SB Nation - Jeremy Navarre

Examining Maryland's In-State Football Recruiting History

Ben Broman — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:02:55 -0000

Kenny Tate has been one of Maryland's few highly ranked in-state recruiting successes.

It's a bye week, which means it's lots of random and kind of pointless research. Today's topic: in-state football recruiting. Sadly, this didn't prove a lot, so it's more my worthless thoughts than real information, but read on if you wish.

If you follow Maryland recruiting at all, you probably know that in-state recruiting has been less than stellar, both this year and in the past four or so years (the last real good year was in 2005, five years ago, when Maryland landed 7 of the top 10 in state; sadly, they included guys like Morgan Green, Jeff Allen, Anthony Wiseman, and the dreaded Melvin Alaeze; if Maryland turned out that performance a year later, we'd have Penn State's defense right now).

But I digress. Back to the relevant in-state recruiting stuff: the majority of good (not great) teams, which is what Maryland should try to be, land around 25% of their top 15 in-state players. For instance, Pitt has landed 28% of the top 15 Pennsylvanians over the past five years. Illinois, while they haven't reaped the benefits of it this year, have hit that 28% mark as well. Virginia Tech does, too. South Carolina gets 24% of theirs. Most elite schools can afford, both literally and figuratively, to recruit outside their states: Maryland can't. For Maryland, the key to winning should be in-state recruiting.

As part of diagnosing the problems with the program, it would make sense to analyze this, which Heather Dinich already blew apart. And while I already blew apart the offensive and defensive line recruiting, it's worth noting that in state recruiting can't be called disastrous, at least not historically. Maryland does have trouble pulling in top targets - they haven't landed a #1 in-stater since Wesley Jefferson in 2003 - but they aren't miles away from the Pitts and South Carolinas of the world, both of whom are currently in the top 25 and could be considered programs similar to Maryland (except for the AD, some would argue [I wouldn't, but that's irrelevant]).

In fact, the Terps have pulled away 20% of the top 15 the past five years - not an outstanding number, but not terrible and better than some top 25 programs, like Ole Miss. The problem has been landing the best of the best in-state, which very few non-elite programs can do, and developing the players they get.

For the first part, Maryland's last number one was, as was said earlier, Wes Jeff. He left early for a job in police enforcement. The only other top 2 player they landed were Melvin Alaeze, and we know how that turned out, and DeOnte Arnett, who is yet to prove himself (or have a chance to prove himself). They've also landed Tre Covington, who was a disappointment, and Kevin Dorsey, who hasn't made much of an impact in his first season, who were #3s. Other than that: nothing.

Like I mentioned earlier, Maryland's best in-state class was in 2005. Making up 70% of the top 10, it included guys like Anthony Wiseman, Morgan Green, Jeff Allen, Jamari McCollough, Jeremy Navarre, and Darrius Heyward-Bey. Of them all, Hey-Bey is the only one that really blossomed into a star. The others probably underachived based on their ranking (which we know isn't guaranteed, but more often than not is a good indicator).

The exact opposite happened for Penn State the following year. They grabbed almost the exact same class out of Maryland, only theirs included Navorro Bowman, who had over 100 tackles last year and is one of the best linebackers in the country, instead of McCollough; Aaron Maybin, who was dominant and a first round pick last year, instead of Allen; and Phillip Taylor, a starting DT, instead of Morgan Green.

I'm not trying to blame anyone here, especially not the players, but the results are pretty damning for someone. Is it that Maryland got bad luck? Did Friedgen and his staff fail at developing the players? I don't really know, but it wasn't really the recruiting at fault.

The lack of player development is pretty well seen in the starting lineup itself this year: only two starters on offense are actually from Maryland, and one of them is Paul Pinegar, a former walk-on. At least seven starters on defense are native Marylanders, but 9/22 isn't a great ratio.

Just to clarify, I'm not trying to say rankings are everything: Maryland's found plenty of in-state diamonds in the rough (like Davin Meggett), and that's necessary too. But I still hold that rankings are mostly important and a highly ranked player will turn out better than a lower ranked player 7 times out of 10, given the same coaching. Nor am I saying that the Terps should only recruit in-state; as long as they get the players, it doesn't matter where they're from. But if they really want to take the next step as a program, which will allow them to successfully recruit out of state on a regular basis, they'll need to start being stronger in-state.

