Big Ten recruiting roundup: Maryland makes surge; Ohio State welcomes in two talented corners

In a span of four days stretching from Thursday to Sunday, Maryland’s football team received verbal commitments from four defensive backs in the class of 2016, bolstering a position that appeared to lack future depth before the flurry of pledges. South Carroll (Md.) safety Silas Kelly and Don Bosco (N.J.) cornerback Tyrone Hill both committed to the Terrapins on Thursday to kick-start the team’s surge. Parnell Motley, a cornerback from Washington, and Devin Butler, a safety from outside of Baltimore, followed suit Saturday and Sunday, respectively. None of the recent additions to coach Randy Edsall’s squad are ranked better than three-star recruits by any major recruiting service. Still, Maryland’s busy four days are significant in that they continued to gain momentum with local recruits and patched up an area of need. It’s unclear whether the string of pledges have any impact on the recruitment of Trevon Diggs, a highly-coveted defensive back who is also considering Penn State and several other schools. The younger brother of former Terrapins star receiver Stefon Diggs, Trevon has set his decision date for this Saturday. Before this week, Diggs was thought to be the Terps’ most important target, as he would bring four-star talent to a defensive backfield that Edsall failed to improve on with his 2015 class. Perhaps Maryland made an effort to bring in several defensive backs this past week because it isn’t confident it can land Diggs. Or maybe Diggs will feel encouraged by the new additions. Either way, the Fourth of July could be a big day for the Terps and the Nittany Lions…

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