One of ESPN’s mouths, Tony Kornheiser, suggested Maryland’s football woes are Randy Edsall’s fault because of his local recruiting.
If this were Florida, the mouth of the east, said Feb. 7 on his Tony Kornheiser Show on 980 am in Washington, in state recruiting would be great. But the DMV is not a high school hot bed, he added.
To his defense, Kornheiser suggested he had early on-set of dementia earlier in the show. Had the sexagenarian done a little research, or had his staff do research for him, Korny would have shut up and allowed people think he was smart.
The problem is football factories in Baltimore and Elkton allow the cream of their crop to leave the state. If these schools taught loyalty, their players would move to College Park and help the state’s NCAA football team regain respectability.
But they don’t. Two of the best high school football players in Maryland are headed to the University of Southern California. Defensive tackle Kenny Bigelow committed to USC in December 2011. The Trojans also stole guard Khaliel Rodgers. Both hail from Eastern Christian Academy in Elkton.
Then there is the Gilmore School in Baltimore. Four-star defensive tackle Henry Poggi is headed to the University of Michigan where he will play against the Terps for three years.
Good Counsel’s Kendall Fuller chose Virginia Tech over Maryland. He is a five-star cornerback who runs a 4.5 40. Linebacker Dorian O’Daniel plans to leave the state for Clemson in the fall.
Obviously it is time for a Maryland Education Department investigation into these so-called schools to make sure everything is in order. For instance, while the boys are learning to block and tackle, are they learning reading, writing and math? Do the jocks actually show up in class and take their tests? Do these religious-affiliated schools receive any state funds? If so, stop it. At least until the football factories learn where College Park is.
Even public school star Marcus Newby turned on his state. He is committed to play linebacker for Nebraska. What is a kid from Gaithersburg going to do in Lincoln?
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