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Four-star 2016 linebacker Keandre Jones has flipped his college commitment from Maryland to Ohio State, according to multiple reports and a message from quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who's done the same.
Keandre and I are like brothers. Blessed to say he's family and joining me at Ohio State #BuckeyeNation pic.twitter.com/9lgLxVuX7E
— Dwayne Haskins, Jr ♚ (@dh_simba7) January 18, 2016
Jones's decommitment is an enormous blow to the Terrapins' 2016 recruiting class. Jones committed to Maryland more than a year ago, when Randy Edsall was still the head coach. He was a tentpole prospect in Maryland's locally concentrated recruiting class, rated on the 247Sports Composite as the No. 4 player in Maryland and the No. 9 outside linebacker in the country. He figured to play an important role for Maryland as soon as next season, either as a linebacker or a 4-3 defensive end.
For Ohio State, Jones is a huge get. Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, a former boss of Durkin's, hired former Maryland offensive line coach Greg Studrawa to the same position last week, and Jones took an unexpected official visitto Columbus over the weekend.
The Buckeyes are also pressing for Maryland four-star quarterback commit Dwayne Haskins, and Jones leaving for Columbus isn't a positive sign on that front, either.
Jones is a giant loss for DJ Durkin's team, but things could get worse if Maryland can't hold the rest of its class together. He was Maryland's highest-rated defensive recruit by a long shot, and the Terps aren't overflowing with linebacker depth after Yannick Ngakoue's declaration for the NFL Draft.