The Maryland Terrapins landed a major recruiting prize Saturday when 5-star defensive end Joshua Kaindoh formally committed to head coach D.J. Durkin and his esteemed program.
Kaindoh confirmed his commitment on Twitter:
Both InsideMDSports.com's Jeff Ermann and ESPN.com's Tom VanHaaren noted how huge this announcement was for the school:
247Sports' composite rankings list Kaindoh as the top weak-side defensive end in the Class of 2017, and he occupies an esteemed perch as the 22nd-ranked player among all 2017 recruits. The IMG Academy graduate is also the fourth-ranked player in the state of Florida.
"He gets up the field in two steps and has the speed to get around the edge," Scout.com's Brian Dohn wrote. "He is also effective dropping into coverage, and he can chase plays down from behind."
Though Kaindoh is finishing his high school career at IMG, he started out at Mount Carmel in Baltimore, where coaches immediately recognized his tremendous potential. Among other things, Mount Carmel head coach Daryl Jackson marveled at the defensive end's 6'6", then-235-pound frame.
"He could probably put on another 40 or 50 pounds and you probably wouldn't even notice it," Jackson said last year, per the Baltimore Sun's Ryan Baillargeon. "I'd like to see him improve in that area. We'd also like to see him work on putting his hand in the dirt a little bit more."
Since Kaindoh is evidently still growing into an imposing frame, with 247Sports currently listing him at 256 pounds, he could steadily evolve into a pass-rushing dynamo off the edge with extra guidance at Maryland.
Although the Terrapins didn't qualify for Kaindoh's official final four, they remained in the mix—so much so that 247Sports listed them as the Crystal Ball favorite to land him.
For several reasons, the announcement shouldn't come as much of a shock. First and foremost, Kaindoh grew up in Essex, Maryland. Second, Durkin had targeted Kaindoh aggressively as he enacted a two-pronged approach.
"Kaindoh represents a perfect intersection of [Durkin's] two main recruiting goals: keeping Maryland's best talent in Maryland, and reaching down to Florida," SB Nation's Ryan Connors wrote.
Snagging Kaindoh represents the continuation of a positive trend for Durkin as well. According to 247Sports, Maryland has also received a hard commitment from 4-star IMG Academy defensive tackle Cam Spence, who could soon help form one of the Big Ten's most dominant defensive line.
The Terps still have work to do if they want to catch up to the likes of Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State when it comes to bagging big-name recruits in the Class of 2017, but adding Kaindoh should be considered a major win for a program on the rise.
Recruit rankings courtesy of 247Sports.
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