What Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson doesn’t comprehend is the idea of setting low expectations, or at the very least, manageable expectations.

Anderson grabbed the nation’s attention after forcing out reigning ACC Coach of the Year and proud alumnus, Ralph Friedgen, as a move to go from “good to great” at Maryland.

That phrase, along with early reports that former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach would be the next head coach, energized the fan base in ways that haven’t been seen since the 2001 run to the Orange Bowl.

He further commented on the fact it was a business decision to get rid of Friedgen, noting the poor attendance and suite sales, causing even the most casual sports fan to expect a “splashy” hire.

Despite all of this, Anderson decided the guy to energize the fan base is Connecticut head coach Randy Edsall. Edsall, who went 74-70 at UCONN, has never won more than eight games at the Division 1 level and has a vanilla at best personality.

Edsall could end up being a good hire. He seemed to be fairly likable in his introductory press conference, though his story of telling the Maryland players to remove their “doo rags” was cringe-worthy.

But unless he has unprecedented success at Maryland, he’ll never stand a chance. Edsall isn’t a bad choice but he isn’t the supermodel that Anderson promised, and the fan base craves.

As ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt succinctly said, “A kid wants a bike for Christmas, not a book. Leach is a bike; anybody else is a book. And it had better be Leach.”

Instead Anderson delivered Maryland a “book” in Edsall. It’s not a bad book per say, but when you’re expecting an awesome mountain bike on Christmas Day and end up with a book; you’re going to be disappointed.

Worse was his sidestepping of all questions referencing Mike Leach in the press conference. Surveying the scene it’s pretty clear that the majority of the hardcore Terrapin fans, including some big name boosters, wanted Leach yet Anderson never truly addressed why he wasn’t the choice.

On a regular occasion Edsall might have been a good hire but Anderson raised the hopes of Terps fans everywhere and let them down in tremendous fashion.

He and President Loh spoke of transformative excellence when addressing the buying out of Friedgen but strangely enough hired a younger, thinner version of the coach they already had.

For Anderson’s sake, he better hope that Edsall wins and wins big. Otherwise it will only be a few short years before the transformative excellence will be Anderson cleaning out his office.

When a football player gets labeled an athlete it almost always is because of that player’s versatility at multiple positions.

That theory holds particularly true for Sherwood (Md.) 6-foot, 170-pound athlete Jamal Merritt.

Merritt has experience at wide receiver, cornerback, and safety for his team and is subsequently being recruited at each position by different schools. He expects to get a better idea of what position he wants to play in college during his senior season, but right now is content to play whatever necessary.

“Right now I’ll just play wherever the coach wants me to play but as the season goes on that’s when I’ll get a better feel for what I want to play,” Merritt said. “That will be one of the main things that will help me choose what school I want.”

Currently he has offers from Rutgers, East Carolina, and Ohio while West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Temple are showing a lot of interest.

There is no current favorite at this point as Merritt wants to wait to see what other offers might come in but he did have glowing words about one Big East school.

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“I like how on game day they always have a lot of fan support,” he said about Rutgers. “I also really like how the program has progressed over the year. They weren’t always he best team but have gotten better and shows the coaches are doing a good job and teaching the kids.”

“How a school progresses over the years is very important to me.”

Progression along with academics, the football program, and campus life will prove to be the most important factors. Merritt stressed that although football has to be a major factor, it can’t be the only attraction at the school.

“I’m looking for a good environment at the school—good students, good campus life,” he said. “I’m very interested in what goes beyond just football like whether I’d like the school and the students that go there if I wasn’t playing football.”

Next week he will be visiting West Virginia and has trips planned for Rutgers, East Carolina, and Ohio soon. He also would like to make a trip out to Pittsburgh and plans to drop by Maryland a few times because of its close proximity.

After those visits he hopes to have a finalized top five by the end of the summer. At that point he will evaluate which schools are the most serious and try to come to a decision.

In addition to all of the recruiting excitement, Merritt is already pumped about leading his team to a state championship.

“Our expectations for this year are to win a state championship and just never, ever take a play off,” he said. “I’m going to try to play perfect, mistake free football but just going 100% all the time and hope that we win every game.”

Contact John at ecoastrecruiting@gmail.com and follow him at http://twitter.com/jtalty

2011 Red Bank Catholic (NJ) tight end Jack Tabb has been following the story of conference realignment fairly intently and finds the whole story very intriguing.

“I think it’s all pretty interesting,” Tabb said. “I heard Rutgers might be going to the Big 10 and I think it could be a good fit for them.”

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound tight end has proven himself as one of the top tight ends on the East Coast and has already reeled in 18 programs from some top-notch programs.

But none might be bigger than the offer from SEC powerhouse Florida.

Head to NBE Football Report to read the rest of this story

2011 Baltimore athlete Darius Jennings has been getting a lot of attention from major football programs lately.

He boasts 27 offers and had some of the top programs in the nation such as Notre Dame, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State pay a visit to him during the spring evaluation period.

