Maryland can cross Petersburg, Va., power forward Cadarian Raines off the 2009 wish list. On Friday, Raines committed to Virginia Tech over offers from the Terps, George Mason, James Madison, Virginia Commonwealth and several others.

Earlier in the day, Tech had gotten an oral commitment from Cadarian Raines, a 6-8, 233-pound post player who averaged 14.2 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks for Petersburg High School this past season.

• The Diamondback’s Aaron Kraut sat down with UM head coach Gary Williams recently to discuss Maryland’s tumultuous offseason. The topic of one-time commitment Tyree Evans was one of many issues discussed in this wide-ranging interview.

Evans, a junior-college transfer and shooting guard from Richmond, Va., with a history of legal troubles, was expected to contribute immediately this season after averaging 21.2 points per game at Motlow State Community College in Tennessee last year. He signed a letter of intent with the Terps in April, but after media outlets, including The (Baltimore) Sun and SI.com, published stories detailing Evans' criminal record, Evans eventually asked out of his commitment.

"You could see it coming in the distance," Williams said. "There's no way he could have been a normal student on this campus. It wouldn't be right to him. If he got a parking ticket, he would have been in trouble."

• The stock of 2010 Terps target Roscoe Smith continues to rise. Cincinnati.com checked in with the Walbrook standout last week, who said he’s listening to all suitors.

"I am very wide open right now," Smith said last week at the LeBron James Skills Academy. "I don't really have a top-20 or a top-15 or a top-five. I just want to look all around and see what is the best fit for me. I want to see how many come after me."

Smith reeled off a list that included IU, UK and U of L plus North Carolina, Duke, Maryland, Texas, Temple, Xavier, Kansas, Memphis, Florida, Florida State, Connecticut, USC, Georgetown and Texas A&M.

Football recruiting

• Maryland’s 2009 recruiting class now contains five linebackers. West Florence, S.C., prospect Avery Murray committed to UM over an offer from Buffalo, according to Rivals.com. Murray’s commitment actually took place last week, according to WPDE.com.

Also on Tuesday, West Florence LB Avery Murray gave his verbal commitment to play for Ralph Friedgen and the Maryland Terrapins. Murray was the Knights leading tackler in 2007 and had two defensive touchdowns.

• Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith linebacker Jerod Askew is one of many uncommitted Virginia prospects with a Maryland offer. Askew checks in at No. 3 on The Roanoke Times' list of the best remaining recruits in the Old Dominion State.

There hasn’t been a big buzz about Askew in these parts, but, in addition to Virginia Tech, he reportedly has offers from Oklahoma, Tennessee, West Virginia, Clemson, Maryland and N.C. State. I’ve seen stats that show Askew and teammate Perry Jones, a UVa commit, with 24 tackles for loss apiece. And, Askew had 14 sacks and Jones had 13. Did anybody else make a stop?

• Ka’Lial Glaud, an athlete recruit from New Jersey, told Yahoo! Sports this week that Maryland and West Virginia are recruiting him the hardest. The Terps and Mountaineers are both among Glaud’s favorites.

“I would probably say they would be West Virginia, Maryland, Boston College, North Carolina, Tennessee, Rutgers and Iowa,” he said.

• Maryland reportedly offered Fayetteville, N.C., prospect Everett Proctor as an athlete recruit. Earlier this week, Proctor decided instead to take N.C. State’s offer to play quarterback .

Proctor chose N.C. State over scholarship offers from East Carolina, Illinois, Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and runner-up Georgia Tech. Both the Wolfpack and Yellow Jackets wanted the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder as a quarterback. But Georgia Tech is expected to run an option-based offense under new head coach Paul Johnson this fall, while N.C. State runs a more traditional pro attack.

• WashingtonPost.com’s latest Recruiting Spotlight video looks at Gwynn Park lineman Raynard Randolph, who sports offers from Maryland, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tennessee and West Virginia. Click here to watch the video.