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Adam McLean talks Stefon Diggs, future of Maryland football

TT talks to Maryland commit Adam McLean about the future of the program.

By David B. Wilson
Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

The second major decision Stefon Diggs made with regard to his college football career wasn't as much of a surprise as the first. Three years before declaring for the NFL Draft on Jan. 3, Diggs was considered an SEC prospect and a player Maryland would be lucky to have. The outlook for the Terrapins was optimistic, but only cautiously so.

By the time Diggs took to the microphone at Looney's Pub in College Park, that expectation had changed. Missing out on Diggs would have been a disaster for the Terps.

"I want to win championships," Diggs said when making his decision, "and what's a better place to do it than in your city?"

Diggs' three injury-plagued seasons at UMD were undeniably rocky and never did yield any championships, but they did change the culture in Maryland. The wide receiver's tenure with the Terrapins coincided with the birth of the "Maryland Pride" movement that suddenly transformed the Terps into a team on the cutting edge. After years of meh teams with blah uniforms, it was now cool to play at UMD with the state flag plastered on the side of the helmets.

"I talk to Stefon Diggs on the regular," said Adam McLean, a 2015 four-star defensive lineman from Quince Orchard who is verbally committed to the Terrapins. "Me and him are extremely close. I look to him as a brother, he looks to me as a little brother. He would tell me, 'Yeah, I committed to Maryland and I kind of laid the foundation and things like that, but you have the chance to do something different. You have the chance to take over.'

"He pretty much changed the face of the recruiting process."

Even if it's not in the form of trophies or individual accolades, Diggs' legacy with the Terps will live on through whatever success comes in the future.

The next two years in particular are critical, and it will start with National Signing Day 2015 on Feb. 4. Adding a handful more local recruits to a haul that already includes McLean would continue the momentum that Diggs built until a potentially loaded Class of 2016 heads to College Park.

No matter what happens during the next few years, Diggs will be remembered fondly within Byrd Stadium. He was a local kid from a family that seemed to have some sort of connection to almost everyone around Montgomery and Prince George's Counties and he was really, really freakin' good—and even more fun to watch—when he could stay on the field.

But if the vision he has for the future of UMD football comes to fruition, well, then he'll be remembered as a legend.

Here's a quick round-up from the past week in recruiting:

  • Trevon Diggs, Stefon's younger brother and the No. 4 player from Maryland in 2016, told 247sports he picked up an offer from Auburn this week. Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp is leading the Tigers' recruitment of the four-star wide receiver. Muschamp also recruited Stefon when he was the head coach at Florida.
  • The Terrapins made an offer to two-star defensive end Oseh Saine this past week. Saine originally committed to Boston College in 2014, but spent a post-grad year at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts. Rivals now reports he's expected to join the Terps' Class of 2015.
  • UMD seems to be a longshot for four-star Florida wide receiver Ryan Davis, but a decision is coming on NSD. He took a visit to College Park in September and is being recruited by receivers coach Keenan McCardell.

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