Pa., running back Da’Rel Scott from Conshohocken, Pa. and running back/defensive back Pha’ Terrell Washington from Westlake High School.
The notable loss from 2006 was Dunbar and now Illinois cornerback Vontae Davis, Vernon’s little brother and the player often credited with beginning the D.C. to Champaign, Ill. pipeline.
Other than that, it was an excellent first haul for Bossard. Granted, Ricker is gone, but he was a highly-sought quarterback prospect. Scott and Washington were also four-star guys. Moten, a three-star, has turned out to be the best of the bunch thus far. Still, it was a great first effort for Bossard.
2007: Fullback Taylor Watson from Gwynn Park.
This was the Arrelious Benn year. Ouch.
2008: Offensive tackle R.J. Dill from Camp Hill, Pa. and wide receiver Kevin Dorsey from Forestville.
All indications are that Dorsey will be an instant-impact guy -- definitely a headliner in Maryland’s 2008 class. Dill had some other nice offers and has good potential. The major disappointment this year for Bossard was when Tavon Wilson switched his commitment from Maryland to (who else?) Illinois.
Newly hired offensive coordinator James Franklin recruited Prince George’s County and D.C. during his earlier tenure with the Terps, so he’d be a logical choice to take over that section of Bossard’s turf. But that, of course, also depends on who Bossard’s successor is, and what areas of the East Coast that hire is familiar with.
Comments
Matt,
This won't impact Dorsey's committment, will it?
u is for uvula!
Posted by: Craig Scarborough | January 1, 2008 9:59 PM
I wouldn't think so. Dorsey's been in the fold for awhile now. Plus, he was planning on enrolling for winter semester and being with the team for spring practice.
Posted by: Matt Bracken | January 2, 2008 3:11 PM
Not related directly to this article, but what are the chances of John Tanuta (GA Tech defensive coordinator) coming to Maryland to replace Chris Cosh?
In terms of Franklin, he's regarded as an excellent recruiter, having recruited Vernon Davis, Andrew Crummey, Erin Henderson, Jared Gaither, Lance Ball, Keon Lattimore, Haywood-Bey, etc...
With Franklin's rep for throwing the ball, don't look for Dorsey to go anywhere but to College Park.
Posted by: Josh | January 2, 2008 4:24 PM
For 2008 Terps have also missed out on Lamar Thomas in PG County and look like they'll miss on Reggie Ellis out of DC. Last year we also lost out on top DL Marvin Austin to UNC in addition to Benn. We also totally missed out on Thomas' teammates out at Friendly HS the Haden brothers, one of whom is starting for FLA as a frosh. Not every top local guy is going to go to MD but we shouldn't be missing out on most of them.
Posted by: Paul from Arlington | January 2, 2008 4:55 PM