Feb. 1, 2006

College Park, Md. - Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen on the Terrapin's 2006 recruiting class:

"We're very excited about this class. We have eight players named to an All-American or Dream Team by Prep Star or Super Prep. Seventeen are all region selections by Prep Star or Super Prep. Ten players were picked at the Top 25 nationally at their position by ESPN.com and Rivals.com. The number two prep school recruit in the nation and the 2005 number one defensive end by ESPN.com and Rivals is in this class. The number one player in the state of Connecticut is in this class. The number two player in the state of West Virginia is in this class. The New Jersey state Defensive Player of the Year by the Newark Star Ledger is in this class. The fifth ranked dual threat quarterback in the nation by rivals.com is in this class. The leading rusher in the state of Pennsylvania is in this class. And the first player to be named First Team All-State in Virginia for both offense and defense in the past ten years is in this class. I think this class has filled some needs for us. Two years ago we lost five wide receivers and last year we lost three, so we went out and got speed and five new players at that position. We also needed to address the defensive backs, and we went out and got four big corners. Overall, this class is a very good one and I think it will help us in the areas we need it. I'm very excited about it."

On Chris Clinton:
"This is a kid who can really run, which is what excited us about him last year. He went to Fort Union last year and had an excellent year last year. He is in school right now, which will help him."

On Morgan Green:
"He finished his Maryland career as the fifth best overall rusher in the history of the state of Maryland. He had 5100 yards rushing in his high school career. Morgan is also here right now."

On Stephen Smalls:
"He's a wide receiver, who played with Jordan Steffy in high school. He is also here now going to class."

On Josh Portis:
"We recruited Josh last year, but he went to the University of Florida. He was the second team quarterback and was unhappy so he transferred to Maryland. He is also enrolled in school now. He is an excellent quarterback with a very good arm and he is very athletic. We are very excited to have him in our program."

On Melvin Alaeze:
"Melvin has tremendous acceleration and can really run for a big guy. He is really fit and we're really looking for him to make an impact."

On Bruce Campbell:
"Bruce is the number one prospect from Connecticut and he played offense and defense. We haven't really made up our mind which way we're going to play him yet, but he is very athletic."

On Adrian Moten:
"This kid is a football player. He played safety in the state championship game and made a critical interception and ran it back for a touchdown. He does a lot of things and is all over the field."

On Brian Whitmore:
"He was a very highly recruited kid and to get Brian was very important for us. He is very athletic and we're planning to play him where Shawn Merriman played. He'll play both sides of the ball really well and may eventually end up being a defensive end for us."

On Alex Wujciak:
"He is another good athlete, who started on the New Jersey state championship basketball team last year for Seton Hall Prep. He averages about 15 points a game. He is also a very good student and it is a really plus to have him in our program."

On Brandon Jackson-Mills:
"We had Brandon at our camp this summer and we were very impressed with the way he moved and the way he covered people. He has very good hips and very good acceleration."

On Taji Thorton:
"He has very good acceleration. Every single one of the players in the secondary of his high school team got a Division 1 scholarship, so he came from a very good defense in high school. I am really anxious to see him next year."

On Pha'Terrell Washington:
"Pha'Terrell is another very good athlete and we're looking at him as a corner. He's another big corner back who can run and we're really excited about him."

On Laquan Williams:
"Not a lot of people recruited him. He has great acceleration and is a very good student and I think he is a real sleeper. I'm really glad we got him because I think he's going to be a pretty good player. "

On Evan Eastburn:
"Evan is a very athletic and mobile offensive lineman. Not only does he play center, but he plays guard, he can run, he plays fullback, he runs over people, he plays defensive nose. He's very strong and I'm happy we got him. He'll be a true center for us."

On Cory Jackson:
"He is the number two player out of West Virginia. He played fullback and tailback and rushed for 1700 yards. He blocks very well and can catch the ball out of the back field. I'm excited about him because I think he gives us a dimension of being able to run the ball as a full back. He is an excellent student."

On Da'Rel Scott:
"He is the fastest kid in Pennsylvania. This year he rushed for 2500 yards and had 38 touchdowns. He is a big 33 all star game player, who committed to us early and went on to have a phenomenal year."

On Adrian Cannon:
"He is a big, strong wide receiver and is very athletic. I'm really excited about him because he is so strong and I look forward to him doing very well."

On Emani Lee:
"He's another wide receiver that we saw in camp. We offered him a scholarship and he committed to us, but then he got a high ankle sprain about the third game of the season and hardly played his senior year. I'm kind of pulling for this kid because he hasn't had the easiest life in the world. But he still has an opportunity right now and hopefully he'll make the best of things."

On Quinton Mccree:
"He has tremendous speed, good hands, and good height. I really think he brings a lot to the table for us."

On Ronnie Tyler:
"He is very fast and very explosive. He isn't the biggest kin, but he has great change of direction and great hands. We really like him because he is a playmaker."

On Drew Gloster:
"He is another very athletic kid. I think he is going to end up being about 255 and he can run. Hopefully he can have a similar career as Vernon [Davis], because he is a similar kind of athlete."

On Jeremy Ricker:
"He threw for 5245 yards and 67 touchdowns for his career. He is the ninth ranked quarterback in the nation by ESPN.com and the number five dual threat quarterback by Rivals.com. We think we have an excellent quarterback."

On Jamarr Robinson:
"Jamarr is an athlete who also played some wide receiver. He was at our camp and we really liked the way he threw the ball. We're really trying to improve our athleticism at quarterback and I think we're done that."

On this year's recruiting class compared to classes of the past:
"I would say it's probably in the top-three. I wasn't very pleased with our first class, and I think we've gotten steadily better. We finished fourth in the ACC out of 12 teams, and I think we're pretty happy about what we have right here."