11/6/2014 football Edit

Around the Mid-Atlantic: Shifting landscape

Adam Friedman

Recruiting Analyst

Commitments and possible decommitments have destabilized the recruiting landscape in the Mid-Atlantic, setting up for a very interesting stretch between now and National Signing Day.

This sets up an interesting situation for Ohio State and their quarterback recruiting in the 2016 class. Urban Meyer had positioned himself and the Buckeye program very nicely with Rivals100 Mid-Atlantic quarterbacks Dwayne Haskins Jr. and Jarrett Guarantano. If Gibson does stick at quarterback, Ohio State will have excellent depth at the position if you include current starter and redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett and true freshman Stephen Collier, not to mention the possible return of reigning two-time Big Ten Player of the Year Braxton Miller. That won't leave much room for incoming players such as Guarantano, Haskins or others.

It's not easy for anybody to win at State College, but MarylandClick Haskins, who has said Ohio State was his favorite school from Day 1, has not been as high on Ohio State lately. He has come to the realization that Ohio State's offensive system and his skillset don't exactly mesh. Guarantano, on the other hand, does have the skillset to fit into Ohio State's system. He had also been very high on Ohio State since visiting and the Buckeyes remain the favorite to land his commitment. However, with Gibson on board, this could extend Guarantano's recruitment a bit and open a window for other schools.Here to view this Link. ended up pulling out an important win last weekend at Penn StateClick Haskins, who has said Ohio State was his favorite school from Day 1, has not been as high on Ohio State lately. He has come to the realization that Ohio State's offensive system and his skillset don't exactly mesh. Guarantano, on the other hand, does have the skillset to fit into Ohio State's system. He had also been very high on Ohio State since visiting and the Buckeyes remain the favorite to land his commitment. However, with Gibson on board, this could extend Guarantano's recruitment a bit and open a window for other schools.Here to view this Link.. This is a huge win on and off the field for the Terps as Penn State and Maryland have become major rivals in the recruiting world. Penn State and Maryland have both gone after dozens of the same players from the DMV and Pennsylvania. A number of recruits, upperclassman and underclassmen, saw that Maryland beat Penn State in their own house and certainly took notice, but that's not the only thing they noticed.

Up until last weekend, Maryland's record against Penn State since 1961 was 1-35-1. On top of that, Penn State has been cherry-picking some of the best talent in the DMV for many years. With those two facts in mind, how can Maryland not have an inferiority complex? Both head coaches have taken jabs at the other and it's understandable that there was a little scuffle before the game. Despite the recruit poaching and regardless of who sparked the fracas, it shows a complete lack of respect, class and discipline to not shake hands at the coin toss. The Big Ten newcomer has been fined and one player has been suspended for a game, but the league, one that prides itself on tradition and class, can't be happy with Maryland right now.

With everything considered -- the win and the handshake fiasco -- did Maryland come away with a net positive from the weekend? Probably not. The win shows some progress on the field, but the controversy will make people question if they are starting to win with the right players.

Despite the heavily publicized turmoil at Michigan, the Wolverines added another Rivals250 prospect earlier this week when Dele' HardingClick It was revealed this week that Clark could be rescheduling his official visits to North Carolina and Texas. If Avon Old Farms wins this weekend, they will play in their championship game next Saturday, forcing Clark to reschedule his North Carolina visit. Texas could end up seeing Clark on a different weekend because he doesn't want to be in Austin the same weekend as Will Gragg, so that Gragg can have his own visit. Here to view this Link. announced his commitment. It is a bit of a strange time for any high profile player to be committing to Michigan, but Harding, his coaches and his family fell in love with the Wolverine program during a visit to Ann Arbor over the summer. Based on the timing of his commitment, it is pretty obvious that Harding isn't committing to Michigan because of the coaching staff. He likes the current staff, but the school and the program overall are more important to him than the current coaching staff.

LSUClick Looking aheadHere to view this Link.'s visitor list for the upcoming weekend is one of the most impressive you'll ever see. Five-stars and four-stars from nearly every corner of the country will be flocking to Baton Rouge to watch the Tigers take on Alabama in the annual rivalry game. Two major recruits from the Mid-Atlantic will be at Tiger Stadium taking in the festivities. The first is Rivals100 defensive back Garrett Taylor. This visit for the recent Michigan decommit will be an unofficial visit, but Taylor will be scheduling an official visit to LSU for later this year. He has official visits scheduled to Penn State and Ohio State for the last two weekends of November.

Ohio State was a major contender for Taylor, but the Buckeyes may not have room for another defensive back in their 2015 class. That means Penn State could be in the driver's seat, but LSU, Virginia Tech and Miami will have an impact on Taylor's recruitment before all is said and done.

Rivals250 offensive lineman Matthew Burrell Jr. will also be in Baton Rouge this weekend for his fifth official visit. Ohio State remains the odds-on favorite here, but Penn State and Tennessee are still very much in the picture. This will be LSU's chance to really make an impression on Burrell, who has had a relationship with Tigers offensive line coach Jeff Grimes since he was at Virginia Tech. Burrell hinted that a commitment could be forthcoming and the plan all along was to commit after his fifth official visit. The inner workings of his recruitment have been pretty complex, so Burrell could commit as early as the end of next week or as late as the Army Bowl.

Five-star defensive end Josh Sweat, one of the most dominant and versatile players in the 2015 class, went down with a devastating knee injury in his third game of the season. He had surgery about three weeks ago and his doctor has given him permission to start weaning himself off of crutches. Hopefully Sweat will be walking normally three weeks from now. He is still expected to make a full recovery and is hoping to take part in practice next summer.

Rivals250 linebacker Ricky DeBerryClick Sweat, an early enrollee, will be diving back into his recruitment next weekend when he takes his official visit to Georgia. His third and fourth official visits will be to Florida State and Virginia Tech during the last two weekends of the month and a decision is expected on or near Dec. 5 because his paperwork needs time to be processed.Here to view this Link. is visiting Michigan StateClick Sweat, an early enrollee, will be diving back into his recruitment next weekend when he takes his official visit to Georgia. His third and fourth official visits will be to Florida State and Virginia Tech during the last two weekends of the month and a decision is expected on or near Dec. 5 because his paperwork needs time to be processed.Here to view this Link. this weekend for his fourth of five official visits. He will be visiting with his friend, fellow Richmond (Va.) native and Michigan State wide receiver commit Felton DavisClick Sweat, an early enrollee, will be diving back into his recruitment next weekend when he takes his official visit to Georgia. His third and fourth official visits will be to Florida State and Virginia Tech during the last two weekends of the month and a decision is expected on or near Dec. 5 because his paperwork needs time to be processed.Here to view this Link.. If Michigan State hopes to land a commitment from DeBerry, it will be key for Mark DantonioClick Sweat, an early enrollee, will be diving back into his recruitment next weekend when he takes his official visit to Georgia. His third and fourth official visits will be to Florida State and Virginia Tech during the last two weekends of the month and a decision is expected on or near Dec. 5 because his paperwork needs time to be processed.Here to view this Link., Pat Narduzzi and company to drive home the fact that they want him to be a pass rushing linebacker, not a defensive end. In the end, that still may not be enough.

It has looked for a long time like DeBerry will be heading south or west for his college football career. Tennessee, Texas A&M and Oklahoma are the likely leaders and Alabama is a major wildcard. DeBerry is set to use his last official visit for the Iron Bowl at the end of the month and commit in mid-December. Penn State, Virginia and Virginia Tech are still in the mix, but it will be tough for them to move up DeBerry's list.

Click Here to view this Link.