Taylor Edwards, who served as Arkansas football’s Director of Recruiting in 2018, announced on Twitter Sunday that he’s leaving for Maryland.
Thank you, Arkansas! #wps pic.twitter.com/ze2QxtCJn7
— Taylor Edwards (@TaylorLEdwards) January 21, 2019
Edwards, 31, is already listed on Maryland’s staff page as the Director of Scouting Operations. That would mean he’d be joining but not replacing Marcus Berry, who served as Director of Recruiting throughout DJ Durkin’s tenure in College Park. Unlike the on-field assistant coaches, most of Maryland’s incumbent recruiting staff has remained in place.
It’s a splash hire for new Terps head coach Mike Locksley. In his lone year with the Razorbacks, the 31-year-old Edwards helped rookie head coach Chad Morris secure the No. 22 recruiting class in the 2019 cycle, even though Arkansas finished just 2-10 and didn’t win an SEC game. The class includes nine four-star prospects and 14 players who are rated as four-stars by at least one recruiting service. Locksley and Edwards previously worked together at Alabama, where the latter was a player personnel assistant.
This hire comes at a pivotal point in the recruiting cycle. The second signing period begins Feb. 6, which is just two-and-a-half weeks away. Maryland only signed six players in the early period and has just five unsigned verbal commits. That number should rise soon, and Edwards is an impressive addition to the group tasked with making it happen.