Live National Signing Day Coverage
2/6/2001 7:00:00 AM | Football
The University of Maryland football team has received 15 signed national letters of intent as of 2:40 p.m. Below is a list of names of the recruits who have officially signed. Bios on each player are posted at the bottom of the page.
| Russell Bonham | OT | 6-4 | 339 |
| Jamal Chance | DB | 6-1 | 190 |
| Jason Crawford | TB | 6-2 | 215 |
| Tim Donovan | OT | 6-6 | 316 |
| Will Ferguson | DE | 6-3 | 255 |
| Jason Holman | C | 6-2 | 270 |
| Raheem Lewis | OG | 6-3 | 335 |
| Gerrick McPhearson | CB | 5-11 | 185 |
| Mario Merrills | TB | 5-10 | 180 |
| Derek Miller | TE | 6-8 | 240 |
| Akil Patterson | DT | 6-3 | 260 |
| Matt Powell | OG | 6-4 | 315 |
| Maurice Smith | LB | 6-0 | 210 |
| Randy Starks | DE | 6-5 | 290 |
| Marcus Wimbush | S | 5-11 | 180 |
The following three players are included in this year's class, but did not sign national letters of intent as they are already enrolled at Maryland:
| Ricardo Dickerson | LB | 6-3 | 238 |
| Domonique Foxworth | CB | 5-11 | 175 |
| Rich Parson | TB | 5-10 | 180 |
2001 MARYLAND RECRUIT BIOGRAPHIES:
Russell Bonham
OT
6-4, 339, Fr.
Winston-Salem. N.C.
(Carver HS)
High School: Attends Carver High School in Winston-Salem, N.C. ... a four-year starter at right tackle ... also spent time his first two years on the defensive line ... a consensus first team all-state selection as a junior and senior ... was the only junior in the state to earn first team honors ... was also an All-North Piedmont Conference selection and that conference's offensive player of the year as a senior ... was selected to play in the North Carolina Shrine Bowl All-Star game ... rated by ESPN.com's Tom Lemming as one of the top 25 offensive line recruits in the country ... helped team to over 6,000 yards rushing in the last four years ... Carver ran up a 63-3 record in that span, winning the 1998 Class 3A state championship along the way ... CHS went 14-1 in 2000, winning 14 straight before falling in the state semifinals ... threw the shot put for the track team ... was also recruited by Virginia Tech, NC State, South Carolina and Virginia ... high school coach was Keith Wilkes.
Personal: Russell Jimi Bonham was born May 2, 1983 ... is the son of Jimmie and Carmen Bonham ... maintains a 3.1 GPA ... planned major is physical education ... nickname is "Big Russ" ... uncle, Bracy Bonham, was a North Carolina high school star who ultimately played in the NFL (Pittsburgh Steelers) ... wears size 16 shoes.
Jamal Chance
DB
6-1, 190, Jr.
Ephrata, Pa.
(Lackawanna JC/Ephrata HS)
Junior College: Attends Lackawanna Junior College in Scranton, Pa. ... will enroll at Maryland in the fall ... a two-year starter at safety ... had 28 tackles, five interceptions and seven PBUs in 2000 to go along with two fumble recoveries and one force fumble ... tied for second nationally among junior college teams as a freshman with seven interceptions ... also had 54 tackles, two sacks and seven pass breakups that season ... was a second team NJCAA All-American as a sophomore ... an honorable mention All-American by JC Gridwire in 2000 ... was an All-Northeast Football Conference selection both years ... LJC finished 10-1 after posting its first perfect regular season in school history ... team finished the year ranked 10th in the nation and was sixth in total defense ... team lost to Middle Georgia CC in the Golden Isles Bowl ... was also recruited out of LJC by West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Syracuse ... junior college coach was Mark Duda, a former Terrapin defensive lineman.
