Weekly recruiting roundup
Last weekend Miller School (Va.) center Hippolyte Tsafack made an official visit to Maryland.
This weekend, it’s St. Anthony (N.J.) power forward Ashton Pankey’s turn to see College Park.
“He and his mom took the train down today and it wouldn’t surprise me if he really liked the visit, he might just take one more to compare apples to oranges,” [St. Anthony coach Bob] Hurley said.
• Tobias Harris visited Louisville last weekend and is scheduled to take a trip to West Virginia today.
Harris, who has already visited Syracuse, Tennessee, Kentucky and now Louisville, heads to West Virginia on Friday and will then visit Maryland and Georgia Tech before announcing his college decision on November 19th.
• Maryland shooting guard commitment Terrence Ross’ Montrose Christian squad was ranked the No. 5 high school team in the country by ESPN Rise.
Outlook: The Mustangs have added [Josh] Hairston, a Duke recruit who averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds last season, to the fold. Top returning veterans include Maryland recruit Ross, who averaged 18 points per game as a junior, and the precocious Anderson, last season's sixth man as a freshman. Hairston is the No. 27 player in the ESPNU 100, while Ross checks in at No. 39. Anderson is the No. 6 player in the ESPNU Terrific 25. Another newcomer is 6-foot-6 junior Paul Gombwer.
• St. Anthony (N.J.) forward Devon Collier, a former Maryland target, committed to Oregon State last night.
The Bronx product, who currently attends St. Anthony's HS in Jersey City, verbally committed to Oregon State, choosing the Pac-10 program over St. John's, Seton Hall and Providence.
Football recruiting
• GoBlueWolverine.com reported earlier this week that Michigan has started pursuing Terps defensive end recruit David Mackall. In response to that report, InsideMDSports.com’s Jeff Ermann spoke to John Shuman, Mackall’s prep school coach at Fork Union Military Academy.
Shuman said no such visits have been set up, there has been no talk from Mackall about re-opening his recruitment and that all of their collective energy is being focused on getting Mackall eligible per NCAA standards to enroll at Maryland in January. He’ll take the SAT this Saturday and likely will take the ACT Dec. 12. His enrollment at Fork Union expires in about six weeks, so it’s imperative he becomes qualified as soon as possible. There has been no discussion about alternative plans should he not receive the requisite scores; Shuman doesn’t want to plant any seeds of doubt in Mackall.
• Terps offensive line target Max Garcia, a Norcross, Ga., native, will visit Clemson this weekend.
"I like Clemson because it's close to home," said Garcia. "They have a need at left tackle and some other posiitons so it's a place I think I could impact the program in the first couple of years."
• Maryland commitments Matt Robinson and Andre Monroe both have first-team spots on The Washington Post’s All-Met watch list.
-- DL Andre Monroe St. John's Sr. Five tackles in 30-7 victory over O'Connell.
• Robinson and his Atholton squad take on Glenelg tonight in the Raiders’ regular-season finale.
What [Glenelg coach Butch] Schaffer is anticipating is another big game from Atholton's quarterback-receiver combo of Kalvin Seamonson and Matt Robinson. The pair has connected on 37 passes for 781 yards and eight TDs.
"They throw the ball really well, (Robinson) might be the best receiver I've seen in a long time. There's a reason he's going to have a chance to play for Maryland," Schaffer said. "I hope it rains and there are 50-mile-per-hour winds (on Friday), but I don't think that's going to happen."
• UM defensive end pledge Ian Evans will lead his undefeated Hammonton (N.J.) High team against unbeaten Egg Harbor tonight.
Tight end Ian Evans, a Maryland recruit, has 10 receptions for 27 yards and two touchdowns. Evans is also a force at defensive end.
Comments
Matt-
Everyone seems to be scared of Franklin taking over once Friedgen is done. Which hopefully is this year.
Do you think it would be smarter to try and lure someone like Chris Peterson away from Boise St.?
Obviuosly, Boise St. is a hundred times better than MD, as far as a program goes. But....not being able to ever play the the BCS has got to get to him a little bit, don't you think?
Maybe, he could bring that recruiting and expretise to MD.
I don't think it will happen. We will lose for a few more years, Franklin will take over, despite never really having any success anywhere else yet for some reason has been deemed successor.
Then he will lose for a season or 2, then we will probably chinch out on some coach instead of doing what say FSU did with Fischer. Or KU basketball with Calipari.
We NEVER think to go for the big name guy with the recruiting power.
Posted by: Ryan | November 8, 2009 8:34 AM
Ryan -- I think you answered your own question with the line about Franklin taking over. I have trouble seeing Maryland buying him out. Petersen is obviously a great coach, but he has already had a few opportunities to move on and chose to stay put. I wonder if he's taking the Mark Few (Gonzaga) approach. The other thing with Petersen is that almost his entire career has been on the West Coast. Maybe he'd leave for a Pac-10 school eventually, but I have trouble seeing him come to Maryland.
Posted by: Matt Bracken | November 9, 2009 9:18 AM