If you aren't familiar with H.D. Woodson junior quarterback Ricardo Young (6-foot-1, 170), you're about to be. With over 15 elite Division I offers already on the table, Young could be the area's next Kenny Tate or Jelani Jenkins entering his senior year.
The dynamic quarterback led Woodson to the Turkey Bowl for the second straight year this past November, but this time he left the game on the winning side after being named the Most Valuable Player. Young is a star in the making, and he is expected to make an announcement on where he will enroll in college in the next week.
Maryland is among Young's suitors.
Since the departure of Scott McBrien after the 2003 season, the University of Maryland has struggled to find a quarterback who can also be the face of the team. Young can be that guy. Not only does he have the personality to become a star at Maryland, but he fits into the West Coast, pro-style offense that James Franklin runs as the Terps quarterback coach, offensive coordinator and head coach in-waiting.
With Franklin as the head coach in-waiting, Young could find himself in the perfect situation, especially with Maryland only having two experienced quarterbacks on scholarship entering the 2009-10 season in Chris Turner and Jamar Robinson.
Virginia Tech and West Virginia are two of the schools competing with Maryland for Young, but the Terps have had great success in keeping local recruits in the past few years. Maryland's 2010 commit list already features one player from Maryland (Titus Till) and one from Virginia (Jeremiah Wilson).
Eighteen local players from the class of 2009 have or will enroll at Maryland this coming fall, including standouts Pete White (St. John's), Caleb Porzel (Good Counsel), DeOnte Arnett (Forestville), Cody Blue (Fork Union), Pete DeSouza (DeMatha), Travis Hawkins (Quince Orchard) and David Mackall (Baltimore's Edmondson-Westside).
Todd Bradley is the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of www.DCSportsFan.com, which has covered high school athletics in the D.C. area since 2005.