The 6 foot, 180 pound player has a 4.4 40 time and one of the most impressive highlight tapes on the East Coast. But right now he is just taking it all in and doing his due diligence on the recruiting process.

“I’m not really sure when I’ll be making a decision,” Jennings said. “I know by the end of next week I’ll have a few schools off of my list and will have a better idea of what colleges I’ll be visiting.”

Coaches have fallen in love with his versatility, but each seems to envision him in a different role within their program. Jennings is being recruited as anything from a slot receiver to a cornerback to an all-purpose back, depending on the offensive and defensive schemes the program runs.

But either way Jennings just wants to get playing time, whether it is on the offensive or defensive side of the ball.

“I’m not really sure yet if I want to play offense or defense,” he said. “I think I can be dangerous with the ball in my hands but I think I have the skills and tools to be a corner at the next level as well.”

The Gilman star has a busy summer planned already as he will try to visit many of the programs on his list. He’ll make a Southern sweep in which he’ll stop at Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Clemson.

He also plans on visiting Ohio State with his family and coach at some point.

Despite all of the visits around the country he hasn’t ruled out hometown Maryland yet.

“Staying in state isn’t a problem,” he said. “Being close is a plus–my parents, family, and friends can come and see me play instead of watching it on TV.”

While a timetable for a final decision is still an unknown for Jennings he does have a good idea in what he wants in a program.

“Academics is first and foremost,” he said. “I (have to) go to a school that will better my future. Relationships with the coaches and players, team vibes and chemistry, and early playing time will also determine my decision.”

Jennings plans to major in business in college.

Contact John at ecoastrecruiting@gmail.com and follow him at http://twitter.com/jtalty

Early last week blogs and Twitter were abuzz about 2011 NY 6-foot-5 small forward Jordan Allen committing to the University of Maryland.

Many news outlets picked up an initial tweet by Rutgers basketball commit Mike Poole that congratulated Allen for committing to Maryland, but Allen claims it was just a joke and he hasn’t committed anywhere yet.

“I was in school when he decided to tweet that I committed to Maryland so I didn’t really know what was going on but was getting all of these phone calls, text messages, and emails about it,” Allen said. “I asked him about it and he said he was just playing around and didn’t know that I had deleted my Twitter over the summer.”

As of right now Allen’s only scholarship offer is from St. Johns, despite an earlier report that claimed offers from Kentucky among other schools, but has interest in quite a few schools.

And while the story of Allen committing to Maryland was a prank pulled by a friend, Allen would relish the opportunity to play for Maryland coach Gary Williams.

“Why not be coached by a future Hall of Famer?,” Allen asked. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity—I’d absolutely be interested in Maryland if I got an offer.”

Whether Allen gets an offer from Maryland is a whole different question, but he said that assistant coach Keith Booth encouraged him to come down and play at Maryland’s summer elite camp. He was told that “if I play well enough,” that he’d had a very good shot at an offer.

Along with Maryland, he plans to visit NC State at some point this summer and will be camping at West Virginia. He also indicated some renewed interest in Rutgers after the Scarlet Knights hired David Cox away from Georgetown.

Right now there is no real timetable for a college decision for Allen as he is hoping to bring in some more scholarship offers with some stellar summer play. He will be participating in the Eastern Invitational, Rumble in the Bronx, and is waiting to hear if he will make the cut for the NBA Players camp.

But if the right offer were to come forward he wouldn’t hesitate to jump on it.

“The biggest thing is making sure that my family is comfortable with the decision,” he said. “I want them to be able to come to my games comfortably and an eight hour plus car ride or plane flight might be a bit much.”

“Another big factor is whether anyone from New York has gone to that school and what they think of it,” he said. “We all like to take care of each other and know that they will give it to me straight about the school.”

The New York native claims to be best at finishing, slashing to the basket, and rebounding well for a wingman. But is still trying to refine his jump shot to try to impress some coaches this summer.

Contact John at ecoastrecruiting@gmail.com and follow him at http://twitter.com/jtalty

Liberty Christian Academy (Va.) offensive lineman Grant Jones grew up a Penn State and Notre Dame fan.

And while the 6-foot-5, 290 pound lineman still has some interest in Penn State, he has mainly focused his interest on teams other than the Irish.

Maryland is the most recent school to offer Jones, joining Duke, East Carolina, Stanford, Marshall, and Liberty.

He’s also receiving interest from Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Boston College, among other programs.

“Things have been going pretty well for me,” Jones said. “Right now I’m just trying to have an open mind and listen to what each school has to say.”

Jones claims no favorite right now but will definitely take official visits to Maryland and Duke and also likely to East Carolina. But don’t expect a commitment anytime soon as he is waiting for more offers to start rolling in.

He will continue to wait things out and try to find a school with the best combination of what he’s looking for.

“A good education is really important to me,” he said. “I have to click and like the style of coaching while location and early playing time really aren’t important.”

