Adam McLean was once Maryland’s top recruit. Now he has the chance to live up to that billing.

It’s Defensive Tackles Week at Testudo Times. Our summer preview series has already been through the entire offense—from quarterbacks to running backs to receivers to the offensive line—and focused on defensive ends last week. Now we’re on to a former top prospect with a chance to make a name for himself in 2018.

Adam McLean, No. 91

Height: 6’2
Weight: 305 lbs.
Year: Junior
Hometown: Gaithersburg, Maryland
High school: Quince Orchard

McLean was once a big-time recruit for Maryland football.

Adam McLean was the top recruit in the state of Maryland in the Class of 2015. He committed to Penn State in April 2014, but decided seven months later to flip his commitment to Maryland. It was a huge win for Randy Edsall and the Terps, and McLean sounded thrilled about staying home.

“When you’re the No. 1 guy in Maryland you can pretty much change the recruiting process for the next two years,” McLean told Testudo Times after committing. “Me committing there can change the recruiting process for the next few years. I had to grow up and see it was best for me.”

His arrival at Maryland in 2015 wasn’t the immediate success people hoped for.

The plan was for McLean to redshirt his first season as he recovered from a high school ACL injury, but the defensive tackle was unenrolled by mid-September due to an “academic issue.” He enrolled again in the spring and stuck around, but rode the bench as a freshman in 2016. McLean didn’t register any stats and only appeared in one game.

McLean had success at the end of last season. He’ll have the chance to improve upon that as a junior.

As a sophomore, though, McLean cracked the rotation at nose tackle. He played in nine games and had his first start against Michigan in November. By the time Maryland’s spring practice ended, he was atop our projected depth chart at nose tackle. That’s not a guarantee of anything, but it’s a good sign. As were some solo tackles of Anthony McFarland in the spring game.

McLean’s got the size of a prototypical nose tackle. Maryland will hope the experience he’s received these past few seasons will help him live up to his billing as a four-star recruit.

Teamed up with Jesse Aniebonam and former No. 3 overall recruit Byron Cowart, a disruptive McLean could go a long way toward shoring up a defensive line that didn’t provide much resistance to opponents last fall.