Four-star class of 2017 defensive tackle Cam Spence out of IMG Academy (Fla.) verbally committed on Friday Morning to play his college football at the University of Maryland. Spence is Maryland’s third commit in the class of 2017, joining tight end Andrew Park and cornerback Fofie Bazzie, who committed on Sunday.
(Discuss this article on the BSL Board here.)
Spence is a Baltimore native who played his first two seasons at Gilman before transferring to IMG this past season.
Spence’s commitment is big for the Terps in more ways than one. Standing at 6-foot-5, 285 pounds, Spence already has a college ready frame and should add another 20 pounds or so of muscle over his final high school season and summer ball. In addition, it shows that under D.J. Durkin, the Terps are now able to compete with some of the nation’s top schools for blue-chip prospects, something lacking during Randy Edsall’s tenure. Maryland beat out Alabama, Florida, Ohio State, Penn State and USC, among other elite programs for Spence.
Also, Spence’s commitment opens up the IMG Academy pipeline, something that could be huge for the Terps’ recruiting prospects this year. Maryland has offered eight 2017 prospects from the school alone, and recently hosted five players, including Spence for a visit. Among other IMG prospects that UMD has offered are top ranked defensive end Joshua Kaindoh and 4-star outside linebacker/running back Jordan Anthony, both originally from Maryland. Now, that’s not to say it’s likely that Maryland is all of a sudden going to pull a half-dozen players from IMG, but even another one or two will make a huge difference.
In addition, Spence is good friends with 4-star quarterback Kasim Hill, who plans to make his college decision on Saturday. According to the 247Sports crystal ball, most experts expect Hill to choose the Terrapins, so their friendship could have an impact on Hill’s decision. And, once a team has a blue chip prospect or two, like Spence and Hill, it makes other recruits more likely to jump on board.
And as I mentioned…
4-star Terps’ Quarterback Target to announce decision on Saturday
Kasim Hill, a 4-star quarterback out of St. John’s (DC) is set to announce his college decision and it’s widely expected he will be a Terp.
A few weeks back I took a look at local recruits UMD had to get. Here’s what I said about Hill.
The top in-state quarterback will not be easy for Maryland keep home. The four-star Hill has a college-ready body and the athleticism and arm to be an impact player at the top level. Among schools that have offered Hill are Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State, so in order to keep him home the Terps will have to prove it can out-recruit a few of the Big 10’s top programs. He has recently transferred from Gilman to St. John’s in D.C.
But it’s looking like the Terps will keep him home, and Durkin will hope he can keep this 4-star away from powerhouse programs looking to poach him.
3-star Terp target to commit Saturday
And Maryland’s big recruiting week will likely keep going when 3-star athlete Ayinde Eley announces his decision. Eley, a 6-foot-5 wide receiver and linebacker out of Good Counsel is expected to stay home, with all experts on 247Sports crystal ball predicting he will play his college ball in College Park.
Andrew Feather is a multimedia journalist from the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. Currently a broadcast journalism major at Elon University in Elon, N.C., Feather serves as the Assistant Sports Director of Elon Local News, the school’s award winning, student-run news broadcast.