A quick scan of Penn State’s 2009 football recruiting class shows three commitments from Maryland -- Eleanor Roosevelt cornerback Derrick Thomas, and Lackey defensive backs Darrell Givens and Malcolm Willis.

The Altoona (Pa.) Mirror predicts that Willis, who was not offered by the Terps, could serve as a valuable recruiter in Maryland for the Nittany Lions.

An engaging personality, Willis might be to this year’s Nittany Lion class what Aaron Maybin was a couple of years ago -- a player who successful recruits future teammates. Even while he smiled about two of his friends joining him at Penn State, he went on to talk about how they were already trying to get others, like five-star Maryland linebacker Jelani Jenkins.

• There were two relevant Tavon Austin links this week. First, the Dunbar running back checked in with another installment of the Sun series, Recruiting Tavon Austin. In this piece, Austin recaps his time at last weekend’s Nike training camp at Penn State.

For the second link, TurtleSportsReport.com’s Jeff Ermann spoke with former UM linebacker Aaron Thompson, who is Austin’s cousin. Thompson said Austin’s not leaning anywhere right now, but the Terps are in solid shape.

“He still likes Maryland. The thing is, Maryland is home. Because Maryland is home I think that Maryland will be there to the end, because Tavon wants to be near his family and he likes coach Franklin,” said Thompson, whose Aunt is Austin’s mother.

• Fayetteville, N.C. athlete Everett Proctor has received offers from Maryland, East Carolina, N.C. State and Appalachian State, according to The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, but only the Mountaineers have offered him as a quarterback. If Proctor decides to go the athlete route, the Terps could be in great shape.

Appalachian State is the only school to have offered a scholarship and chance to play the quarterback position, which is what Proctor would prefer to do, according to [Jack Britt head coach Richard] Bailey. But Illinois, Georgia Tech and West Virginia are also considering him as a quarterback prospect. ...

Despite all the attention from other schools, Maryland remains as Proctor’s favorite. He grew up following the Terps and his father works in Washington, D.C.

• The stock of Tuscarora cornerback Dominic Clarke continues to rise. Clarke, who has offers from Maryland, Virginia, Navy and Richmond, spoke to Yahoo! Sports about his recruitment this week.

“I think Ohio State might be offering me soon, they really like me a lot,” he said. “If they offered that would be big. They are a name that speaks for itself.

“The Stanford coaches have come by the school as well. I’m also hearing from Connecticut, Rutgers and Duke.”

Later in the week, Clarke did pick up a Buckeyes offer, in addition to one from Boston College.

• The Washington Post’s latest Recruiting Spotlight video looks at Gaithersburg defensive end Sean Stanley, who sports offers from Maryland, Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and West Virginia among others. Click here to see the video.

Basketball links

• Sean Mosley’s still working hard to become academically qualified for Maryland, so The Diamondback checked in on his progress.

Mosley said he initially struggled with his test-taking skills and remembering basic algebra - which he hasn't studied in several years - more than anything. He worked with several teachers from St. Frances on developing his process-of-elimination skills.

"I just tried to find different ways to get to the answers," Mosley said.

• ESPN.com had scouts on hand for last weekend’s Southern Invitational Tournament on the campus of the University of Virginia, and Terps power forward target Dante Taylor was one of the event’s standout performers.

Dante Taylor had 17 points in the quarterfinals and the semis; he showed great mobility and athleticism for a big man. Taylor has the ability to use the spin move to get to the rim on the baseline. He displayed great footwork on the drop step and up-and-under moves in the paint. Taylor is a long 6-9, and he does a fine job challenging shots and crashing the glass. He has soft touch from the midrange and has even shown the ability to hit the occasional 3.