By Mike Loveday

There are 36 Maryland football players who have already made their college decision -- they are just waiting for Feb. 4, national signing day, to make it official. But for Jelani Jenkins, Tavon Austin and Jason Ankrah, the recruiting process has been more about getting it right than getting it over.

	Michael D Kurec for ESPNRISE
	Jelani Jenkins isn't rushing into making a college decision.

"It was a conscious decision for me. It's a big opportunity with a lot of colleges offering, and I just wanted to wait as long as I can. Learn as much as I can about the colleges," Jenkins said. "I just wanted to wait until after football season, take all my visits and take my time, once I'm done with the football season."

Good Counsel's Jenkins has been dealing with the recruiting process since his sophomore season. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Jenkins is the ESPNU 150 No. 2 rated linebacker and has more than 30 offers. He has conducted interviews and answered questions about his recruiting, but has yet to hint as to where or when he will commit. There was speculation that he would commit during the Jan. 4 broadcast of the Under Armour high school all-star game on ESPN.

"I will probably not have my decision by then, but if I do, I will probably do it during the Under Armour game," Jenkins said. "I would have to get all my five officials by that time. Right now it will probably be Feb. 4."

While Jenkins has been dealing with recruiting since his sophomore season, Quince Orchard's Ankrah has been gaining interest since the summer before his senior season.

"In the beginning [of the summer] it started off with two schools. Then it grew to five, then seven then 10," Ankrah said. "I just put it off to see which one gives me the best opportunity. I'm still waiting to see. I don't really want to rush into anything because I don't want to regret it later."

The 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive end held more than 10 offers before narrowing his list to Penn State, Michigan, Maryland, Clemson, Virginia Tech and Nebraska, but has held off from making a decision until he can take his official visits.

Austin's college choice is as difficult to figure out as he is to tackle on the football field. For the 5-foot-8, 160-pound athlete, it has been an internal debate.

"The reason I waited so long is because I don't know if I want to play in a pro-style offense or a spread offense. That's what's really keeping me," Austin said. "I wanted to take all my visits and see what place I felt comfortable at. It just falls back on what type of offense I'm going to play in. A lot of colleges say I'm going to play the slot, but a lot say I can play both. I'm really leaning toward both, but it's a family decision too. Every coach asks me what I'm waiting for."

Ankrah said he learned a lot about how to choose a college -- information he is passing on to teammates.

"I would tell them to keep their grades up so they don't have to worry about eligibility later. Find out which schools are real and which schools really want you for you and not just for your talent," Ankrah said. "I talk to the players from the school and ask them if they regret their decision. Coach Mac [Quince Orchard head coach Dave Mencarini] has relationships with a lot of college coaches so he lets me know. I listen to the coaches and what they say and I can tell if they're telling the truth or not."

These three athletes have a wealth advice for the next class after years in the spotlight.

"I'm going to tell my juniors to make sure they feel out the coaches and ask the right questions," Austin said. "One question they should ask coaches is about looking past football. I want to know which coach is going to look out for me after football."

Jenkins and Ankrah's seasons ended this past weekend as both teams lost -- Good Counsel in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) championship game and Quince Orchard in the Class 4A West region final. Austin, Jenkins and Ankrah will play in the Maryland Crab Bowl - a state-wide all-star game on Dec. 20. Austin can be seen next when his Dunbar team plays Catoctin in the Class 1A state semifinals Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.

By Mike Loveday

	Mike Loveday/ESPNRise
	Quince Orchard looks to run back to the Class 4A state title game this year.

                                                                                                                                                      Last Year: 14-0, Class 4A state champions

Key losses: Thomas Addison (RB), Zach Kerr (DL), and Jason Morrison (QB).

Key returnees: Travis Hawkins (ATH), Terrence Stephens (DL), Jason Ankrah (DL), Cody Magill (TE/DL), Dake Williams (OL/DL).

Impact newcomer: Kevin Adams (QB), Mitch Carney (WR/DB).

Most Improved: According to head coach Dave Mencarini, Kaevon Morgan has done a great job of improving this year. The 5-foot-7, 140-pound receiver did not play last year and now is expected to be one of the starters.

