Maryland DT heading west
One of the top prospects in the state of Maryland has made his college decision and it's a choice that may surprise some casual observers.
Defensive tackle Terrence Stephens, a four-star prospect from Gaithersburg (Mary.) Quince Orchard, has verbally committed to attend Stanford.
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In choosing the Cardinal, Stephens spurned offers from the likes of UConn, Maryland, Nebraska, NC State, Penn State, Syracuse and others. So why Stanford?
"I had told a couple of people but I didn't want to go public until last night or this morning," Stephens said. "The school in general is just a good fit for me. Between the academics and the athletics, everything just seemed to be right."
Before making his decision Stephens had narrowed things down to Stanford, Nebraska, UConn and West Virginia. Location may have played a factor in his decision -- just not in the way that it does with some prospects.
"I just didn't think anybody could really compare to (Stanford)," he said. "I actually do think location matters. That's one of the main reasons I'm going there. I've been in this area and I kind of wanted to get away."
The addition of Stephens should provide a huge boost to Stanford's recruiting class. The 6-foot-2, 285-pound junior runs the 40-yard dash in 5.0 seconds and bench presses 340 pounds.
As a junior at Quince Orchard he recorded 65 tackles, 11 sacks and two interceptions.