But I digress again.

One of things that showed up in the offensive line recruiting breakdown was that this year was most dependent on 2006's recruiting (and because 2006 was so bad, 2007's to an extent as well), last year on 2005's recruiting, and so forth. Looking at 2006 and 2007's in-state years, it should come as no surprise that those were the worst of the past five years, and that 2005 (in 2008 we won eight games, remember) was the best. In 2006, the Terps only landed three top 15 players - Adrian Moten was one, but so were Drew Gloster (who missed a year and switched positions) and Pha'Terrell Washington (academic casualty). In 2007, it was just two, and Devonte Campbell, who's seen slow development, was among them.

But outside of that year, the in-state recruiting has been pretty solid. 2008 and 2009 were both solid bounce back yeas, grabbing five and four, respectively. Sadly, this year likely won't qualify with the likes of those.

While it's not over, unless Maryland makes a very strong push with some of the remaining uncommitteds, it's looking like Iowa and Wisconsin will have more top 20 Marylanders than Maryland will. Iowa and Wisconsin: these aren't really big draws, either football-wise or location-wise (although Iowa is undefeated, they don't have all that much tradition and it's in Iowa).

There is some good news, though: 2005, Maryland's stellar recruiting season, occurred with James Franklin as recruiting coordinator. That was his last year as RC; he would leave shortly after to become the Packers' WR coach. He was replaced by Dave Sollazzo, who has been average at best. Franklin is now back, but has a lot of stuff on his plate as OC, leaving less time for recruiting. Perhaps, if he is instituted as coach, he hands the playcalling over to an OC and acts as a program CEO, giving him more time to get out on the trail and pull the recruiting back in. Hopefully.

Q+A With Testudo Times

TwistNHook — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:30:13 -0000

Well, we got the big Maryland game coming up soon. So, we figured we'd turn to the resident Maryland experts on the SBNation blog network, Western College Hockey Blog.

But they turned us down, so we turned to the next knowledgable Maryland SBN blog: Nascar Ranting and Raving. And they said yes, but then never followed through.

So, now we have turned to the one, the only Testudo Times. Hopefully they can answer your questions after the fold and help us better understand this muti-faceted enemy that we face this weekend. Also, we answered some of their questions here, so check it out. GO BEARS!

Da'Rel Scott killed us last year. Tell us why he will/won't do so this year.

Maryland’s offensive line is a huge unknown. It is without a doubt the scariest area on this team for me. It’s very young and very inexperienced. If it’s where I think it will be, Da’Rel Scott won’t kill you. If it’s better than I think it will be (which is possible – they’re talented, just not experienced), Scott still won’t kill you. At least, he won’t be alone when he does it. If any killing is done, it’ll be as much Davin Meggett as Scott. Other guys, like Gary Douglas or true freshman Caleb Porzel might pitch in as well.

Since our fellow Cal Sports blogger Bears With Fang asked you one of our infamous questions already ("Who is one player on offense and defense from Cal that you could choose to suit up for the Terrapins for the opener?"), let us ask you a variation of the question. First of all, pick your best player on offense and defense for the Terrapins. Now, if you had to choose one to suit up for the Bears instead of the Terps, which of the two players would it be, and why?

Sorry about not refusing to answer that question. I should be meaner next time. Anyway, I’m pretty confident the most talented players on the team are Da’Rel Scott and OLB Adrian Moten. In that case, I’d give you Scott in a heartbeat – he’s not better than Best, so not a lot of damage would be done, and Maryland has a replacement not far behind him at all. There’s not much depth at linebacker this year, and Moten – aside from being very talented – is a team captain.

How much will we see David Meggett play against Cal?

David Meggett is retired, so unless he attends the game and ESPN does a bunch of camera cutaways to him after every play (like Ray Rice’s mom), you probably won’t see him at all. But you’ll see Davin Meggett, his son, quite a bit. Probably as much as you see of Da’Rel Scott, actually. Ralph Friedgen and James Franklin have both said that Meggett has played just as well or even better than Scott in camp, and that they’ll split carries a decent amount. Maryland has experience doing this, and if it’s done like it has been before, expect Meggett to be the sole back every other two drives or so.

