Official Maryland Terps Thread 3.0

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http://maryland.247sports.com/Bolt/Terps-Hoops-Scoop-A-New-Looks-Beginning-46054041

Terps Hoops Scoop: A New Look's Beginning


The new look of Maryland basketball has officially begun, with most of next season's roster now in College Park. A few notes:

The only player not on campus is Spanish forward Joshua Tomaic, who was chosen to represent his home country in the Under-18 FIBA Europe Championships. Tomaicis reportedly checking in closer to 220 pounds than the 210 at which he was originally listed, so it's possible a redshirt year won't be needed; it'll be interesting to see how he compares to the others in a largely unproven frontcourt upon his arrival.

The latest arrival was Canadian forward Justin Jackson, who got to College Park within the past week. With his versatility and college-ready body at 6-foot-7, Jackson is a legitimate contender to start at small forward. We'll keep tabs on how he performs against fellow freshman small forward Micah Thomas, who's been showcasing his elbow-above-the-rim athleticism and knocking down outside shots when his selection is good.

Jackson will also be competing with similar-sized forward L.G. Gill, who's been on campus for about a month and has earned rave reviews for his rebounding and scoring knack. Gill seems like a sure thing to start at power forward.

After surviving the opening round of cuts for the USA Under-18 team and graduating from high school in late July, freshman Kevin Huerter recently got settled in. He won't be around for long, as the next round of trials begins July 11 in Houston. The other of Maryland's touted freshman guards, Anthony Cowan, has been on campus for several weeks and already. We're hearing Cowan "doesn't look like a freshman," and has been showing off his poise in pick-up games.

As for the veterans, there will soon be plenty of chances to gauge their offseason progress in July, when Maryland will have at least six players -- Gill, Michal Cekovsky, Jaylen Brantley, Damonte Dodd and Jared Nickens -- playing at Georgetown's Kenner League. As always, stay tuned to IMS for coverage.

Again, I'm very skeptical about Gill being a starter, As a junior at Duquesne, his PER was 13.1. That's low production for a college big. Hopefully Jackson is ready to play PF as a freshman. It seems there are a lot of similarities between Jackson and Justin Anderson, formerly of UVA.

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[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

http://maryland.247sports.com/Bolt/Robert-Carter-Signs-with-New-Team-46504575

Carter Jr decided to play in Italy (for the same team as NBA prospect AJ English, Jr. ).

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http://maryland.247sports.com/Bolt/Breaking-Johnny-Jordan-Commits-to-Maryland-46502343

Breaking: Johnny Jordan Commits to Maryland


Less than 20 minutes into its recruiting event, Maryland added a commitment from Gonzaga (D.C.) offensive lineman Johnny Jordan. The three-star rising senior, rated the nation's No. 14 center, committed to Maryland over Boston College, Virginia and Virginia Tech among others.

The Terps, led by assistant coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim, have made Jordan a big priority over the summer, and with his commitment Maryland adds one of the top lineman in the area.

The Terps now have 13 commits in the 2017 class and with his commitment, have jumped back in the top 25 in the country in the national 247Sports Composite team rankings. Jordan is the ninth-best player in DC and rated an 81 in the 247 database.

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http://maryland.247sports.com/Article/Breaking-Tayon-Fleet-Davis-Commits-to-Maryland-46503175

Breaking: Tayon Fleet-Davis Commits to Maryland


Maryland has added its second commitment of the day after Potomac (Md.) three-star running back Tayon Fleet-Davis announced his commitment. Maryland sealed the deal with Fleet-Davis during his trip with family to campus on Wednesday. One of the staff's top targets at running back, Fleet-Davis previously favored Syracuse but started trending towards Maryland after his teammate -- four-star defensive back Deon Jones -- announced his commitment to the Terrapins.

The 6-foot, 211-pound Davis is a powerful runner rated the No. 38 running back in the country. Maryland's 13th commitment of the 2017 class, he also had offers from Iowa, N.C. State, West Virginia and others. More to come ...

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http://maryland.247sports.com/Bolt/Breaking-Javon-Leake-Commits-to-Maryland-46504847

Breaking: Javon Leake Commits to Maryland



Terps added their second running back of the day in Page (NC) three-star Javon Leake. Leake, a former UNC lean, committed on his second unofficial visit to Maryland. The Terps did their work behind the scenes to overcome the Tar Heels.


For a while, the Terps were long shots but after hosting him last month, Maryland quietly moved up his list.

Leake is the eighth best all purpose back and the 20th-best prospect in North Carolina. The Terps have added four commitments since Friday afternoon.

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http://maryland.247sports.com/Bolt/Heralded-Defensive-Back-Arrives-at-Maryland-46545716

Heralded Defensive Back Arrives at Maryland


Sources have confirmed to IMS that heralded junior college transfer J.C. Jackson has arrived in College Park. With his transfer paperwork complete, the cornerback from Riverside College (Calif.) is expected to be immediately eligible and to provide an immediate boost to the Terps secondary. A former four-star Florida recruit "described by those close to [Florida[ the program as one of the best pure athletes to come through Florida in years," Jackson's connection to former Maryland coach DJ Durkin -- Florida's former defensive coordinator -- gave the Terps' a connection.

Jackson is a former four-star recruit who signed with Florida in 2014 and was expected to start ahead of former blue-chip Washington recruit Jalen Tabor last season, but was released from the program after legal troubles. He was acquitted of robbery charges last November and recruited by a long list of schools, including Oklahoma, South Carolina, Miami and South Florida, before choosing Maryland after being recruited by Durkin and defensive backs coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim. He could help shore a Maryland secondary that struggled last season.


Jackson was a four-star prospect, the No. 120 overall recruit in the Class of 2014 and an Under Armour All-American at Immalokee High (Fla.).

