Terps land Va. cornerback recruit
Maryland picked up its 12th commitment of the 2010 recruiting class Friday when Norfolk, Va., cornerback Mario Rowson committed to the Terps.
“Maryland was the first offer,” said Hank Sawyer, Rowson’s coach at Lake Taylor High. “North Carolina was very interested and of course Virginia Tech and Virginia. But Maryland does some things that we do, maybe at a more sophisticated level. We do a lot of man-to-man coverage, and Maryland has a new defensive coordinator that does play man coverage. I think [Don Brown] kind of fell in love with Mario.”
Sawyer said the Maryland staff was impressed with Rowson’s size (6 feet 4, 190 pounds) and speed (4.43 40). That type of height is rare in a corner, Sawyer said, and Rowson makes sure to use his length and reach to his advantage.
“With all the tall wide receivers now, you can get some tall defensive backs to check them,” Sawyer said. “You don’t have to worry about them jumping over him. A lot of 6-4 kids think they’re basketball players, whereas he knows he’s a football player. It’s kind of rare to find a kid like that playing defensive back.”
Rowson earned his Maryland offer on a visit to College Park last month. Sawyer said other schools were close to pulling the trigger, but the Terps were already in a secure spot at the top of Rowson’s list.
“He was supposed to visit some other camps, but he just really liked Maryland,” Sawyer said. “We got out of school [June] 18th. On the 19th, we went to Maryland. Sometimes kids remember what they see first. ... He kind of fell in love with the place.”
Rowson, who’s also a standout track performer for Lake Taylor, has spent two years on the Titans’ varsity. Sawyer said there’s been plenty of improvement already in Rowson’s game throughout the past three years. He expects more of the same for the future Terp.
“Actually where he’s improved is his ability to check people one-on-one, but offensively he kind of stepped up and caught the ball for us also,” Sawyer said. “He’s a double threat for us. He could play wide receiver [in college] also. The thing about him is that not only can he play corner, he can play free safety as well. We play so much man coverage that we just tell him to check ... whatever team’s best receiver.”
Comments
Now all they need to do is to recruit a coach!
Posted by: Fang Guy | July 25, 2009 12:22 PM
I really hope he is a legit 6'4''. And I really really really hope he is a legit 4.43 forty.
Posted by: Metzger | July 25, 2009 8:36 PM
Hey FangGuy,you are just a jerk,who do you think is doing all this work behind the scenes?Grow up and learn football before you post such idiotic nonsense.Guess you want Mark Duffner or Joe Krivak back,huh?Or do you even know who they are?
Posted by: Burt from Essex | July 26, 2009 2:24 AM
Fang-- the potential problem is they have not one but two head coaches and--
Metzger-- tape measures and timing clocks readily avsilable in this day and age.
Posted by: Old Timer | July 26, 2009 6:24 AM
Well Bert, I may be a jerk, but at least I don't insult people whom I do not know simply for giving an opinion, especially with opinions being a staple of the sports world.
Actually, I was trhinking of moving away from the Krivak/Duffner days, not towards them. (I can mentrion this because i actually know who they are).. The salary structure changed big time with the arrival of Ralph, with both the man and the salary bringing expectations of better things at College Park.
I could drone on about this forever, but I'm fairly sure Matt Bracken and friends would rather I get to the point. And the point is that Friedgen has put a series of mediocre teams together for years now, We are always in the Doofus Bowl - if we are in one at all - or some other bottom-of-the-barrel bowl game. And with a few notable exceptions, recruitung has been dreadful.
Either Ralph Friedgen is not getting the suppport he needs from AD Debbie Yow or he is hosing it up all himself. But either way, we are a big name school wallowing in pathetic sporting mediocrity that never seems to end. .
Posted by: Fang Guy | July 26, 2009 8:21 PM
Did anyone consider the possibility that when Maryland sits down with a potential recruit whose parents expect the football program to instill some discipline in their son, that they take into consideration that their son will be coached by a head coach who does not have the discipline to keep his weight under control
Posted by: mddoc | July 28, 2009 1:44 PM
My first time on this blog but as a Fridge backer, I cannot sit on the sidelines. The Terps are in avery competitive market for recruits with Penn State to the North and VA Tech to the South. The instability of assistant coaches has harmed recruiting too. Bringing in two new coordinators with long term contracts should help. So should getting our best recruiter to leave U of IL to go to the desert. As a parent, I would worry less about Fridgen's weight than Beamer recruiting felons or Joe Pa's age.
Posted by: OB | July 29, 2009 12:14 PM