High School: A 1998 graduate of Ephrata High School in Ephrata, Pa. ... a three-year starter who saw playing time at wide receiver and defensive back ... had 30 catches for 461 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior despite missing the last four games of the season with an injured knee ... was a first team All-Lancaster/Lebanon League selection as a wide receiver and defensive back and was named that league's Offensive Player of the Year in '98 ... was a first team all-section choice at WR and DB as a junior ... had a career-high 56 receptions as a junior.
Personal: Jamal Chance was born January 26, 1981 ... is the son of Jean Chance ... planned major is computer science.
Jason Crawford
TB
6-2, 215, Fr.
Forestville, Md.
(Fork Union Military/Parkdale HS)
Prep: Attends Fork Union Military Academy in Fork Union, Va. ... played tailback this past season ... ran for 320 yards and four touchdowns in four games at Fork Union ... F.U.M.A. had two other backs who have verbally committed at Division I-A schools (Raymond Kirkley, Pittsburgh, Leshon Peoples, Indiana) ... clocked at 4.5 in the 40 ... Fork Union is the same military academy attended by current Terrapin Mike Whaley.
High School: Attended Parkdale High School in Riverdale, Md. ... was a standout tailback and linebacker at Parkdale ... ran for 1,610 yards and 18 TDs as a senior ... top game of his senior season came against High Point when he scored four TDs (two rush, one kickoff return, one int.) ... notched 14 tackles and an interception return for a TD in his first career game at LB ... team went 6-4 in 1999 ... selected as an honorable mention All-American by USA Today and a consensus all-state pick at linebacker ... a first team All-Metro selection by the Washington Post at LB ... the Post also named him an honorable mention All-Met running back ... a first team Big School all-state selection by the Associated Press ... a PrepStar All-American and a Mid-Atlantic all-region selection by SuperPrep ... named a second team All-American by Max Emfinger ... also competed in track at PHS ... initially signed with North Carolina out of high school ... was also recruited by Pittsburgh, Miami and Auburn ... coached by John Shuman at Fork Union and Bob Johnson at Parkdale.
Personal: Jason David Crawford was born April 11, 1982 ... is the son of J.D. Gross and Saone Jones ... father played for the Terrapins from 1981-83 and was coached by Ralph Friedgen ... planned major is criminology.
Ricardo Dickerson
LB
6-3, 238, Fr.
Hyattsville, Md.
(Northwestern HS)
High School: A 2000 graduate of Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, Md. ... is currently enrolled at Maryland and will participate in spring drills ... a three-year varsity starter who saw playing time at linebacker and running back ... had 80 tackles, six sacks and one interception as a senior ... scored four TDs in '00 (two rush, one rec., and one FR) ... had 63 tackles and three sacks as a junior ... also ran for over 250 yards in '99 ... earned his team's Hammer Award as a senior as NHS's hardest hitter ... a first team all-county selection by the PG Journal and an honorable mention All-Met choice by the Washington Post as a senior... named to the Maryland team which plays Virginia in the Super 44 all-star game between prep standouts from the two states ... also played in the Prince George's County All-Star Game ... helped Northwestern to its first ever playoff game in his junior season ... NHS went 10-2 that season ... lettered in basketball as well ... was recruited by UMass, Marshall, Temple and Howard ... high school coach was Ed Shields.
Personal: Ricardo DeAngilo Dickerson was born July 10, 1982 ... is the son of Sonya Dickerson and Ricky Kelly.
Tim Donovan
OT
6-6, 316, Fr.
Crofton, Md.