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http://maryland.247sports.com/Bolt/JC-Jackson-Practicing-with-Terps-Close-to-Being-Admitted-46694272

J.C. Jackson Practicing with Terps, Close to Being Admitted


Heralded junior college transfer J.C. Jackson is still clearing a few administrative enrollment hurdles, but the former University of Florida cornerback is practicing with Maryland's first-team defense and should be good to go soon, head coach DJ Durkin said Wednesday.

"JC has been cleared to practice with us. There's a couple of administrative things going on that hopefully here by today or tomorrow will be finished or at least fully admitted and ready to go," Durkin said. "But J.C.'s doing great for us out here and he's a valued member of the team."

Jackson, a highly sought four-star recruit from Pahokee High (Fla.) in the Class of 2014, was slated to start ahead of former blue-chip recruit Jalen Tabor at Florida last year as a redhsirt freshman, but left the school following off-field turmoil. He was acquitted of robbery charges, though, then enrolled at Riverside College (Fla.) and eventually committed to Maryland over this summer, choosing the Terps over Oklahoma, Miami, South Florida and others. Still, no one at Maryland had publicly confirmed his arrival until today, when Durkin cleared the air on the 5-foot-11, 196-pound cornerback.

Sources told IMS that Durkin's familiarity with Jackson from their time together in Gainesville, where Durkin was defensive coordinator, made him comfortable taking a flyer on the ultra-athletic cornerback. He was successfully vetted through the school's admissions and athletics offices and now appears to be the favorite to start opposite all-Big Ten cornerback William Likely -- a major addition for a shaky-looking defensive backfield.

"I go way back with JC, he and I were together when I was at the University of Florida, so we're very happy to have him and excited about that."

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http://maryland.247sports.com/Article/QB-Darkhorse-Candidate--46795590

Darkhorse Contender in Terps Quarterback Competition?

For the second straight year, Maryland has a wide open quarterback competition. And just like a season ago, there’s a surprising candidate emerging from the shadows of the two presumed favorites.

Last year it was Perry Hills, this year’s frontrunner, who made significant strides over the summer and beat out Caleb Rowe and graduate transfer Daxx Garman to start the season-opener. Now, with a new staff, redshirt freshman Gage Shaffer has made enough of an impression during the first week of fall camp to put himself firmly into the quarterback conversation. With Rowe sidelined with an undisclosed injury, Shaffer’s taking second-team reps behind Hills and has shown improved decision making and maturity behind center.

“Gage Shaffer has probably been the surprise of camp,” offensive coordinator Walt Bell said Tuesday. “From spring football to practicing in the fall, it’s almost like he’s a new human being.”

Most assumed, if anyone, it would be Tyrell Pigrome -- a speedy true freshman with a rocket arm -- that would challenge Hills and Rowe, the two seniors who traded the starting job last year. Pigrome, after all, was handpicked by Bell and seems to be an ideal fit for his spread, up-tempo offense. But in January, Bell emphasized that his system works with both pro-style and dual-threat passers, naming a number of examples, and said that the biggest way to earn the coaching staff’s trust was to take care of the ball and develop into a leader.

Durkin reiterated the point at his press conference on Tuesday.

“Every guy has different strengths in terms of what his abilities are talent-wise,” Durkin said. “We can design our offense based on whatever that is.”

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http://www.testudotimes.com/2016/8/26/12657648/marcus-minor-maryland-football-recruiting-commitment-time

If the Terps get Minor, their 2017 recruiting class could go to as high as #12.

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http://maryland.247sports.com/Bolt/Maryland-Now-has-the-Big-Tens-Top-Ranked-Recruiter-47028127

Maryland Now has the Big Ten's Top-Ranked Recruiter

If there's such thing as a 'Rookie Recruiter of the year Award,' it would be hard to find someone more deserving than Aazaar Abdul-Rahim.

Maryland's first-year defensive backs coach remains red-hot on the recruiting trail. Following the commitment of DeMatha offensive lineman Marcus Minor, he climbed to No. 6 nationally and No. 1 in the Big Ten in the 247Sports recruiter rankings. Minor is one of seven Maryland commits recruited primarily by Abdul-Rahim, who's cashed in on the local relationships he developed while building a high school power at Friendship Collegiate Academy (D.C.). All seven of those commitments, including four-stars Minor Kasim Hill and Deon Jones -- are from the Washington area.



The logo next to Abdul-Rahim's name also sticks out when scrolling the national recruiter rankings; among the other nine recruiters ranked in the national top 10, four are from Alabama -- where he began his college career two years ago as an administrative assistant -- while two are from Auburn, and one apiece are from Clemson, Texas and Florida State. Abdul-Rahim recruited top high school talent to Friendship Collegiate, but this is his first year as a full-time, coaching college assistant. You might say he's a young version of former Maryland recruiting ace Mike Locksley, like Abdul-Rahim a Washington native who got his first big break at Maryland. In a tidy switch, Locksley's now at Bama in an admin role, and he's trying to lure two of Abdul-Rahim's top remaining prospects in DeMatha (Md.) running back Anthony McFarland and Riverdale Baptist (Md.) cornerback Tariq Castro Fields.

First-year receivers coach Chris Beatty is also off to a strong start, ranking sixth in the Big Ten and listed as the primary recruiter for top-50 IMG Academy (Fla.) defensive end Joshua Kaindoh.

But there's no 'I' in "recruiting" (yeah just go with it), so let's look at Maryland's team ranking: with Minor in the fold, the Terps' 16-player recruiting class ranks 17th nationally and third in the Big Ten behind Ohio State and Michigan. Again, it's a long way until National Signing Day, but the Terps are positioned to sign their first top-25 class since 2004.

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