After a tireless two hours of football uniform blogging, it's time to get back to the real money-maker here: basketball recruiting. List cutting season is well under away, and after the two Roberts cut their lists yesterday, another of Maryland's top prospects - Massachusetts forward Jake Layman - has trimmed his suitors, too.
Per HoopRootz by way of FriarFrenzy, Layman has narrowed his list down to Maryland, Lousville, Florida, Syracuse, and Wake Forest. Adam Zagoria says he'll take visits to the Terrapins, Cardinals, Gators, and Orange, but it's still up-in-the-air as to whether or not he'll get to WF.
The first four listed were pretty much givens to get to this point in his recruitment. Wake Forest is a bit of a surprise, and not having a visit probably isn't a good sign. But I think it's impossible to handicap this at the moment. Maryland was the early leader, but he seemed particularly excited about the offer from Louisville. He's been compared often to Chandler Parsons, so Florida may be attractive due to the success he's had, and Syracuse is the most local school on his list and it uses a zone that would likely utilize his length and athleticism the best.
Layman's recruitment is starting to get to a critical period. It's a four-way war at the moment - and let's not discount Wake entirely here - and it really could go any direction. I know some people, me included, aren't too hot on Layman, but this team needs numbers and this class needs momentum. After the summer he had, he has to be one of the staff's primary targets, especially if Amile Jefferson ends up elsewhere, as it looks like he has a decent chance of doing.