With the bowl season behind us and National Signing Day just around the corner and the dead period in recruiting lifted last week, we are in prime flipping season. On Monday, Ohio State finally had something go their way at the expense of a division foe, Maryland.
Dwayne Haskins, a four-star pro-style quarterback and Top 100 player according to Rivals, has officially changed his commitment from in-state Maryland to Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Haskins previously committed to Maryland last May, but The program has undergone some changes since that point in time, of course. Randy Edsall was fired and Mike Locksley is no longer a part of the staff either. Both were influential in recruiting Haskins.
“It has been a dream of mine to play for The Ohio State University,” Haskins said in a released statement. “This prestigious university best represents my family values and playing under Coach Meyer, Coach Beck and the rest of the coaching staff best exampled strong leadership abilities and a people that I can have a relationship with after football was important. “
As if nabbing a four-star player at a position of great need for Maryland was not hard enough for the Terrapins, Ohio State also managed to successfully flip linebacker Keandre Jones. Jones had committed to Maryland in December 2014 but took the opportunity to re-evaluate his standing in the recruitment process amid the staff changes in College Park. Jones took an official visit to Ohio State over the weekend and came away with a change of heart. He informed Maryland head coach D.J. Durkin of his plans on Monday morning. Jones is the top-rated player in the state of Maryland and the 30th best player in the country according to Rivals.
So to recap, Ohio State swooped in and took two of Maryland’s top recruits in the Class of 2016 with just a few short weeks remaining before signing day. Ohio State currently owns the top-ranked recruiting class in the updated team rankings assembled by Rivals. Maryland has slumped to No. 63.