Names to watch: Ben Sasu is another running back that could help ease the load on Hawkins.

My take: Quince Orchard does have a few question marks this season. Will they be able to fill Kerr's role at defensive tackle? Who will take over at quarterback with the graduation of Morrison? How will the team respond to winning the title last year?

Even with those questions, the Cougars are still the preseason favorite to head back to the Class 4A title game. Hawkins is one of the state's most talented athletes and will make plays on offense and defense.

Quince Orchard dominated the trenches last season and with Ankrah, Stephens and Magill back on the defensive line they should again this year.

I think the only thing that could stand in the Cougars way this year is themselves. They are talented and experienced and have an outstanding coaching staff. Going undefeated could be the biggest challenge with Sherwood and Damascus both on the regular season schedule and fellow 4A teams Arundel and Thomas Johnson boasting talented rosters too.

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By Mike Loveday, editor

State College, Pa., is little more than a three-hour drive for most of the Maryland football players committed to Penn State University, but the ESPN Outside the Lines series profiling the trouble Penn State athletes have gotten into over the past six years must have hit a little closer to home.

Or did it?

Six Maryland high school football players are verbally committed to attend Penn State following their senior seasons and none of the players contacted seem concerned about the issues raised in the program.

"Me and my mother watched it. It didn't really have an affect on me because I know what I can do and what I'm going through, Eleanor Roosevelt's Derrick Thomas (pictured below) added. "It doesn't really change my mind at all. I still like Penn State and I'm still with it.

While that sentiment is shared by the other athletes, Thomas' mother did not agree.

"To see all that stuff happening there I really worry. At this point I don't really want him to go to that school. I know you can't run away because trouble is everywhere, but to see that they have a coach and a coaching staff that is not doing what they need to do to keep this stuff from happening it really worries me, Angela Thomas said. "I don't want my son to attend a school where there's no guidance. When he's away from me I want him to have a role model to keep him in line.

According to the OTL program, "since 2002, 46 Penn State football players have faced 163 criminal charges, according to an ESPN analysis of Pennsylvania court records and reports. Twenty-seven players have been convicted of or have pleaded guilty to a combined 45 counts.

When asked if she was concerned about Thomas attending Penn State Mrs. Thomas replied, "I am. Honestly I am. I'm going to have to have a serious talk with him. I'm definitely not leaving it up to him. We all need to sit down and talk about this because I just want the best for my son. & I need to see what type of options he wants to have right now, because Penn State, to me, is not a good option.

Thomas added that his mother had expressed interest in him attending the University of Maryland before his commitment. Thomas chose Penn State over offers from Maryland, Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Illinois.

Thomas is one of six Maryland athletes committed to Penn State. Eleanor Roosevelt teammate Stephon Morris, Oxon Hill's Brandon Felder, Lackey's Darrell Givens and Malcolm Willis and Gaithersburg's Sean Stanley have all committed to play for the Nittany Lions.

In fact, Penn State has received more commitments from Maryland players than from any other state so far. Five Pennsylvania athletes have given verbal commitments as of press time.

From those already committed, the allegations have little to no affect.

"Of course if you have a lot of students and players at one school getting into trouble it's going to make that school look bad, but you can't necessarily say that the school is a bad place. It just shows that those people chose to make the wrong decision, Givens said. "It's not really been a big deal to me. Once you're in college you're an adult. You're a grown female or male and you're old enough to make your own decisions. If you choose to make the wrong decision, that's on you.

The program seems to have raised so little interest in the athletes interviewed for this story that at least one, Felder, still has not seen it. Thomas chose to not watch the entire program and said he has no interest in seeing the rest of it.

While no names were mentioned in the OTL program, days later former Gwynn Park standout Phil Taylor was dismissed from the team. A name that Roosevelt defensive back Morris knows, which made the series more interesting for him, but did not make him waiver from his decision.

"My whole take on it was that I stay away from that type of trouble. When you go to college you should know the things you shouldn't be doing, Morris said.

What about the questions surrounding Paterno's job security? The 81-yeard old, who will enter his 43rd season as head coach and has compiled a win-loss record of 372-125-3, enters the last year of his contract and the release of the OTL information raises serious questions as to whether JoPa will return.