One coach that Jones has already clicked with is former Ole Miss and current Duke head coach, David Cutcliffe.

“Coach Cutcliffe is a really good guy and a great coach—I try to talk to him as often as possible,” he said. “I also have a good relationship with East Carolina (offensive line) coach Brandon Jones.”

Jones, who anticipates majoring in some field of business, is focused on trying to get better this off-season to reach a rather lofty goal.

“I want to be my area’s offensive player of the year,” he stated. “I want to lead my team to the state championship game again this year but to win it this time. We have a lot of talent and some of the best high school coaches in the business.”

Jones is working on speed, power, and technique this off-season by meeting with a trainer and lifting five times a week.

Contact John at ecoastrecruiting@gmail.com and follow him at http://twitter.com/jtalty

“I’m a player maker on both sides of the ball,” Brooks said. “My strengths are speed and agility but I’m also very smart on the field.”

Brooks hasn’t received a scholarship offer as of yet, but has received interest from Rutgers, Syracuse, Old Dominion, Ohio, Delaware State, and North Carolina A&T.

In addition to those programs, he also has a lot of interest in West Virginia, Maryland, Marshall, Buffalo, and Florida A&M. While he hasn’t gotten an offer from anywhere yet, he isn’t too worried right now.

West Virginia and North Carolina A&T are Brook’s two top schools at this point.

“Coaches tell me that I’m a very talented player and to just be patient, keep working hard and my time will come,” he said.

He thought that offers from Ohio, Concord, and Montana State could be coming soon.

Brooks, who rushed for 560 yards and 8 touchdowns last season, hopes to rush for at least 1000 yards and make All-Met this season and has made sure to put in the work during the off-season.

“I do burn out, I lift till failure to increase my muscle strength and endurance and also try to run a lot.”

Newport News (Va.) 6-foot-1 athlete Clifton Richardson committed to the University of Virginia in March, but made sure to label it as a “soft verbal.”

Richardson made a trip down to Charlottesville this past weekend and although it was a good visit not much has changed for either Richardson or Virginia.

“It was a good visit,” Richardson said. “I got a chance to meet with some professors, check out the campus again and hang out with some of the coaches and players.”

“Virginia is still my number one school,” Richardson said. “I love the coaching staff at UVA and really feel at home with them. But I’m still going to look at other schools,”

The multitalented athlete said he is still interested in Florida, West Virginia, Maryland, and Tennessee. He indicated he might visit West Virginia soon but hadn’t made any definitive plans as of yet.

Richardson rushed for 1,269 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, but expects to get time at quarterback this season. So while he will be working on his blocking a bit, he will also work on footwork and his mechanics.

At this point he seems content to remain as a soft verbal to the Cavaliers and doesn’t plan on changing his position anytime soon.

Right now for both Cavaliers fans and Richardson it’s a wait and see approach. He doesn’t seem like he plans to go anywhere but Virginia, but also doesn’t want to rule out any interest from other schools.

Contact John at ecoastrecruiting@gmail.com and follow him at http://twitter.com/jtalty

Kirby, who likens himself to New York Jets’ cornerback Darrelle Revis, doesn’t anticipate making a decision until his senior year, but already knows exactly what he wants in a program.

“Education first, then playing time and then tradition,” Kirby said. “Education is the biggest thing because even if I do make the NFL a great career is only about eight years and I’d only be 27-28 then.”

“Playing time is important because I’ve only not started one year since putting on the pads and I didn’t like it at all,” he said. “Tradition is important because I don’t want to go to a school that has had a losing record the past decade—I want to win a championship.”

The Monroeville, Pennsylvania native claims offers from Illinois, Miami (Ohio), Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, North Carolina, NC State, Ohio State, Indiana, Marshall, Maryland, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Purdue.

He claims that only Maryland out of the current group of offers is recruiting him the hardest. Maryland along with Iowa, Florida, and Alabama, which Kirby claims sends him new mail every day, are the schools putting the most effort into his recruitment.

All four schools offer “a lot” and are schools that he really likes.

One dark horse school for Kirby’s services is the University of Miami. Kirby admits that the Hurricanes were his favorite team growing up, but claims there is no guarantee he will commit to Miami if they choose to offer him.

“It would be great but they would have to fit all my categories for me to play there,” he said.

Another advantage that Coach Randy Shannon and the Hurricanes might have is the Atlantic Coast Conference. Kirby had nothing but good things to say about the ACC.

“The ACC is nice,” Kirby said about which conference he preferred. “The whole conference is great to me—I like all of the teams in the (ACC).”

Another potential factor is that his older brother Aaron plays football for the hometown Pittsburgh Panthers. But Kirby has indicated in past interviews that it won’t be the determining factor into what school he picks.

Kirby says that he is a physical corner with exceptional ball skills but is still planning on working on his speed and strength this off-season. He anticipates majoring in communications but that could change depending on what school he ends up choosing.

But hold tight as I promise this Web site will become one of the best sources for recruiting news on the East Coast and all of the news/information is free.