Four-star cornerback and Oxon Hill, Maryland, native Deon Jones committed to Maryland via a live stream on SENTelevision.com on Wednesday night, giving the Terps their second-highest-rated recruit for the class of 2017 behind five-star defensive end Joshua Kaindoh.
At 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, Jones could be in the mix for some playing time when he arrives on the campus in fall 2017.
The Terps lost three starting defensive backs after last year, and All Big-Ten cornerback Will Likely is graduating after this season.
Jones was mainly recruited by defensive backs coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim and coach DJ Durkin, according to Rivals.com. Since arriving in College Park in December, Abdul-Rahim and Durkin have received commitments from two stout defensive lineman and now a pair of strong defensive backs in Jones and three-star cornerback Fofie Bazzie.
Jones was between the Terps and the Clemson Tigers according to 247Sports, but the No. 3 recruit in Maryland also had offers from schools such as Auburn, Florida, Stanford and Ohio State. Jones is the 12th- and 13th-ranked cornerback in the country per Rivals and 247sports, respectively.
Despite having 34 offers, Jones chose to stay home, further strengthening the “DMV to UMD” movement Durkin has been preaching. Jones, who plays at Potomac, is now the seventh player in the class from Washington, D.C., Maryland or Virginia.
Jones joins quarterback Kasim Hill, offensive lineman Jordan McNair and defensive lineman Cam Spence as the four-star recruits in the 2017 class so far. With Jones’ commitment, the Terps have the No. 19 class in the country and fifth best in the Big Ten. Their current national ranking would be the best finish in program history.
