Signing Day News Conference Quotes
Friedgen Interviewed on CSTV
Feb. 6, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The University of Maryland football program has signed 18 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent for the 2008 season, Coach Ralph Friedgen announced Wednesday, the first day of the national signing period.
The class is highlighted by five All-Americans, 16 student-athletes ranked among the top 100 nationally at their position and 13 who received all-state honors during their career.
In addition, seven of the signees were labeled four-star recruits by Rivals.com.
The Terps kept quite a bit of local talent at home, as nine members of the class hail from the state of Maryland or Washington, D.C.
"This is a great class in terms of size, speed and athleticism," Friedgen said. "It's also, by far, the best class academically we're had to date."
WR Kerry Boykins (Chesapeake, Va.), WR Kevin Dorsey (Forestville, Md.) and Gary Douglas (Durham, N.C.) were each PrepStar All-Americans, while TE Devonte Campbell (Forestville, Md.) and WR Kenny Tate (Forestville, Md.) were SuperPrep All-Americans. All five were also named all-state.
Other all-state honorees included DL Cody Blue (Columbia, Md.), DB Cameron Chism (Forestville, Md.), LB Eteyan Edet (Fort Washington, Md.), TE Matt Furstenberg (Flemington, N.J.), LB Demetrius Hartsfield (Raleigh, N.C), DL Masengo Kabongo (Stratford, Conn.), DL Zach Kerr (Gaithersburg, Md.) and OL Justin Lewis (Johnsonville, S.C.).
Of the 16 signees ranking in the top 100 at their positions by various outlets, seven were ranked among the top 25.
Campbell was 12th among tight ends by Scouts, Inc. coming out of high school, and No. 9 nationally among prep players. He attended Hargrave Military Academy last fall.
Each of the three Terps' wide-receiver signees were ranked among the top 25 in the nation at their position by various outlets.
Tate was No. 16 nationally among receivers by Scout.com and was the top-rated recruit in the state of Maryland by that outlet. In fact, according to Scout.com, the Terps landed two of the top three recruits in the state of Maryland. They also signed four of the top 11 recruits in the state, according to Rivals.com.
Boykins was another highly regarded wideout. He was ranked No. 20 nationally among wide receivers by Scouts, Inc., and the eighth-best prospect in the state of Virginia by Rivals.com.
Dorsey was the third-best product in the state of Maryland and ranked No. 25 nationally among wideouts by Scout.com.
Kabongo, one of four defensive-line recruits, was ranked 15th nationally among defensive tackles by Scouts, Inc. He was also the second-ranked player in the state of Connecticut by Rivals.com.
The signees hail from eight states, including Maryland/Washington D.C. (9), Virginia (2), North Carolina (2), Connecticut (1), Georgia (1), New Jersey (1), Pennsylvania (1) and South Carolina (1).
Nationally, the Terps ranked high among their peers at three positions. Rivals.com has Maryland's tight end crop ranked No. 4 in the country. The Terps also produced the ninth-best wide receiver class and sixth-best defensive tackle group.
The rest of the class includes QB Tyler Bass (Atlanta, Ga.), OL R.J. Dill (Camp Hill, Pa.), DL A.J. Francis (Severn, Md.), OL Justin Gilbert (Richmond, Va.) and RB Davin Meggett (Clinton, Md.).
Four members of the recruiting class - Campbell, Dorsey, Furstenberg, and Hartsfield - have completed their high school curriculum and have enrolled in classes for the spring semester. They will be eligible for spring ball and have four years of eligibility remaining beginning in the fall.
A pair of defensive linemen - Carl Russell (Washington, D.C.) and Joe Vellano (Rexford, N.Y.) - are also recent additions to the roster, though not included among the 18 signees.
Russell and Vellano signed with the Terps last season and enrolled in classes last month. They will also be eligible for spring practice and have four years of eligibility beginning in the fall.
Russell is another local product. He was a standout two-way lineman at H.D. Woodson High School. He earned honorable mention All-Met honors as an offensive lineman in 2006 and was a Pigskin Club All-Metropolitan choice as a senior defensive lineman. Vellano was a second-team all-state defensive tackle in 2006.
