2014 Running Back Johnathan Thomas Switches Commitment to Penn State

Johnathan Thomas, a 4/3-star running back from Danvers, Massachusetts, has switched his commitment from Maryland to Penn State, according to Sean Fitz of 247 Sports:

#Terps commitment Jonathan Thomas has switched his commitment to Penn State, per @seanfitz247. http://t.co/CY2caLrDQh

— Jeff Ermann (@insidemdsports) October 21, 2013

Thomas originally committed to Maryland back in May and has been ranked as high as the #1 player in the state of Massachusetts. For the Terps, he was the first non-local commitment in the 2014 class, following offensive lineman Jared Cohen, from Owings Mills, and quarterback Ullmer, from D.C.

At running back next season, Maryland will have Ross and Reid as juniors, and Brown, Veii and Riddle as sophomores. So not having Thomas in the fold isn't the end of the world. But he is a very talented power back that would have given Maryland added depth and safety in the event of a transfer or injury.

Where does that leave Maryland in terms of 2014 running back targets? Maryland might still be involved with the Roberts brothers, one of which (Vernard) is a running back. Maryland could also try to get Marquel Dickerson, an under the radar back from Waldorf, MD, to choose College Park as his college home. Dickerson has been garnering interest from some big name schools, including Wisconsin, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech, among others.

We'll have more on how this impacts the 2014 class in the coming days.