3-star defensive tackle Andre Porter signs with Maryland football

Maryland football has officially signed three-star defensive tackle Andre Porter, the team announced Wednesday morning.

The Washington, D.C. native committed to Boston College in May, but backed off of his pledge in early December. The Terps were contending with Minnesota to flip the former Ballou High School standout before signing day.

“It was basically the relationships I have with the players that are already there and those who are coming there,” Porter told Testudo Times. “I just felt like out of all the visits I took, [Maryland] felt like home to me.”

Boston College defensive coordinator Aazaar Abdul-Rahim originally offered Porter while he was the defensive backs coach in College Park, but re-recruited him for the Eagles and continued that bond.

“It was the relationship with coach [Aazaar Abdul-Rahim],” Porter said. “I had a great relationship with coach Aazaar, but I had to sit down and think, Don’t choose a school based on a coach.”

Porter, a top-500 overall prospect and the No. 29 defensive tackle in his class, stands at 6’3, 300 pounds, but brings plenty of athleticism to the table. Maryland is bringing Porter in as a defensive lineman, where his size and play-making ability allows him to create separation inside and fight double teams. In his senior season at Washington High School in Pennsylvania, Porter used his experience as a skill-position player to unleash as a running back.

“I’m a playmaker, I’m a leader,” Porter said. “I shoot my gaps, I take on double teams and I do what I’m told.”

The Terps suffered a decommitment from defensive tackle Marcus Bradley back in November, but Porter slots in as the No. 4 recruit in the 2021 class for Maryland. The class is headlined by four-star defensive linemen Demeioun Robinson, Taizse Johnson and Tommy Akingbesote, who Porter has bonds with as they all hail from the DMV area.

“[Playing with this class] is going to be great because I already know them,” Porter said. “I don’t have to get to know them or adjust to their play-style because I already know how they play. If you’re coming in with chemistry, it’s only going to make you better.”

Porter plans to enroll in May 2021.

* This article was updated after Porter signed with the program Wednesday.