4-star safety Nick Cross flips commitment & signs with Maryland football

After taking almost an extra week to make his decision, four-star safety Nick Cross has announced he will sign his Letter of Intent to play at the University of Maryland.

Cross committed to Florida State on Sept. 3, 2018, but did not sign early and held of his decision on last week’s National Signing Day. The Terrapins made a late push in his recruitment and ultimately landed the local product Tuesday.

At 6’1, 207 pounds, Cross already displays a college football frame, and his numbers just further his case for playing time. The nation’s No. 55 overall prospect and No. 4 safety sits with a 247Sports Composite rating of four stars (0.9727) and is listed as the best player coming from the state of Maryland in 2019.

Combined with his size, Cross simply has the makings of a freakish athlete due to his track experience. His personal record of 6.33 seconds in the 55 meter dash currently sits at fourth-best in the nation among high schoolers during the 2019 indoor season.

Cross’ decision to not sign with Florida State during the early period in December allowed Georgia, Penn State and Maryland chances to draw the DeMatha product away from Tallahassee. The only official visit Cross took between signing periods was to Penn State just before Signing Day, but he did spend time in College Park at the end of January on an unofficial visit.

While the signing of Cross is a stunner, his connections to Maryland, and the new coaching staff in particular, are very apparent. When Locksley was hired on Dec. 4, 2018, Cross took to Twitter and showed excitement in the move. The hiring of Cross’ high school coach, Elijah Brooks, as Maryland’s new running backs coach then added another key figure to the picture.

With Cross and four-star quarterback Lance LeGendre on board, Maryland’s 2019 recruiting class leaps into the top 50 nationally, according to 247Sports. Even with just over a month to recruit players and sign a staff, Locksley’s recruiting prowess has come to fruition and shows that the future is bright.