Commitment Evaluation: '22 Athlete R.J. Maryland

The Eagles add another wide receiver/athlete who can do a lot of things for the offense

Are you looking for the inside scoop on Boston College football recruiting? Subscribe to BC Bulletin, with in-depth and exclusive information brought to you by AJ Black, a name you can trust and his staff. Subscribe today and get the first month of an annual membership for just $1, or a full annual membership at an almost 20% discount! And with your subscription you will get access to our Discord Channel for even more breaking news, and BC discussion. Become part of the fastest growing community of BC fans!

On Monday the Eagles added another commitment to their Class of '22, with the addition of athlete R.J. Maryland of Southlake, Texas. This is the 19th recruit of the current class. Here is our evaluation on the newest pledge

Prospect: R.J. Maryland
Position: Wide Receiver/Tight End/Athlete
Vitals: 6-foot-4, 210 pounds
School: Southlake Carroll
Rating: Three Stars (247sports.com)
Other Offers: Miami, Duke, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Michigan State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Utah, Wisconsin

Frame: This all will depend on where they play him. He would be a bit on the smaller size if he goes to tight end. But the Eagles have already grabbed two tight ends in this class (Matt Ragan and Jeremiah Franklin), who are much more fitted for the position. If Maryland plays where I expect, as a wide receiver, he has the frame to be something that Boston College could use a lot of, real true size. He's lengthy and unlike BC's two other wide receivers he can use that size to grab balls other wide receivers and corners can't. 

Are you a premium member? You get access to our Discord channel, where you can talk with AJ, and other fans about BC athletics. Get more details on BC recruiting and sports in a forum/messageboard atmosphere. Click here to sign up, it's part of your membership!

Athleticism: For a wide receiver, he isn't the speedster like fellow commits Joseph Griffin II and Ismael Zamor. But he has enough agility and speed to play the position well. 

Southlake Carroll’s RJ Maryland (@RJMaryland1), the No. 1 TE in the @SportsDayHS Top 100, commits to Boston College. Here’s one example of what he can do. pic.twitter.com/O6GeMFPTjR #txhsfb https://t.co/lFUgGNxVND

— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) June 28, 2021

Polish: Again this will all depend on where Frank Cignetti, Jeff Hafley and the staff decide to play him. If he is going to be a tight end, he is going to need to bulk up, 210 is not playing weight for that position. If it's at wide receiver, I could see him taking a season to learn the college speed, and the offense and then jumping in. Defense? That might take a bit of time.

Final Thoughts: It is great that Jeff Hafley is recruiting speed on many of the skill positions, but sometimes you just need a big tall receiver who can just go up and get it. That is exactly what RJ Maryland is. CJ Lewis is graduating and there was no true "big receiver" in the Class of '21. Along with Taji Johnson, Maryland will give the Eagles a large wide receiver that could be used in the red zone, or in a variety of other ways.