"I've been told that about his (Joe Paterno) contract. I've been watching ESPN College Gameday, they keep talking about it. I mean even if this is his last year, whether it's a successor, which I'd love to have, or if it's a brand new coaching staff, and then I guess I'm going to have to see, Morris added. "I'm going (to Penn State) because that's where I should be. It wasn't for any specific coach.

Bobbie Felder, the mother of Brandon Felder (pictured), also seemed unconcerned about the program.

"I honestly don't have a problem as far as these allegations that have gone on with Penn State, Mrs. Felder said. "Both my son and I believe in the program and I don't feel as though this is going to be a problem with my son's football career or academic career.

While each student-athlete comes from a different background and are spread out over several counties, they all expressed a single thought.

"At a lot of schools around the country things are going to happen, people make mistakes. It's not like it really affected me or changed my mind, Lackey's Malcolm Willis said. "There are places you can get in trouble around the world. You can live in the country with no trouble at all and you can mess up. It's about bettering yourself after you make that mistake.

Penn State has offers out to five more Maryland high school athletes: Dunbar's Tavon Austin, Gwynn Park's Raynard Randolph, Quince Orchard's Travis Hawkins and Jason Ankrah and Good Counsel's Jelani Jenkins.

So how will this impact the decision for potential commitments? At least one athlete said it will have none.

"That's not me. I know what kind of person I am and I won't be in situations like that, Randolph said. "That has nothing to do with me and has nothing to do with the school. That's outside of the school and what they did. & stuff like that happens everywhere. Unfortunately they were the ones to get caught. Penn State is still one of my favorites.

Randolph is said to be deciding between attending Penn State and Maryland.

As of press time, the other four athletes mentioned above along with Stanley were unavailable for comment.

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Email Mike at Mike.Loveday.ESPN@gmail.com

By Mike Loveday

Oloveday5@yahoo.com

Loyola rising senior Terence Garvin made the decision that will impact his next four years. He verbally committed to West Virginia University on Friday, July 25; according to Loyola head coach Brian Abbott. West Virginia recruited Garvin as a free safety.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Garvin also held an offer from Maryland at the time of his commitment.

Garvin also plays running back for the Don's and according to Abbott will likely see time at linebacker this season. Last year Garvin rushed for 792 yards and 15 touchdowns and added 42 tackles and three interceptions on defense.

Garvin is the first Maryland recruit to commit to WVU this season. The Mountaineers have also extended offers to uncommitted Maryland athletes Tavon Austin, Jason Ankrah, Raynard Randolph, Jelani Jenkins, Travis Hawkins, Xavier Hughes and Anthony Young-Wiseman.

If you want more information about Loyola and the upcoming season, including team breakdowns and player profiles, you can order your copy online of the Preseason Football Magazine Here

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By Mike Loveday

oloveday5@yahoo.com

Almost every team that makes it deep into the state playoffs have one thing in common, underclassmen that contribute.

Those underclassman help augment the senior leadership. Let's look at the teams that made the championship games last year.

Quince Orchard had senior Thomas Addison, but Travis Hawkins, Terrence Stephens, Jason Ankrah and Cody Magill were all juniors. Arundel had two outstanding seniors, but Alec Lemon and Sean Fitzgerald were the perfect compliment to Brandon Johnson-Farrell.

River Hill had the trio of Michael Campanaro, Malek Redd and Leron Eaddy to help senior Zach Martin go out a champion. Dunbar was led by juniors Tavon Austin, Sean Farr and Jonathan Perry on offense and Tevin Brown on defense. Allegany put their running game on the shoulders of offensive lineman Justin Hymes.

Hereford and Damascus seem to be the exception to this rule as both teams relied heavily on seniors to get them to the title game, but state semifinalists Lackey, Wilde Lake, Clarksburg and Thomas Johnson counted on their juniors.

With this in mind I'm continuing my look at some of the rising juniors that I expect to make an impact on their respective teams this season. This is the third and final story in the series.

