Maryland Football lands 3 from FCA (and 2 more locals too)

Between last night and this morning, Maryland football has picked up 2 four star commits and another 3 star commit, all from the same school.  Derwin Gray (4 star OT), Yannick Ngakoue (4 star LB) and Cavon Walker (3 star LB) have all committed to play for Maryland in 2013.

Edit:  MD received commitments from 2 more local prospects this weekend,  6'5 280lb DE Mike Williams from Severn, MD (consensus 3 star) and DeAndre Lane, a 5'8, 170lb RB out of Catonsville, MD (2 star/not rated).  Lane is small, but he makes up for that with blazing speed, running a best 4.38 40 at a WV combine.  He may be a (really) poor mans Percy Harvin in that he can play in hte backfield or slot depending on the formation.  He'll bring needed speed to MDs offense.  Video here.


This is huge for Maryland, not only because of the quality of players, but because all three were local targets at a football powerhouse in DC.  After landing Albert Reid from FCA last year and being in the running for Goldman, Maryland has secured 3 more from FCA.  I think Coach Locks officially has put MD back on the map for local players.  Not to mention...all three play with Jalon Tabor, the #1 CB in 2014.  I won't even begin to speculate whether Tabor is favoring the Terps as he is all over the place on twitter, but this is awesome for the football program.

Obviously, the gem here is Derwin Gray.  After 4 star OT Mike Madaras committed last year from Good Counsel, MD needed to get more depth this year on the line.  So far they have landed a 3 star guard from Georgia (Dulaney committed last week), and now Gray has committed to play for the Terps.  This will go so far in helping MD get back to the top, as winning in the trenches is a start to a great team.  Gray is the #1 recruit in DC and one of the best in the area, so consider that a win for local recruiting for MD.  Here is a free IMS article summarizing the recruitment of Gray and how he feels about the MD program.  I'm hoping him wanting to recruit other locals means Jalen Tabor.

Ngakoue is also one of the better LBs in the area.  After having dismal LB depth last year, MD has stocked up between 2012 and 2013 in that area.  They took between 5 - 7 last year (a few play multiple positions), and have now grabbed 2 more this year.  This is great for the switch to the 3-4, as MD needs quality depth at the position.  Ngakoue currently plays MLB for FCA, but he has the build and athleticism to play any of the 4 spots on defense.  He'll pair very nicely with Abner Logan and Brock Dean from last year.

Mike Williams looks the part for a 3-4 DE, and has the ideal build for it.  My guess on him is that, barring injury to starters, he'll RS for a year to learn the system and put on more muscle.  If he can put on another 15-20lb, he could be an extremely versatile player in Stewarts 3-4 with the ability to play inside and out.  But of course, he is all potential at this point, and we may not see that until his RS Sophomore year at the earliest, it all depends on how he acclamates to this level.