Superlatives for Maryland's 2013 football class

Milan Collins – Bishop McNamara, safety, 6-2, 200 pounds

A high school quarterback, Collins has the size, speed and smarts to make it as Maryland’s free safety of the future. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s not lacking for confidence. “If I come in and know the ins and outs of the playbook and am able to make tackles in open space, just be a field general at free safety, they say I have a great opportunity,” Collins said.

Most likely to overachieve: Given to the overlooked recruits that exceeded expectations during the high school season.

OFFENSE

Moise Larose – Wilde Lake, offensive tackle, 6-6, 290 pounds

The Terps didn’t offer Larose over the summer, prompting the Haiti-born lineman to commit to Rutgers. Once Maryland coaches saw him as a senior, however, they quickly extended a scholarship offer and flipped his commitment. Larose, a first-team Washington Post All-Met selection, could play offense or defense in College Park.

DEFENSE

Jalen Brooks – North Gwinnett (Ga.), linebacker, 6-3, 220

Maryland beat out several Ivy League schools for Brooks’ commitment. He rewarded the Terps with an all-region season, recording 93 tackles (67 solo), 15 tackles for loss, five sacks, one pass batted down, three interceptions, 16 quarterback hurries, one forced fumble, one blocked kick and two touchdown returns on INTs.

Most underrated: Given to the recruits with the best chance at making their recruiting rankings look silly four years from now.

OFFENSE

DeAndre’ Lane – Catonsville, running back/slot receiver, 5-8, 165 pounds

A two-star prospect according to Rivals.com, Lane might be the fastest prospect in this Maryland football class. He’s also one of the smallest recruits in the group, so a redshirt season seems like a good bet. Down the road, the Baltimore Sun second-team All-Metro selection has the potential to be a valuable third-down back or slot receiver and returner for the Terps.

DEFENSE

Elvis Dennah – Annapolis Area Christian School, safety, 6-3, 200 pounds

Dennah played for a winless AACS team as a senior, but fared well individually with 53 tackles (47 solo), 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, 20-plus receptions and two touchdowns catches. When asked to pick sleepers in Maryland’s class, Huffman and Shurburtt both mentioned Dennah. “You have a 6-3 safety who could end up bulking up and becoming an outside linebacker,” Huffman said. “There’s not a whole lot of film on him, but the film I’ve seen is pretty good. He has some upside to him. He’s a versatile and intriguing player.”

The rest of the class

OFFENSE

Silvano Altamirano – San Diego Mesa College, offensive lineman, 6-3, 290 pounds

Altamirano, a junior college transfer and one-time SMU commitment, has enrolled at College Park and will take part in spring practice. "He has the explosiveness, speed, pulling ability and toughness that we want from our offensive linemen,” Randy Edsall said in a news release.