(DeMatha HS)
High School: Attends DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md. ... a player who came on strong in his senior season as DeMatha's starting quick tackle ... he did not allow a sack for the Stags in their final six games of 2000 ... has quick feet and excels at pulling ... played half the season before being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his foot ... decided to play the season out and then found out at season's end that he had fractures in both feet ... has benched 340 pounds and squatted 500 ... was named a consensus all-state offensive lineman by the Associated Press ... also earned an AP nod as a first team Big School all-state selection ... named first team All-Metro by the Washington Pigskin Club ... an honorable mention All-Metro pick by the Washington Post ... a SuperPrep Mid-Atlantic all-region selection ... rated as the state's number five prospect at offensive line heading into the season by ESPN.com's Tom Lemming ... a preseason Mid-Atlantic all-region pick by PrepStar ... team went 11-1 his senior year, winning the WCAC title and earning a No. 2 final ranking in the state ... team averaged 34.8 points per game over its last 11 games of 2000 ... an outstanding program, DeMatha has racked up a 176-27-3 record in the last 19 years ... played baseball as a freshman and sophomore ... was also recruited by Penn State, Virginia, West Virginia and Georgia ... high school coach was Bill McGregor.
Personal: Tim Patrick Donovan was born June 10, 1983 ... is the son of Colleen and Tim Donovan, Sr. ... planned major is business administration.
Will Ferguson
DE
6-3, 255, Fr.
Bethesda, Md.
(Walt Whitman HS)
High School: Attends Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Md. ... a three-year varsity letterwinner and two-and-a-half year varsity starter at both offensive tackle and inside linebacker ... had 42 tackles, two sacks, seven tackles for loss and one interception on the defensive side of the ball as a senior ... an All-Montgomery County selection by the Montgomery Journal as a junior and senior ... also earned all-county honors as selected by Montgomery County head coaches ... an all-league selection by the Washington Post ... also played baseball and basketball in his freshman and sophomore years ... also drew interest from Michigan State and NC State ... high school coach was Dean Swink.
Personal: William M. Ferguson was born November 21, 1982 ... is the son of Heather Ferguson.
Domonique Foxworth
CB
5-11, 175, Fr.
Randallstown, Md.
(Western Tech HS)
High School: Graduated from Western Tech High School in Baltimore in the fall of 2000 ... accumulated enough credits to graduate early and enroll at Maryland in the spring ... will participate in spring drills ... a three-year starter at defensive back and tailback ... also handled kick returns ... racked up 4,871 career all-purpose yards and a school-record 21 TDs ... ran for 1,369 yards (school record) and 13 TDs as a senior ... also caught three TDs, passed for four and ran two kicks back for scores ... accounted for 2,037 all-purpose yards as a senior ... as a CB, recorded a school-record 14 interceptions ... had 170 yards rushing and scored on a 62-yard run in the inaugural I-95 Challenge Senior All-Star Football Classic en route to being named the game's MVP ... rushed for 1,040 yards, had 73 tackles and five interceptions as a junior ... an All-American and a Mid-Atlantic all-region selection by SuperPrep ... was the third-rated player in the region overall and the sixth-rated defensive back in the nation by SuperPrep ... a Mid-Atlantic all-region selection by PrepStar prior to his senior season ... a consensus all-state defensive back and Big School all-state choice by Associated Press ... earned first team All-Metro and All-Baltimore County honors from the Baltimore Sun ... a first team all-county pick at DB as a junior ... timed at 4.35 in the 40 at the Super 100 Combine for high school seniors ... benches 230 and squats 345 ... carried GPA of better than 3.0 ... ran track as a freshman but gave it up to concentrate on football ... lists NC State, Purdue and Pittsburgh among the 13 scholarship offers he received ... high school coach was Jason Blind.
Personal: Domonique Foxworth was born March 27, 1983 ... is the son of Lorinzo and Karin Foxworth ... planned major is computer science.
Jason Holman
C
6-2, 270, Fr.
Midlothian, Va.
(James River HS)
High School: Attends James River High School in Midlothian, Va. ... primarily played guard, but also spent time on the defensive front in critical situations ... started 10 games at guard as a senior, missing one due to a knee sprain ... described by his coach as JRHS's best lineman on both sides of the ball ... helped his team's offense to an average of over 300 yards and 32 points per game, both school records ... is the first player in the young history of his school to earn all-state honors and is also its first-ever Division I scholarship athlete (there have been two I-AA football players, but no others at D-I in any sport) ... consensus first team all-state and all-region selection ... named first team all-district by The Richmond Times ... competed in wrestling as a sophomore and junior, earning all-district honors in 1998 ... team went 9-2 in 2000, the best record in school history ... James River - which was founded just seven years ago - had a record of 9-41 in its first five years of existence ... it went 15-6 in 1999 and 2000 ... was also recruited by East Carolina ... high school coach was Chris Bell.
