Revisiting Maryland's 2008 football recruiting class: The defense

Who I picked: Demetrius Hartsfield -- Southeast Raleigh (N.C.) Magnet High School, linebacker

Who it should've been: Cameron Chism – Bishop McNamara, cornerback

Most likely to be a multi-year starter: Self-explanatory -- this recruit has all-conference potential.

Who I picked: Chism

Who it should've been: Hartsfield

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

Who I picked: Eteyen Edet -- Fort Washington Friendly, linebacker

Who it should've been: Edet?

Why: Since I wrote this as more of a high school-based award, Edet still fits the bill as an athletic but unknown two-star who burst onto the Terps' recruiting radar after his 110-tackle senior season at Friendly. Of course, Edet never got the chance to overachieve in College Park. After missing NCAA qualifying standards, the linebacker headed to Milford Academy in New York for a prep year. Edet's stay at Milford lasted less than a month, but soon after he turned up at North Carolina Tech in Charlotte. Maryland quickly cut ties with Edet, who later did a stint at North Carolina A&T. According to his Facebook page, Edet now lives in Los Angeles.

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Most underrated: Given to the recruit with the best chance at making his recruiting ranking look silly four years from now.

Who I picked: Zach Kerr -- Quince Orchard, defensive tackle

Who it should've been: A.J. Francis -- Gonzaga (D.C.), defensive tackle

Why: Francis was a two-star prospect and the No. 82 offensive guard according to Scout.com. He redshirted his freshman year and was immediately a factor on the Terps' defensive line the following fall. A freshman All-ACC selection by The Sporting News, Francis started 10 games his redshirt freshman year and led the Terps defensive linemen with 31 tackles. He started nine games the following year and was second on the Maryland D-line in stops with 44. Francis' production dropped a bit last fall, with 31 tackles (including two sacks and three TFLs) in 12 games, but he remains an integral part of the Maryland defense heading into his senior year. He has pretty easily proved to be the most underrated prospect among the Terps' 2008 defensive recruits.

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Early departures

Kabongo

Kerr: A run-stuffing defensive tackle out of Quince Orchard, Kerr couldn't make the cut academically at Maryland and left before the 2011 season.

Cody Blue: The Wilde Lake grad was one of 12 players to leave College Park after Maryland's 2-10 season. Blue, a defensive lineman, played in four games last fall, finishing with five tackles. Blue has two seasons of eligibility remaining, provided he transfers down a level.

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Rest of the class

Kenny Tate was recruited to College Park as a wide receiver, but he was almost immediately moved to safety and flourished in that spot. A preseason All-ACC selection heading into the 2011 season, Tate was injured during his senior year and later granted a medical redshirt. He'll be back at linebacker – where Randy Edsall moved him last year – for his fifth year this fall.

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Overall analysis

Maryland batted .500 with this group. Tate, Francis, Hartsfield and Chism have all been productive ACC players, while Edet, Kabongo, Kerr and Blue all ended up elsewhere. Chism and Tate were considered can't-miss prospects by the recruiting services, and it's hard to argue with those assessments in hindsight – although Tate was evaluated as a wide receiver and Chism had a disappointing end to his college career. Hartsfield and Francis were both under-recruited gems and should be the leaders of Maryland's 2012 defense. Plenty of schools missed on their evaluation of Kabongo, while Edet was the quintessential boom-or-bust prospect (who obviously busted). Overall, this light-on-numbers group probably deserves a C considering it yielded several significant ACC contributors, but also four guys that didn't do much – if anything – during their time in College Park. What grade would you give this class?