Back to Football For a Minute: 2010 Recruiting Update

Ok, so I know Clarence Murphy just committed, I figured I'd give a bigger-picture look at football recruiting before we switch back to basketball full time.

Maryland probably has room for one or two more commitments before they start to need to get really creative with their roster. In a perfect world, those two commitments would be Brandon Coleman and Tony Grimes.

The ships have likely sailed on Ego Ferguson and Arie Kouandjio. I like both, but the recent past few commitments from offensive linemen (Max Garcia and Jake Wheeler) probably indicated that the staff felt that chances with Kouandjio were slim; Murphy's commitment probably showed the same for Ferguson.

That leaves Coleman and Grimes as the top remaining prospects on the board. Both are hovering around 4 stars, and grabbing either would be quite a coup considering Maryland's recent year. It's probable that Maryland is in both's top two, albeit with stiff competition.

Coleman's a big, physical, athletic wide receiver, although he's not a completely finished product yet, namely in route-running (although his hands and body control looked surprisingly average on ESPN's tape). He's a deep threat in a way that Darius Heyward-Bey and Torrey Smith aren't; it's not his speed, but his size, that lets him be a factor down the field. Think Plaxico Burress.

Rutgers is rumored to be the leader there, with Maryland two and Syracuse three. I wouldn't be surprised if Schiano and Rutgers are selling other physical receivers that have had success in the past there, namely Kenny Britt. He likely won't have a decision until closer to signing day, unfortunately, which I believe is February 3 this year.

Grimes is a Floridian that kind of came out of nowhere in terms of Maryland's involvement. A teammate and supposed package deal with Murphy, the chances for Maryland to get Grimes obviously shot up once Murphy committed. Rumored to be a heavy Michigan lean just days ago, he now apparently doesn't want to go up north, likely leaving the decision between Ole Miss and Maryland.

As a corner, he fits in really well with Don Brown's pressing scheme. He's really physical and tough, and pressing is his specialty. When paired with Travis Hawkins in the future at CB, Maryland would have two very good, very physical cornerbacks. Oh, and he seems to be a pretty confident guy, always good for a CB. The YouTube tape actually showed a nice ability to ballhawk; he seemed to play the ball well when it was the air. He isn't the fastest guy, but that's not what Brown's necessarily looking for in his CBs. No idea when his decision will come down.

If neither Grimes nor Coleman comes, Maryland still has room for one more scholarship. I wouldn't be surprised to see Ralph Friedgen contented with some more under the radar local guys, like Jeremiah Attaouchu, Antonio Belt, or Michael Coley. I'd be okay with any of them, personally, considering the year they just had.

Once the recruiting class finishes up we might switch up to some really early football preview stuff in preparation for spring ball. For now, though, back to basketball.