Personal: Jason Holman was born April 28, 1983 ... is the son of Jerome and Ruby Holman.
Raheem Lewis
OG
6-3, 335, Fr.
District Heights, Md.
(Suitland HS)
High School: Attends Suitland High School in Forestville, Md. ... a three-year starter on the offensive line ... started at offensive tackle as a junior and guard as a sophomore and senior ... an aggressive run blocker with quick enough feet to be effective in pass protection ... notched a safety as a defensive tackle in the Prince George's County High School Coaches Association All-Star game ... has benched 385 and impressed coaches by benching 225 a total of 26 times at the Nike Football Camp on the Penn State campus ... a consensus all-state and first team Big School all-state selection by the Associated Press ... a first team All-Metro choice by the Washington Post ... an all-state and all-county pick by the PG Journal ... was a Washington Post all-league selection as a sophomore ... rated the 11th-best player in the Mid-Atlantic region by SuperPrep ... selected by PrepStar's Super 30 All-Atlantic region team prior to the `00 season ... was a second team all-county and honorable mention All-Metro selection as a junior ... called the consensus choice among college recruiters as the top offensive lineman in the state ... team went 11-2 his senior year, making it all the way to the state finals ... SHS was county champ the year before with an 8-3 record ... competed in track and wrestling as well ... was also recruited by Boston College, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Penn State and Stanford ... high school coach was Nick Lynch.
Personal: Raheem Olajuwan Lewis was born July 4, 1983 ... is the son of Dino and Tanya Belk ... maintains a 3.7 GPA ... planned major is computer science ... nickname is "Radio" after the character "Radio Raheem" in Spike Lee's movie "Do The Right Thing."
Gerrick McPhearson
CB
5-11, 185, Fr.
Columbia, Md.
(Howard HS)
High School: Attends Howard High School in Ellicott City, Md. ... as a senior, rushed 117 times for 825 yards, caught 10 passes for 228 yards, and scored 11 touchdowns ... on defense, totaled 43 tackles and two interceptions ... as a junior, rushed for 1,423 yards and scored 18 touchdowns ... was named Associated Press Small School all-state honorable mention as a defensive back his senior year ... named to SuperPrep's all-region team ... a preseason Mid-Atlantic all-region choice by PrepStar ... played his final season of prep ball at Howard High School after transferring from the Cardinal Gibbons School in Baltimore ... was also recruited by Boston College and Virginia ... high school coach was Vince Parnell.
Personal: Gerrick McPhearson was born Dec. 29, 1983 ... son of Kim and Gerrick McPhearson ... father played defensive back at Boston College and with the New England Patriots.
Mario Merrills
TB
5-10, 180, Fr.
Columbia Md.
(Wilde Lake HS)
High School: Attends Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Md. ... considered one of the fastest Division I prospects in the state of Maryland (4.37 in the 40) ... rushed for 1,743 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior ... on defense, totaled 74 tackles, eight pass breakups, six TFL's, two sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery ... selected to play in the allfirst All-Star Game following his senior season and returned a kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown to lead the Metro all-stars to victory .... had a 313-yard rushing performance as a senior against Long Reach, scoring on touchdown runs of 83, 65, 45 and 64 yards ... highly decorated player as a senior in 2000, earning SuperPrep All-American honors in the "athlete" category ... also earned consensus all-state honors from the Associated Press in addition to being named Gatorade Maryland State Player of the Year ... a Baltimore Sun All-Metro first team and Washington Post All-Met honorable mention pick as a running back ... a preseason Mid-Atlantic all-region choice by PrepStar ... was a second team Baltimore Sun All-Metro selection as a junior in 1999, totaling 1,050 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns ... was also recruited by Penn State ... high school coach was Douglas DuVall.
