Hartsfield picks the ACC

It didn't take Raleigh (N.C.) Southeast Raleigh linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield long to make a decision. After a visit this past weekend to an ACC school, the 6-foot-2, 208-pounder landed an offer and quickly turned around and made a decision.

"I just made a decision today for Maryland," he stated. "I went to their camp this past weekend and have been talking to the coaches for awhile.

"Coach Ray Rychleski called me up today and asked me how I feel about an offer. They had talked about offering for awhile. I already had my mind set, if they offered I'd probably go ahead and take it. He let me know they were offering and I told him I wanted to go ahead and commit. He was very excited I was coming and got all the coaches on the phone with me."

Hartsfield talked with the entire staff from Maryland following his decision including Ralph Friedgen.

"I talked to coach Friedgen for a little while," he said. "He was very excited I was coming too and told me I had a great camp."

What made the two-star prospect select the Terrapins over offers from Buffalo, East Carolina, Duke and Elon?

"Besides the education and facilities, another top reason was the coaches," he said. "Coach Seamonson and Cosh have produced a lot of NFL players over the years and that caught my attention. I like their energy and the fact they don't teach by yelling. It's all about repetition and fixing what you did wrong.

"I also really liked my recruiter, coach Ray. He thinks I'll be one of the great linebackers to come out of Maryland. Aside from the coaches, Maryland has been in contact with me for a long time and they were one of the first schools to start recruiting me. I knew they liked me and am one of their top linebackers coming in.

"Finally, the campus is real nice too. I like how everything is in radius and they are a great school for my major, psychology."

The No. 25 prospect in North Carolina isn't sure about playing time, but knows where he'll see the field.

"The coaches have told me I'll play inside linebacker when I come there," he said. "They said that they really like how I play downfield with my burst of speed and strength."