Kamonte Carter commits to Penn State: Can the Terps still grab half of the top-tier local talent?

The specific commitment of Kamonte Carter to Penn State (thanks, James Franklin!) doesn't hurt Maryland much on paper -- sure, you ideally want to keep every local four-star at home, but Maryland has a lot of targets on the defensive line and some talented young players there already. But the Terps do want to increase their haul of the top tier players in their own state, after picking up just two of the top 20 players in Maryland in the class of 2014.

Carter's commitment means two of the top 10 players in the state have already pledged -- the other being E.J. Donahue to the Terps -- and we're setting a completely arbritary goal here of grabbing commitments from five of those players. For a school like Maryland, getting half of the top tier in the state is more than a solid haul (especially considering recent results), but Carter's Junior Day decision knocks one name off the list.

Carter, a four-star defensive end, attends Gaithersburg High School in Montgomery County -- a recruiting area recently transitioned to new defensive line coach Chad Wilt. He had visited Maryland in September and Penn State in October, and his second trip this weekend resulted in a commitment.

Here's the list of the top-10 prospects in the state of Maryland, as determined by the 247sports composite:

1. Adam McLean, four stars, .9562 rating, defensive end, Quince Orchard
2. Jalen Christian, four stars, .9416 rating, athlete, Damascus
3. Isaiah Prince, four stars, .9386 rating, offensive tackle, Eleanor Roosevelt
4. Patrick Allen, four stars, .9276 rating, offensive tackle, Franklin
5. Kai Locksley, four stars, .9113 rating, dual-threat quarterback, Gilman
6. Kamonte Carter, four stars, .9102 rating, athlete, Gaithersburg -- Penn State
7. E.J. Donahue, four stars, .8914 rating, offensive tackle, Linganore -- Maryland
8. Lawrence Cager, four stars, .8900 rating, wide receiver, Calvert Hall
9. Wyatt Cook, three stars, .8800 rating, inside linebacker, McDonogh
10. Darius Fullwood, three stars, .8761 rating, defensive end, Good Counsel

What are Maryland's chance at nabbing 50% of those players? Not terribly high. If you were to bet on it, Cook is probably the most likely of the group to commit to the Terps, followed by Locksley, but the rest are pretty much up in the air. Maryland has't really gone in to Franklin too much, and nothing's been reported that would suggest the Terps are even targeting Allen, and the other four stars will all be very national recruitments.

Prince is rumored to be a Florida lean (with Maryland and Penn State right behind), while Christian is rumored to have South Carolina and Virginia Tech on top (again, with Maryland right behind). McLean has suitors from across the country, and Cager and Fullwood don't even list Maryland offers. To put a nice little cherry on top, Donahue has been rumored to be re-considering his commitment, which could open up a whole can of worms Terp fans do not want to see.

There are some other targets outside of the top 10 who could move their way up, for what it's worth. Maryland has had trouble at DeMatha in recent years, but they're targeting three-star tight end Tyler Green. Calvert Hall cornerback Dionte Austin and Glenelg offensive tackle David Robbins are other current in-state options in the top 20.

D.C. looks a bit better -- while Maryland has no commitments there yet, they stand in good position with Ayron Monroe, Nick Johns, Jabari Greenwood, Scott Washington and Quarvez Boulware, and are hosting Virginia Tech commit Ashton White for Junior Day.

The Carter commitment is a slight snag in Maryland's Stay at Home movement, but there's plenty of pieces left in the class. Shooting 50% in both Maryland and D.C. would be an incredible achievement, but it's not entirely out of the question. Yet.