Personal: Mario Edward Merrills was born January 23, 1983 ... son of Shirley and Albert Merrills.
Derek Miller
TE
6-8, 240, Fr.
Carlisle, Pa
(Boiling Springs HS)
High School: Attends Boiling Springs (Pa.) High School ... played tight end and defensive end as a senior ... helped his team allow just 9.6 points per game on defense in 2000 ... totaled 123 tackles (51 solos) and 21 sacks in addition to catching 25 passes for 423 yards and five touchdowns ... set school career records by a tight end for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns ... is the Bubblers' first-ever Division I football signee ... helped BSHS to the district playoffs and a 9-1 overall record in 2000, equaling the most wins by the school in 49 years ... named to the All-Sentinel All-Star team as a tight end/defensive end ... was a three-way first team All-Mid-Penn League selection, earning recognition as a tight end, defensive end and placekicker ... also named second team all-league as a punter ... selected team most valuable player as a senior ... runs a reported sub-4.7 40-yard dash and has benched 320 pounds ... is also an outstanding baseball player (first base) ... was also recruited by Boston College.
Personal: Derek Miller was born June 10, 1983 ... son of Connie and Jon Miller.
Rich Parson
TB
5-10, 180, Fr.
Newark, Del.
(Newark Academy)
High School: Graduated from Newark (Del.) High School in 1999 ... a four-year varsity starter who rushed for 3,188 yards in his career while helping Newark High to a Delaware record four consecutive appearances in the state championship game ... as a senior, rushed for 1,320 yards and 14 touchdowns ... rushed for 710 yards as a junior when he was an honorable mention all-state selection on a 12-0 state championship winning team ... was a two-time 1,000-yard rusher during his career, totaling 1,060 yards as a sophomore in 1996 when he earned first team all-league and second team all-state accolades ... was the first freshman ever to start at defensive back in Newark High history ... was an honorable mention USA Today All-American ... also earned first team all-state and first team All-Blue Hen Conference (Flight A) honors after leading team to a 12-0 record and a second consecutive state title in `98 ... played on teams that compiled an aggregate record of 43-5 and played in the state championship game all four seasons ... was a first team all-state selection in track (4x100 relay) as a sophomore ... was also recruited by Syracuse, Michigan State and Nebraska out of high school ... high school coach was Butch Simpson.
Personal: Richard W. Parson was born May 16, 1980 ... son of Kim and Wayne Parson.
Akil Patterson
DT
6-3, 260, Fr.
Frederick, Md.
(Frederick HS)
High School: Attends Frederick (Md.) High School ... a three-year starter at defensive tackle who also saw action on the offensive line ... as a senior in 2000, was named Associated Press honorable mention all-state as a defensive linemen in addition to pulling down first team All-Central League honors for the second consecutive year ... a first team all-area selection by the Frederick Post ... named the top lineman in Frederick as a junior ... a preseason Mid-Atlantic all-region selection by PrepStar ... was also one of the top wrestlers in the state.
Personal: Akil Sadiki Patterson was born Jan. 23, 1983 ... son of Rhonda and Keith Patterson ... plans to major in law ... is interested in a career in politics.
Matt Powell
OG
6-4, 315, Fr.
Ft. Washington, Md.
(Oxon Hill HS)
High School: Attends Oxon Hill (Md.) High School ... started at offensive tackle and recorded a team-high six pancake blocks ... two-year team captain ... as a senior in 2000, was named second team Associated Press Big School all-state, second team All-Met by the Washington Post and first team All-Prince George's 4A League ... also was named first team All-Gazette and first team all-county by the Prince George's Journal ... named to the Washington, D.C. Pigskin Club All-Metro team ... second team all-county by the PG Journal as a junior ... a three-year starter who played both ways during his prep career ... throws the shot put for OHHS's track team ... an honor student ... high school coach was Clifton Haskins.