Robbie Havenstein, Linganore: At 6-foot-7, 300-pounds, Havenstein is an imposing presence on the line. The offensive tackle not only has the size, but also the agility to anchor the Lancers this season.

J.D. Hook, Allegany: As a running back, Hook will be looked to as a replacement for Jake Twigg and Brian Matthews. As a linebacker, the junior will pair with fellow junior Dustin Wharton as leaders on the defense.

Evan Pittman, Calvert Hall: (pictured above) Pittman impressed coaches with his size, mobility and strong arm at the Bullseye combine. As a Super 100 member, Pittman proved that he could lead his team during 7-on-7 games.

E.J. Scott, Good Counsel: A look at 2010 athletes is not complete with Scott. The receiver and defensive back is not only an impact player on the Falcons, but will be one of the most highly recruited athletes in the state.

Tyler Lardy, Gaithersburg: Lardy ran a 4.7 40-yard dash at the Bullseye Combine and showed his explosiveness with a 25-8 vertical and a 29-2 kneeling power ball toss.

Troy Gloster, Good Counsel: (pictured right) Gloster is another Falcon that will be highly recruited. The 5-11, 209-pound linebacker has a rock-solid frame and runs a 4.7 40.

Joseph Kirby, Kent Island: As a sophomore, Kirby rushed for 441 yards and seven touchdowns. At the Bullseye Combine, the running back ran a 4.68 40 and did 14 repetitions of 155 pounds.

Kyle Tucker, Linganore: The Lancers line will be tough to get through with Havenstein and Tucker. Tucker broke the Bullseye Combine bench press record when he did 38 reps of 155 pounds.

Devante Stamps, McDonogh: Stamps could be the perfect compliment to fellow receiver Javarrus King. Stamps has 4.8 speed and has a 6-foot-2, 183-pound frame, similar to that of King.

Dylan Acab, Poly: Acab showed good speed with a 4.6 40-yard dash and was one of several Engineers to impress during the Bullseye Combine.

Justin Handley, Patuxent: Handley has 4.67 speed and as a third receiver in the Patuxent offense, could be the perfect slot receiver compliment to Eric Farmer and Justin Ford.

Antione Goodson, Poly: Goodson was primarily the running quarterback for Poly last season, but during the Bullseye Super 100 he showcased one of the strongest arms of any participant.

Nick Bonhag, River Hill: Bonhag plays tight end for the Hawks and made a run at the Bullseye Super 100 MVP with highlight reel catches during 7-on-7 games.

Kevin Johnson, River Hill: Johnson played quarterback on the junior varsity, but could see time as a defensive back for the Hawks this season. With 4.65 speed and a 35-inch vertical, there has to be some place for this athlete to play.

Malik Cross, Oxon Hill: Cross along with receiver Brandon Felder will be a player to watch on Oxon Hill's offense. As a sophomore, Cross rushed for 1,653 yards and nine touchdowns.

If you want more information about the upcoming season and all the players you can order your copy of the Preseason Football Magazine Here

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By Mike Loveday

I spoke with Quince Orchard head coach Dave Mencarini today to check in on his remaining three athletes: Travis Hawkins (pictured), Cody Magill and Jason Ankrah. All three athletes have narrowed their list of schools and while rumors have swirled about Hawkins commitment, I hate to disappoint.

Defensive end Jason Ankrah is still in the process of checking out schools, but has narrowed his list to seven schools. Penn State, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Michigan and N.C. State are all still in the running for the 6-foot-4, 248-pound Ankrah.

Tight end and defensive end Cody Magill has also narrowed his list with Syracuse, Ohio, Richmond, Delaware, East Carolina, James Madison and Vanderbilt making the cut. According to Mencarini, Vanderbilt only recently made the cut and both the school and Magill are showing increased interest.

Hawkins name has surfaced lately as many have speculated that the defensive back has committed to the University of Maryland, but Mencarini assured me that is not the case and added that Hawkins is currently on vacation.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Hawkins has narrowed his choices though. Maryland, Georgia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Tennessee, Michigan and Oregon are the seven schools Hawkins will choose from.

As to when Hawkins will commit, Mencarini said he does not think his star athlete has a timetable.