4-star Maryland DT target PJ Mustipher commits to Penn State

One of Maryland’s top targets on the defensive line in the Class of 2018, four-star defensive tackle PJ Mustipher, committed to Penn State Monday evening.

The Terps have already landed four-star defensive tackle Austin Fontaine in this class and signed four-stars Cam Spence and Breyon Gaddy in 2017, so missing out on Mustipher isn’t the end of the world, but it still stings when an elite, in-state prospect heads to the school up north. Maryland seemed to have made up some ground on Penn State, the long-perceived favorite, after the big cookout in Cole Field House at the end of July, but ultimately came up short.

With Mustipher off the board, the Terps will likely turn their attention to three-star defensive tackle Jalen Alexander, a 6’4, 275-pound prospect from the Virginia Beach area that Maryland has recruited so well in the past two years. Defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator Jimmy Brumbaugh has recruited a junior college defensive lineman to his team in each of the last five recruiting cycles, and there’s no reason to think that trend won’t continue this year. We’ll have to wait until later in the cycle to identify those targets, though, as their play during the season is often what puts them on the radar of college coaches.