Personal: Matthew Devon Powell was born January 19, 1983 ... son of Yvonne and Michael Powell ... plans to major in engineering.
Maurice Smith
LB
6-0, 210, Fr.
Waldorf, Md.
(Westlake HS)
High School: Attends Westlake High School in Waldorf, Md. ... totaled 101 tackles in eight games (12.6 average) despite missing two games with an injury ... also had four sacks, two fumble recoveries and blocked one punt ... captured second team all-state honors as a linebacker from the Associated Press as a senior in 2000 ... was named to SuperPrep's all-region team ... named first team All-Southern Maryland Athletic Conference as a senior ... finished his career as the school's third-leading tackler, totaling 216 stops in three varsity seasons ... team captain and team defensive MVP as a senior .... three-year starter who played tight end as a sophomore and linebacker as junior and senior ... teammate of fellow recruit Randy Starks ... also lettered in basketball and track ... high school coach was Dom Zaccarelli.
Personal: Maurice Smith was born March 25, 1983 ... son of Karen and Dan Smith.
Randy Starks
DE
6-5, 290, Fr.
Waldorf, Md.
(Westlake HS)
High School: Attends Westlake High School in Waldorf, Md. ... totaled 77 tackles, seven sacks and two forced fumbles in 2000 despite being the focus of double teams throughout the season ... totaled 194 tackles in his varsity career ... three-year starter who played mostly offensive tackle as a sophomore and defensive tackle/offensive tackle as a junior and senior ... a SuperPrep All-America selection as a senior in 2000 ... rated the eighth-best defensive lineman in the country and the second-best player (at any position) overall in the Mid-Atlantic region by SuperPrep ... was named first team Associated Press Big School all-state as a senior ... a preseason Mid-Atlantic all-region selection by PrepStar ... also named first team All-Southern Maryland Athletic Conference for the second straight season ... named the state's top lineman by ESPN.com's Tom Lemming ... team captain as a senior ... honorable mention all-state as a junior after recording 67 tackles, six sacks and two forced fumbles ... named to George Michael's "Golden 11" all-star team in 1999 ... honorable mention All-Met as a junior ... ended his career No. 3 all-time in school history with 17 sacks ... reportedly benches 320 pounds and has a 32-inch vertical leap ... teammate of fellow recruit Maruice Smith ... a three-year letterman in basketball ... was the leading scorer and rebounder in southern Maryland as a junior ... basketball team is 16-0 through Feb. 4, 2001 ... selected Maryland over Penn State, Virginia Tech and several others ... high school coach was Dom Zaccarelli.
Personal: Randy Starks was born December 14, 1983 ... son of Beverly and Randolph Starks ... plans to major in computer science.
Marcus Wimbush
S
5-11, 180, Fr.
Washington, D.C.
(Dunbar HS)
High School: Attends Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C. ... in his three-year career, he totaled 20 interceptions, 198 tackles and 12 caused fumbles ... named the Washington Post Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2000 ... tabbed by the Post as one of "the Washington area's hardest hitters" ... was a SuperPrep All-America selection who totaled 58 tackles, three interceptions and caused four fumbles as a senior ... rated the 13th-best defensive back in the country and fifth-best player overall in the Mid-Atlantic region by SuperPrep ... team went 9-3 and won its third straight DCIAA championship in 2000 ... was a preseason Mid-Atlantic all-region choice by PrepStar ... named to George Michael's "Golden 11" All-Star team as a senior ... totaled more than 100 tackles, nine interceptions and 10 pass breakups as a junior in capturing All-Met and all-league recognition ... was also recruited by Pittsburgh and Michigan State ... high school coach was Craig Jefferies.
Personal: Marcus Joseph Wimbush was born Nov. 1, 1982 ... son of Jacqueline and Jessie Smith.
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