Maryland sits in one of the most hotly contested recruiting areas in the Big Ten footprint. The Terrapins battled some big-name schools on the recruiting trail this year and won a few of those skirmishes. I caught up with head coach Randy Edsall to talk about his 2015 class in this recruiting Q&A:

It's easy to see that you went heavy on offensive and defensive linemen with this class. Was that the priority this time around?

Randy Edsall: That was out big focal point, offensive and defensive line. I was looking to bring in five to six offensive linemen, four to five defensive linemen. So we were able to meet our needs and bring in quality people, and that’s going to allow us to be able to do more in the Big Ten. That’s the one thing after being in the Big Ten for a year. I anticipated it, but being in the league for a year, it’s a lineman league. And what we’ve got to do is get those guys who have that length and width and girth and power you’re looking for, and we were able to do that.

Getting Adam McLean and Quarvez Boulware to stay home, along with a lot of other homegrown talent, how important was that?

Edsall: It was good. Nine out of our 18 guys are from the DMV, so from that standpoint it hits upon the message that we’re trying to send. Having Adam change his mind and come to Maryland was big. He’s an energy guy, a passionate guy, a guy with a lot of ability. He's a guy who has those unique qualities that people rally around him. Quarvez just continues that pipeline we’ve had from Friendship Collegiate Academy to our program. I think it says a lot about those kids, but it also says a lot about our program and what we’ve been able to do for those kids who have come here. To have another one come from Friendship is huge, and he’s a powerful, quick, explosive young man.

You didn't get everybody you wanted on signing day, but you were swimming in some pretty deep waters in recruiting, going against SEC powers, Ohio State and others. What does that say about your program that you were in those battles and won some of them?

Edsall: We’re not afraid to compete against anybody. We’re going to go out there and go after the guys that we feel can help us get better and be able to compete and win championships. It doesn’t matter who it is; we’ll go down swinging. As we continue to put more of the pieces together with our facilities coming and all the other things we've been able to do here, kids see this is a place where, 'I can accomplish all my goals, be around a coaching staff that’s going to make me better in every phase of my life and have a lot of opportunities for life after football by being in this area.'

What did you see out of the quarterback in this class, Gage Shaffer?

Edsall: He’s a big, tall kid with good athleticism, and he's got a good arm. He’s a competitor. He’s got a lot of passion for the game. He was a basketball player in high school as well, so he's one of those guys who's a multisport athlete. And he's hungry and eager to continue to get better.

Being in the Big Ten for a year, how did that change or even help you in recruiting?

Edsall: I thought it helped us. The conference and the side we’re on, the division we’re in and the competition we’re going to go against year in and year out. The other thing I think is that the Big Ten Network played a part, because of the exposure. All the things we thought the Big Ten would bring us, we utilized and it really helped us in the recruiting process.

With all these offensive linemen coming in, what's your philosophy on whether to redshirt those guys or play them right away?

Edsall: It depends on them. You usually say the closer you are to the line of scrimmage, the harder it is to play early. The thing about it is, you know hey, any of these guys, if they come in and they’re the best guys, then guess what? They’re going to be on the field playing. If there’s a role we define or that they define for themselves by showing what they can do, and they pick everything up, then they’ll be out on the field. But we’re not going to put them on the field unless they're the best guy when they get here. We want them to have that mindset coming in. I don’t like to tell them I’m going to redshirt anybody. I want them working as hard as they can to win a spot from the time they get here.

Can you describe how competitive it is now recruiting in your area? It seemed like just about everybody was coming in there this year.

Edsall: By going to the Big Ten, it brought a lot more people in here. There are good players in this area. We know it’s going to be a fight, and we know we're not going to go after every player in this area for a variety of reasons. Some might not fit what we're looking for, or we might not have a need that particular year. But the ones we go after, we know we have to put our best foot forward. And the biggest thing we’ve got to do is develop these relationships with these young men at an early age, and build those relationships so that they see everything that the university and this area has to offer them. So then they really can't say no. As we continue to get our facilities done and everything else, that gives us more ammunition in our belts to use.