4-star ATH Jalen Christian commits to South Carolina over Maryland

Two of the top three players in the state of Maryland will be playing college football elsewhere. Four-star Damascus (Md.) High School athlete Jalen Christian has committed to South Carolina, taking one of Maryland's top wide receiving targets off their board. The prospect announced the decision at his high school Thursday afternoon.

Christian, listed at 5'10" and 165 pounds, is listed as an athlete by 247sports but has largely been recruited as a wide receiver at the next level. He's considered a four-star by the 247sports composite, ranking as the 10th-best athlete in the nation and the third-best player in Maryland. The state's top player, Adam McLean, committed to Penn State in April.

Christian also considered Kentucky, Wisconsin and West Virginia, as well as South Carolina and Maryland. He was long rumored to be a South Carolina lean, with Maryland solidly in second-place, and the recent commitment of blue-chip quarterback Lorenzo Nunez may have spurred his decision.

He would have been a perfect fit to help replace Stefon Diggs at Maryland's slot receiver position, and the Terps will now have to go back to the drawing board to find someone to fill that void. Levern Jacobs is the obvious in-house option, with Philadelphia WR D.J. Moore, Texas WR Akile Davis and Baltimore WR Devin Phelps as potential options left in the 2015 class.