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Gage Shaffer was a surprising commitment when he made his verbal pledge to Maryland back in June. Despite his 6-foot-7, 205-pound frame, Shaffer was totally off the radar until he came to College Park for a camp. He received an offer after impressing coaches at the event, and committed on the spot.
Since then, the three-star, pro-style quarterback has also attended camps at Penn State and West Virginia, but never wavered from his commitment to the Terrapins. He signed his National Letter of Intent with UMD on Wednesday as part of National Signing Day.
Despite a standout career at Frankfort High School in Ridgeley that made him the No. 2 prospect in West Virginia, Shaffer is still a project with appealing physical tools. The level of competition in West Virginia is largely uninspiring and Frankfort plays in one of the lowest classifications in the state.
.@gshaff7 #MarylandPride pic.twitter.com/99Whzk209f
— Maryland Football (@MarylandPride) February 4, 2015
If there's anything to take away from the past few years in College Park, though, it's that quarterback depth is important and Shaffer has upside that's evident from simply looking at him.
For the upcoming season, Shaffer could be the fourth quarterback on the depth chart behind Caleb Rowe, Shane Cockerille and Perry Hills, and if all goes well that means 2015 would be a redshirt season. Nationally, he's considered the 40th best pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2015.
Maryland is still optimistic it will be able to land four-star quarterback Dwayne Haskins in the Class of 2016. Somewhere down the road, he and Shaffer could be competing for the starting job. I just hope Gage has the awareness to choose to wear No. 12.