Terps pick up QB commitment - TrapStar215's Blog

TrapStar215's Blog

Terps pick up QB commitment

Posted on May 5, 2009 at 05:49 PM.

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A new challenger has entered the competition to replace Maryland quarterback Chris Turner in 2010.
Easton, Pa., quarterback Tyler Smith committed to the Terps last night, according to Wilson Area High School coach Bret Comp.
The 6-foot-5, 198-pounder will compete with Jamarr Robinson, C.J. Brown and Danny O�Brien to take over for Turner in the fall of 2010. Smith chose the Terps over offers from Akron, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse and UConn.
�He and his parents sat down last night and obviously had a conversation, and they came to the conclusion that Maryland�s what they felt would be best for Tyler,� Comp said. �He called me up shortly thereafter, and we went ahead and gave Maryland the call. ... It�s a great fit for him. He went down to see the campus. He was down for the spring scrimmage to check things out, and he just really enjoyed what he was seeing.�
As a junior, Smith was 156-for-300 for 2,952 yards, 35 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. In its first season as a Pennsylvania AAA school, Wilson finished 12-1, winning a conference championship and a District 11 title. Comp said Smith took a dramatic step forward in his 11th grade campaign, both as a dropback quarterback and as a runner.
�He�s more of a pocket passer in my opinion, but he also rushed for 500 yards last year too, which is pretty good,� Comp said. �We don�t necessarily have a dual-threat type of offense. We actually throw the ball a little bit more than most of our competition does. ... So he�s not your typical dual-threat, slash and burn type of guy. He�s more of a physical, efficient runner that moves in the pocket very well. He can get those three or four yards if you need them. ... He runs well. But he�s got one of the strongest arms I�ve ever seen or heard of. I�ve been coaching quarterbacks for about 16 or 17 years, and I�ve never run into anybody like him for quite awhile.�
When Smith arrives in College Park in the fall of 2010, he�ll go from playing under one former East Stroudsburg (Pa.) quarterback to another. Comp was the Warriors� starting quarterback in the early 1990s, finishing his college career in 1992. Maryland offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach James Franklin served as Comp�s backup before taking over as the starter in 1993.
�James is a tremendous football coach, he was a tremendous football player and he was an even better teammate,� said Comp, noting that the two reconnected after Franklin came to College Park from Kansas State. �There�s a familiarity we have with each other. Even offensively, there are some things that both of us understand [and teach].�
Comp said he was a little surprised Smith committed so early in the recruiting process, but his choice makes a lot of sense.
�I could definitely see it going in Maryland�s direction,� Comp said. �I didn�t think he or his family would pull the trigger so soon, but they�ve obviously went and saw all these places and they also know what they like. Honestly, I don�t think the kid had any bad choices anywhere. It just comes down to where you see yourself the most happy, and Maryland was the place [for Tyler], without a doubt.