Rivals100 defensive end Eyabi Anoma made a bit of news this week coming out on Twitter declaring his recruitment open and denying the rumors of a silent commitment. The Baltimore (Md.) St. Frances star addressed the situation and updated recruitment after his team beat Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco last night.
IN HIS OWN WORDS…
“Everything blew up last week,” Anoma said. “College coaches have been trying to contact me by any means. Everything in my recruitment is open. A lot of coaches were getting the impression that I’m only focused in on the schools I talk about. Those are just the ones I remembered. My recruitment is completely open. Every school has a chance. Arizona, Texas A&M, and Mississippi State are schools that have been really reaching out lately. I’m looking at possibly Texas A&M for an unofficial.
“I went to Maryland last weekend,” he said. “Maryland is home. Whenever I have a chance to go down there I will. I said Maryland is on the rise in the summer. They beaten Texas, Towson, and the sky is the limit for Maryland.
“I’m a little hurt that my friend Terrell Lewis (formerly Terrell Hall) got hurt at Alabama,” said Anoma. “He’s like a big brother to me. He’s been watching my games and we talk about what I need to work on. I watched his whole game the other week and I was so hurt and devastated when he got hurt. I know he’s going to bounce back. He has that grit in him.
“Michigan is Michigan. Go Blue,” he said. “I watched the Florida game and they looked outstanding. This year they have a chance to make it to the playoffs and do some damage off the strength of how they are getting coached and how consistent they’ve been. They are consistently bringing the heat on defense. Alabama brings the heat on every single play and Michigan is starting to do the same thing.
“Coach Tosh at Alabama, coach Durkin at Maryland, and coach Harbaugh at Michigan are my guys,” Anoma said. “I might sign in December.
“Right now I’m focused on the season and being with my family and my people,” he said. “I love that my father and my sisters were able to come up here for the game and they had my grandma on FaceTime the whole game.
“I was really proud of my offensive line tonight,” said Anoma. “Jaelyn Duncan (a Maryland commit) is gaining confidence and getting so much better. Peace Addo is a big guy and he is learning. When he has the confidence and really learns the plays he is gong to be great. Darrian Dalcourt, Josh Miller, Antonio Derry, and the whole offensive line was great. Iron sharpens iron. They make me better and I make them better.”
RIVALS’ REACTION
Anoma’s recruitment will be fun to watch as we move closer to the end of the process. Alabama, Maryland, and Michigan are the three main players but the door is clearly not closed to other teams that want to make an impression. Anoma’s constant presence has to make Terps fans happy but his good friend Terrell Lewis also took a number of visits to Maryland before committing to Alabama on Signing Day in 2016. That could be a bit worrisome for Maryland who has lost major local defensive end recruits like Lewis and Josh Kaindoh over the last two recruiting classes. With Anoma in the thick of his senior season, it could be tough for him to get out on the road for official visits until the winter.