Recruiting Class Breakdown
BY STATE
MARYLAND/D.C. (9)
Cody Blue (Columbia)
Devonte Campbell (Forestville)
Cameron Chism (Forestville)
Kevin Dorsey (Forestville)
Eteyen Edet (Fort Washington)
A.J. Francis (Severn)
Zach Kerr (Gaithersburg)
Davin Meggett (Clinton)
Kenny Tate (Forestville)
NORTH CAROLINA (2)
Gary Douglas (Durham)
Demetrius Hartsfield (Raleigh)
VIRGINIA (2)
Kerry Boykins (Chesapeake)
Justin Gilbert (Richmond)
CONNECTICUT (1)
Masengo Kabongo (Fairfield)
GEORGIA (1)
Tyler Bass (Stockbridge)
NEW JERSEY (1)
Matt Furstenberg (Flemington)
PENNSYLVANIA (1)
R.J. Dill (Camp Hill)
SOUTH CAROLINA (1)
Justin Lewis (Johnsonville)
Individual Honors
ALL-AMERICA HONOREES (5)
Kerry Boykins (PrepStar)
Devonte Campbell (SuperPrep)
Kevin Dorsey (PrepStar)
Gary Douglas (PrepStar)
Kenny Tate (SuperPrep)
ALL-STATE HONOREES (13)
Cody Blue (Md. - first team)
Kerry Boykins (Va. - first team)
Devonte Campbell (Md. - first team)
Cameron Chism (Md. - first team)
Kevin Dorsey (Md. - first team)
Gary Douglas (N.C. - first team)
Eteyan Edet (Md. - first team)
Matt Furstenberg (N.J. - first team)
Demetrius Hartsfield (N.C. - first team)
Masengo Kabongo (Conn. - first team)
Zach Kerr (Md. - first team)
Justin Lewis (S.C. - first team)
Kenny Tate (Md. - first team)
RECRUIT RANKINGS
• Tyler Bass (No. 73 QB by Scout.com; No. 57 athlete by Scouts, Inc.)
• Kerry Boykins (No. 20 WR by Scouts, Inc.; No. 25 WR and No. 8 overall in Virginia by Rivals.com; No. 11 in Virginia by SuperPrep)
• Cody Blue (No. 65 DT by Scout.com; No. 19 player in MD by Rivals.com; No. 25 in MidAtlantic by SuperPrep; No. 78 OT by Scouts, Inc.)
• Devonte Campbell (No. 9 among prep school prospects by Rivals.com)
• Cameron Chism (No. 20 CB and No. 7 overall in MD by Rivals.com; No. 28 CB by Scouts, Inc.; No. 11 in MidAtlantic by SuperPrep)
• R.J. Dill (No. 61 OT by Scouts, Inc.; No. 72 OT by Rivals.com; No. 25 overall in Penn. by SuperPrep)
• Kevin Dorsey (No. 19 WR and No. 3 overall in MD by Rivals.com; No. 8 in MidAtlantic by SuperPrep; No. 57 WR by Scouts, Inc.)
• Gary Douglas (No. 46 RB and No. 27 overall in NC by Rivals.com; No. 81 RB by Scouts, Inc.)
• Eteyen Edet (No. 41 MLB by Scout.com, No. 36 overall in MidAtlantic by SuperPrep)
• A.J. Francis (No. 68 DT by Rivals.com, No. 80 OG by Scout.com, No. 12 in MidAtlantic by SuperPrep)
• Matt Furstenburg (No. 37 among prep school prospects by Rivals.com)
• Justin Gilbert (68 OT by Scouts, Inc.)
• Demetrius Hartsfield (No. 20 ILB by Scouts, Inc.; No. 30 ILB and No. 18 overall in NC by Rivals.com)
• Masengo Kabongo (No. 15 DT by Scouts, Inc.; No. 24 DT and No. 2 overall in Conn. by Rivals.com, No. 33 by Scout.com, No. 5 overall in New England by SuperPrep)
• Justin Lewis (No. 49 OG by Scouts, Inc.; No. 61 OG and No. 25 overall in SC by Rivals.com)
• Davin Meggett (No. 16 in MD by Rivals.com, No. 29 in MidAtlantic by SuperPrep)
• Kenny Tate (No. 19 WR by Scouts, Inc.; No. 100 overall by PrepStar, No. 16 WR and No. 1 overall in MD by Scout.com)
Team Honors
• Wide Receiver Class (tied for No. 9 by Rivals.com)
• Tight End Class (No. 4 by Rivals.com)
• Defensive Tackle Class (tied for No. 6 by Rivals.com)
BY POSITION
OFFENSE (11)
Running Back (2)
Gary Douglas
Davin Meggett
Offensive Linemen (3)
R.J. Dill
Justin Gilbert
Justin Lewis
Quarterback (1)
Tyler Bass
Tight End (2)
Devonte Campbell
Matt Furstenburg
Wide Receiver (3)
Kerry Boykins
Kevin Dorsey
Kenny Tate
DEFENSE (7)
Defensive Linemen (4)
Cody Blue
A.J. Francis
Zach Kerr
Masengo Kabongo
Linebacker (2)
Eteyen Edet
Demetrius Hartsfield
Defensive Back (1)
Cameron Chism
SPECIALISTS (0)
