Friends, Terrapins, readers. I have been waiting for someone with a name like Will Likely for years now. And finally, he hath come.
Glades Central CB Will Likely says he'll be announcing his college decision Friday at school.
— Matt Porter (@mattyports) December 20, 2012
Maryland's been trailing the borderline four-star Likely for quite some time now, and he visited College Park back in November. He's claimed some big-time offers, including LSU and Florida State, but there's some doubt as to the committability of those; as such, the Terps' primary competition has long been considered to be Wake Forest and Louisville.
And good news: he ain't listing those schools anymore:
4 star CB Will Likely is down to #LSU, #FSU and #Maryland. I'm thinking #Terps, not sure he is a take for #Noles or #Tigers but we'll c
— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) December 20, 2012
Likely's dream school is #FSU and he has always been high on #LSU, but there are some questions about whether either offer is committable
— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) December 20, 2012
Someone asked me where I think Glades Central DB Will Likely ends up? Maryland. Have since his visit there.
— Chris Nee (@CNee247) December 20, 2012
There you have it. If you listen to football recruiting types, Will Likely will likely be a Terrapin. And yes, I'm going to pound this joke into the freaking ground, to the point where it's not funny anymore and it's the last thing you ever want to see in a Will Likely article. Too bad. I'm using it every chance I get.
Anyway, Likely's a Florida native and either a four-star or a three-star, depending on who you ask. The 247 folks say three; Rivals says four and top-200(!). ESPN says four; Scout says three. He's a definitional borderline recruit, but us being the shameless homers we are, we'll go with four.
Either way, it's good news for Maryland, since they need some help in the secondary badly and Likely looks like the type of talent who can provide it early. Immediate laying time as a nickel back behind Dexter McDougle and Jeremiah Johnson isn't out of the question, and next year after McDougle and Isaac Goins graduate, he could be in line to step into one of the two starting spots.
He's a smaller fella at only 5-7 and 175, and he doesn't have the huge speed you sometimes expect from a kid that size - he's been clocked at the upper 4.5s in the 40 nearing 4.6, though I'm almost certain that's electronic and so his hand-timed 40 is probably closer to upper to mid 4.4s. But he's smart, instinctual, and fluid as a corner, with good technique and ball skills. He's also as muck as it gets - Belle Glade is Muck City - and like many from the muck, he probably plays faster than he looks (or is timed at).
Expect the announcement tomorrow, and keep your fingers crossed that it comes up Terrapins. A class with Likely, Derwin Gray, Deon Long, and Andrew Isaacs is a solid top-end, with Na'Ty Rodgers and Yannick Ngakoue still right there to potentially take the group from good to very good.