"Davin Meggett" via www.baltimoresun.com

Recently, Maryland named a "Coach In Waiting" similar to Oregon. Is there any concern about this or are fans happy to have a succesor already lined up?

There are some concerns about it, mainly because James Franklin – the CIW – is yet to prove himself here, either in recruiting or in games. He was heralded as a WCO-type of offensive genius, but is yet to show that. He was supposed to be a godsend in recruiting, too, but the returns have been average. That said, most people seem content with the selection. It was done as a way to keep him on-board – he almost went to the NFL as a coordinator – and Maryland probably couldn’t hire a better coach, so you might as well lock him up.

How would you describe the play of your quarterback Chris Turner? Was he really as good as he looked when he played against us?

Turner is definitely that good in big games. When Maryland plays a ranked team or in an otherwise big game, he’s damn near flawless. When Maryland plays Middle Tennessee State or UVA, it’s a completely different story. Turner is a classic example of playing to the level of the competition – in this case, you should probably expect exactly what you saw last year – an accurate, competitive leader who hates to lose.

What are you expecting from Maryland's defense now that they've lost seven of their starters? What do you figure will be the gameplan to stop Jahvid Best now that the Terrapins don't have the advantage of humidity or homefield?

The defense itself should be actually improved. The players Maryland lost weren’t really vital to the success of the team. I loved Jeremy Navarre, Dean Muhtahdi, and Bemi Otulaja as much as the next guy, but I can’t get all that disappointed about losing a FB-turned-DT and two walkons, especially when they’re being replaced by former four stars. In other areas, like safety, the player replacing the starter from last year should actually be better. And though we technically lose a starter at CB in Kevin Barnes, he missed the second half of the season with an injury anyway. Throw in a defensive coordinator who actually knows what he’s doing (Don Brown is replacing Chris Cosh), and the reports of the defense’s demise are exaggerated.

There are two options to stopping Best. Maryland will either do what they did last year – stop the run at all costs and hope the passing game can’t beat us – or let new defensive coordinator Don Brown use his Jim Johnson/Philadelphia Eagle-style blitzing defense, throwing a ridiculous amount of different looks in the hopes that the offense will get confused. Your guess is as good as mine.

Thank you very much to the guys over at Testudo Times with their help on this. GO BEARS!

Poll

How do Testudo Times' answers make you feel about the upcoming Maryland football game?

They make me feel more confident about Cal winning

39 votes

They make me feel less confident about Cal winning

29 votes

They do not change my view on Cal's chances in this game

67 votes

135 votes | Poll has closed

Terps Headed to All-Star Bowls

Ben Broman — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:50:51 -0000

Five Terps are getting recognized for outstanding play this year by being invited to various college All-Star Bowls, and though they're not the five I would've chosen if I had to pick just five, I wish congratulations to all of them.

Edwin Williams, the most deserving of the bunch, is headed to the East-West Shrine Game, and he'll be joined by Jaimie Thomas on the offensive line. Moise Fokou and Jeremy Navarre will attend the Texas vs. The Nation game, in what will hopefully be an effort that will show Texas that no, they can't outplay 49 other states combined, and perhaps end this excuse for Texas to pat their ego. Meanwhile, Kevin Barnes will attend the Senior Bowl, but won't play due to the injury he suffered earlier in the year. The Barnes injury really is a shame; I think he would've been able to get a mid-round selection in the draft had he been healthy. Now, he'll have to make it in tryouts with some team. Very, very unlucky.

Anyway, congrats to all the Terps!

Terps Out of It

Ben Broman — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:01:33 -0000

After attending the game, I can't express in words just how disappointed I am with this team. A night game, a blackout, a must-win, senior night...and they give that kind of performance. It was just sad.

One could tell from the beginning it wasn't going to be a good game. Florida State came out pumped up, jumping around, very active. Maryland? Almost somber. Very little energy. That was echoed when the game started.

