Maryland Picks Up Big Wide Receiver Commitment, Rivals250 Nigel King

Well, I'll be. Nigel King, a 6-3, 200 pound wide receiver from North Carolina, took an unofficial visit to Maryland today, and apparently let the Terps coaching staff that he wanted to be in College Park. The word comes from ESPN:

The Terps have snared a Class of 2001 [sic] pledge from wide receiver Nigel King of Wakefield (Raleigh, NC.).

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound prospect selected Maryland over North Carolina and North Carolina State. He also has offers from Colorado, East Carolina, Louisville, LSU, South Carolina and West Virginia.

Maryland is moving at a record speed in this recruiting class, with eight commitments already, and most look surprisingly good given the 2009-10 record. King, however, has the potential to be a real gem of the class; he's on the Rivals250 watch list, the first Maryland commitment on that list this year, and had offers from LSU, Louisville, UNC, and West Virginia, with Alabama showing interest. Repeat: an offer from LSU with Alabama showing interest.

I don't know what James Franklin is doing, but sign me up for a million more years of it.

Maryland is probably done with the wide receiver position for 2010; I thought they needed two with at least one stud; they now have two with one, possibly two studs.

Also, in what was a minor victory for me, he was already in the database, meaning I have a little less work to do. Highlights and initial thoughts on him are past the jump.

Nice video; not sure if all that much better than Marcus Leak's, but I'll defer to the people that know more about it for comparisons. What's clear is that he's dangerous with the ball in his hands and doesn't go down easily; he breaks tackles on multiple occasions and, despite not being a burner, was able to beat the occasional CB.

But where he really stood out was how he played when the ball was in the air. He made some ridiculous catches in traffic, many of them tipped several times (not by him). He plays the ball very well, seems to have the height and vert to get up for jump balls, and is strong enough to fight off weaker cornerbacks. It's been awhile since Maryland had a real jump ball threat; King appears like he could be one.

This recruiting class, considering the past season, is amazing. I don't know who has the most to do with it - Franklin, a reinvigorated Friedgen? - but somebody's doing something right.