Tonight's Under Armour All-American Game Features Terp Targets, Commit(s?)

I'm trying to remember when the last time in either sport a high-school All-American game was a must-watch for Maryland fans, let alone in football. There was the Army Bowl a few years ago when Melvin Alaeze committed to the Terrapins, but since then? I think Pete White played in one of these a few years back. And for the Born Ready faitful the McDonald's game was fun in 2010. Anyway, point is: it's pretty rare that the best high school football has to offer get together on national TV and Terp fans have an invested interest in watching.

Today, though, that changes. The Under Armour High School All-American Game, which kicks off at 7:30 on ESPN, should be appointment television if you're a Maryland recruitnik. The game will feature four-star Good Counsel offensive tackle and future Terrapin Mike Madaras, which is nice, but there's another big reason to tune in: Wes Brown, the four-star Good Counsel running back, will be announcing during the game, and the Terrapins are a very possible destination.

That's a drastic change from even just a week or two ago, when Brown didn't so much as have Maryland on his list. In fact, even just on January 2nd he told Scout that his final three were Vanderbilt, Miami, and Colorado. But hiring Mike Locksley and receiving a transfer from Brown's good friend/adopted brother Zach Dancel has drastically changed the paradigm, and people are starting to talk up Maryland's shot with Brown, going so far as to call it likely that he pulls the trigger for the Terps today.

Which, of course, would be a massive development. He'd be Maryland's first top-250 commitment (Rivals' ranking) since Titus Till in the 2010 class, and would almost certainly challenge for playing time at running back from Day One. Even more significantly, he'd be that all-important first domino in Maryland's recruiting finish, the local stud who could potentially parlay into more local studs. Could it be that the "everyone stay home" campaign we've been so long awaiting is finally here? Well ... maybe. I guess we're about to find out.

Also in the game are Ronald Darby and Eddie Goldman, two more incredibly talented locals. Maryland probably has a better chance with Goldman than Darby, simply because Goldman isn't committed anywhere while Darby is still a soft verbal to Notre Dame. But both are certainly Maryland targets, and a commitment from a guy like Brown would presumably be a significant boon for the Terrapins in those recruitments.

Stefon Diggs, by the way, isn't playing in tonight's game; he'll be at the Army Bowl this weekend instead.

If anyone's interested in an open thread for the game, I believe this'll serve alright.