Maryland commit Adam McLean talks Under Armour Game, Terps targets

Maryland commitment Adam McLean’s experience at the Under Armour All-America Game was slightly different than the usual high-level recruit’s. Later this month, the four-star defensive lineman will undergo surgery to repair a torn ACL, which forced him to sit out the game and all the practices leading up to it. Instead of learning as a participant, he had to watch and learn from the side.

His experience became a more cerebral and social one. During the actual game Friday, he didn’t have to worry about his play on the field and instead could serve as a student to coaches on the sideline and a hype man for players coming off the field.

He spent most of his time working with Sudan Ellington, a coach at Big Skills Academy. The academy specifically works with offensive and defensive linemen, and McLean had worked with him in the past. Even though he couldn’t implement any of the techniques in real time, he could still take mental notes for the future.

"He really knows what he’s talking about," McLean said, "So I always like to hear from him and how he teaches techniques."

McLean said it was difficult to watch from the sideline during the game, but there was still plenty to enjoy. He got to "live the game" through his fellow All-Americans while he stood on the sideline, and said it was cool to see all the different cultures on display from players around the country.

One of his good friends at the game was Hawaiian defensive end (and Oregon commit) Canton Kaumatule. and learning a bit more about The Aloha State's culture was one of the highlights of the weekend for McLean.

"Those guys definitely showed me a different way of how they do things," McLean said.
"I actually got introduced into their tribe family. They gave me some roses to put around my neck."

It was also — and this is probably what is of most interest to Maryland fans — a chance for one of the Terrapins’ most influential recruits to spend time with other prospective Terps.

McLean spent most of the week with fellow defensive linemen Tim Settle, Shy Tuttle, Da’Ron Payne and Byron Cowart. Most have already committed, but McLean says Cowart is still considering UMD.

"He really enjoyed the coaching staff," McLean said. "He could see himself playing for them. … Wherever Byron chooses — Florida State, Alabama, Maryland — I’m still going to support him."

The other subset of players he spent time with was the group of local Class of 2016 prospects at the Elite 50 Academy. Quarterback Dwayne Haskins, defensive end Rahshaun Smith and cornerback Levonta Taylor were all down in Florida for the weekend, so McLean took some time to make his sales pitch to them, too.

"All those guys say they know what’s going on at Maryland and the opportunity they have," McLean said, "and quite frankly I think all of them believe it and want to be a part of it."

The Quince Orchard (Md.) defensive lineman is rated a four-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite, rating as the 13th-best defensive tackle in the nation and the second-best player in Maryland.

• On New Year’s Day, McLean got a call from a high school coach telling him that his recent ACT score would be good enough for him to qualify academically at Maryland. His phone call with his parents to break the good news was emotional — he said he will be the first person in his family to attend college.
• Kai Locksley, a Gilman athlete committed to Florida State, announced on Twitter that he will take a visit to Texas during the weekend of Jan. 23. The Class of 2015 recruit, who played in the Under Armour Game, is the son of Terrapins offensive coordinator Mike Locksley and could take an official visit to College Park in the coming weeks.

• Austrian Robinson, a three-star defensive end from New York and one of the Terps’ top targets left in 2015, picked up an offer from Ohio State this week. He is, reportedly, still leaning toward UMD.