R.J. Dill makes a decision

It's been a few weeks coming for 6-foot-6, 274-pound offensive tackle R.J. Dill. The Camp Hill (Pa.) Trinity lineman has narrowed his list down to Connecticut and Maryland and finally made a decision.

"I actually committed yesterday to coach Friedgen and Maryland," he said. "I showed up in-person and told him I wanted to be part of the family. He welcomed me with open arms and then just talked a lot about life and stuff. That's the thing about him; you can tell he genuinely cares about his players. Football isn't the main focus; he wants a good person and student first."

The three-star lineman discussed what made him select the Terrapins over the Huskies?

"Location was big," he said. "It's only about an hour and a half away from home and it's between two big cities in Washington D.C. and Baltimore. That's a plus for me to be in two major markets and close to home.

"I also liked the coaching staff. I'm very comfortable with coach Brattan. I also liked my recruiter, coach Bossard and Ralph Friedgen. The thing with them is that they offered first and never stressed me to make a decision. They waited their turn and I'm a loyal kind of person. Finally, I like the campus and it just felt like home. They have everything I needed and that's where I needed to go."

Dill had some final words to say to his other finalist, Connecticut.

"I want to thank UConn for what they've done for me," he said. "They are great people there and they'll be a good team in the Big East for years to come."

The No. 61 offensive tackle in the country went on to discuss what the coaches at Maryland see of him in the future.

"They told me I'll probably get redshirted and then want me to compete my redshirt freshman year," he stated. "They aren't guaranteeing me a spot. I'll have an opportunity to compete at the left tackle position. I did just turn 17 today, so I'm sure they're going to want me to mature some."

Dill selected Maryland over offers from Connecticut, Temple, Duke and Akron.