Thompson picks the Terps

Maryland picked up a pledge last night from Chesapeake (Va.) Grassfield linebacker Avery Thompson. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder made his choice after pulling a scholarship from the Terps just over a month ago.

"I called them on the phone last night," he said. "I first talked to Coach Brattan and he was very excited and told me it was great to have me on the team.

"He told me I had to talk to the head coach. I called Coach Edsall and he was also excited and told me it was great to have me on the team, he thought I was a great player, a great student and it would be great to have me at Maryland. He's looking forward to me coming up there."

Though he was receiving heavy interest from Boston College, Thompson decided to forge ahead with his decision.

"I just wanted to get the recruiting process over with, just make my decision before I went to school and got into my senior year," he said. "I just want to already know where I'm going and look forward to going to Maryland, a great team.

"I like that they have a great team that went 9-4 last season. They have a good coach and are going to go far this year. They have great facilities and great everything. I think I can go in there and make an impact; they can help me build on what I already know. Also, the school has the majors I'm looking to go into, engineering or business finance."

The coaches were a critical aspect too.

"The coaching staff is excellent, that's what I need really," he said. "What really made me decide was that they (staff) have been looking at me since Coach Edsall was at Connecticut. Since they transferred over to Maryland, they've continued recruiting me and when I went to campus they were just welcoming and helping me build. I really liked that and they like me a lot."

Thompson mentioned he has the ability and is considering the possibility of enrolling early in January.