Archbishop Curley safety Eric Franklin became Maryland’s fourth verbal commitment of the 2009 class when he pledged to the Terps yesterday.

Franklin, 6-foot-2 ½, 190 pounds, visited College Park just before Memorial Day, and was offered a scholarship soon after, according to Curley head coach Sean Murphy. UM’s courtship of Franklin started fairly recently.

“Maryland started recruiting him, I guess, back in early April,” Murphy said. “I had sent them some early film. When they started their May recruiting [during the open period], [defensive coordinator Chris] Cosh came by the school. We got him updated film, [showed him Franklin’s] transcripts, and he got a chance to see Eric in person, just to eyeball him a little bit. I think that kind of got him intrigued. They saw he’s an excellent student, so that helped the process. And coach Cosh met with our basketball coach and track coach to get additional information on Eric.

"I was impressed with how thorough of a job [Maryland did] in the recruiting process. It wasn’t a one-day thing. They really did their homework on him. I appreciated their effort. I talked to coach Friedgen and coach Cosh, probably a dozen times over the last four or five weeks. I think it’s a good fit for Eric."

Murphy said the Terps are looking at Franklin for the free safety position, but there’s a possibility he could bulk up to play linebacker.

“With Eric being a three-sport athlete -- he’s also a musician -- and with his time, he only has enough time in the weight room in the summer and fall. I think Maryland thinks once he [gets in the weight room full-time], he could conceivably get up to 220, 225. Then maybe they could also use him as a WILL linebacker. A lot of the schools were torn between, is he a safety or a linebacker? I think Maryland liked the idea that he can probably play both.”

Murphy said in landing Franklin, the Terps are getting a great student with excellent speed and solid football instincts.

“He’s smart, breaks on the football well and is pretty physical,” Murphy said. “We even thought about moving him to inside linebacker this year because he’s one of the best tacklers on the team. He has great hands and he’s a leader. I think those are probably his best attributes.”

Check back with Recruiting Report later this week for more on Franklin.