Chris Turner did not have a good day, obviously. Threw a couple of picks that really hurt. That's not to say he was the biggest culprit - pointing out one player would be hugely incorrect. No one did their job last night. The offensive line is another big one - perhaps Turner would've done better if he wasn't getting whacked every time he stepped back to pass. And the running game - maybe if it was actually a threat, the defense would have to play honestly, and Turner wouldn't be facing a blitz every single down. At halftime, Maryland had one yard rushing. One yard!

Then there's the defense. They did very little all game. It's tough to blame them too much - they could've given up only 6 points and still lost. Not to mention how much they were on the field. But man, there were times when Christian Ponder would run over guys - a quarterback would carry a linebacker. What kind of performance is that?

That brings me to the coaching staff, who maybe were the worst of everyone. Chalk me up as one who doesn't understand James Franklin. Both starting safeties are out for FSU, and yet he decides to go dink-and-dunk for half the game. Darrius Heyward-Bey would consistently get single coverage, yet throwing it deep to him seemed to be taboo. Instead, Franklin thought to get the ball in his hands by screen plays and reverses - I have trouble with that. Another problem - on almost every pass play, Turner would roll out to his right, completely taking away half the field. Instead of covering 53 yards, the defense had to cover 26 yards. That's a substianally less amount of space, which only makes it harder for the QB. Even worse, Meggett played most of his time in the spread, while Scott played more in the 2 TE packages - the exact opposite of what's supposed to happen. The power back goes in the power set, the speed back in the speed set.

Chris Cosh wasn't better. Too often he'd set the defensive back ten yards of the line of scrimmage. This mostly happened in the 1st and 2nd quarters, and FSU saw it - they were able to hit screen plays and short dump offs for seven or eight yards consistently. The middle of the line was the weakest I've seen it in a long time. I don't know if was the players or the scheme, but it wasn't right.

Really, despite the crappy coaching, it comes down the players. Yes, at times Cosh didn't call the right set. But the times Moises Fokou, Jeremey Navarre, Dave Philistin, or Dion Armstron just ran by the guy the ball - usually Ponder - or tried (and failed) to arm tackle him instead of wrap him up...they didn't execute. Same with the offense. Franklin's plan would've worked perfectly had the line actually blocked. It's the players fault foremost, then the coaches for failing to adapt. Just a very, very saddening game.

[photo via ESPN/AP]

Rick Costa Suspended Indefinitely

Ben Broman — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:30:45 -0000

Oh boy.

Maryland linebacker Rick Costa was arrested early Saturday in College Park and was charged with one count of first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree assault.

According to charging documents obtained Tuesday, an officer noticed a fight at the Cornerstone Grill and Loft at about 2:25 a.m. Saturday. Two bouncers informed the officer Costa and two other men were attempting to enter the bar after being told it was closed.

After being asked to leave, Costa "became combative, striking [the bouncers] in the face," prompting another to intervene only to be shoved away.

The officer proceeded to identify himself and observed Costas was intoxicated and disorderly. Costa then "became belligerent and punched the [officer] in the right side of his eye, causing a severe face injury." The policeman defended himself with pepper spray, and other officers soon arrived to arrest Costa.

It gets worse.

Just heard from Prisbell that linebacker Rick Costa, who has started twice and played in all nine of the Terps' games this season, has been suspended indefinitely because of an off-campus incident. Costa is second on the team in sacks (with three) and tackles for losses (with seven). He has been in on 22 tackles, 11 of them solo, this season.

Great. Those "two other men", by the way, are rumored to be Jeremy Navarre and Dan Gronkowski. Imagine if all three had gotten into with a cop. There would've been some major trouble in the locker room.

Granted, Maryland has a much better track record than nearly any other school when it comes to this kind of thing. The last incident like this was on Halloween in 2005. Derrick Fenner, Drew Weatherly, and Marcus Wimbush were suspended for one game for a bar fight (if I recall correctly).

Luckily, most of the LBs are getting healthy now. Wujciak, Philistin, and Moten are almost completely recoverd from their injuries, so Costa would be used in a strictly backup role. It's not a crisis, but I never like seeing Maryland players in the news for stuff like this.