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Image Credit: Terrapin Station MD

Just like we did last season, this article kicks off a series of articles profiling each member of the Maryland Terrapins’ football class of 2014. Each article will contain statistical information, rankings from the major recruiting services, and analysis of how the player will fit into the Terps’ schemes.

Commitment Date: April 25, 2013
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
High School: St. John’s College
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 180 lbs.

247Sports Rank: #8 Dual-Threat QB, 4-star
ESPN Rank: 
#47 ATH, 4-star
Rivals Rank: #17 Dual-Threat QB, 3-star
Scout Rank: #55 QB, 3-star

40-time: 4.31 secs. (247Sports), 4.4 secs. (Rivals), N/A (ESPN, Scout)

Other Offers: Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Boston College, Cincinnati, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Marshall, Miami (FL), Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Rutgers, South Florida, Southern Miss, Syracuse, Temple, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin

(Discuss this article on the BSL Message Board here.)

William Ulmer was Randy Edsall’s first commitment in his 2014 class, and he was a good way to start things out. As you can see above, there are conflicting views from the various recruiting services on how Ulmer is ranked. While ESPN ranks him as an athlete, he definitely projects as a quarterback. His laundry list of offers from other schools should tell you a good bit about how talented this young quarterback is.

Speed is the name of the game for William Ulmer. His 40-time is extremely impressive, and he has great elusiveness as well. While his arm isn’t the strongest in the world, he’s very accurate, which fits very well in Mike Locksley’s offense. In fact, his entire skill set fits perfectly with what Locksley wants to do with his offense. The read-option is a staple of Maryland’s offense, and Ulmer can run it very well. Locksley also needs an accurate, efficient quarterback taking snaps, and Ulmer fits that mold as well.

When he arrives in College Park in the fall of 2014, Ulmer will be surrounded by a lot of talented quarterbacks. He will almost certainly redshirt his freshman season and enter the quarterback competition with Caleb Rowe, Perry Hills, and Shane Cockerille in 2015. He definitely has the talent to make an impact with the Terps very early in his career. You’ll likely see him compete heavily with Shane Cockerille in the years following C.J. Brown’s graduation. He may not beat out Rowe or Hills in 2015, but look for a huge competition for the job in 2016.

With William Ulmer and Shane Cockerille, the Terps have two very talented young quarterbacks who fit Mike Locksley’s offense very well. While Cockerille is more of a bruising runner, Ulmer is more shifty and elusive. Both have good, accurate arms, and should thrive in the system in College Park. Mike Locksley’s son, Kai, is also very high on Maryland’s list for the 2015 class. If he commits to Maryland like many people believe he will, the competition between the three of them will be incredibly heated. No matter who comes out on top, fans should be happy with the direction of the quarterback position in College Park.

Zack Kiesel
Zack Kiesel

Terps Analyst

Zack is a financial analyst for a defense contractor in Washington, DC. The Owings Mills native focuses most of his efforts on Maryland Football recruiting and individual coach and player pieces; but also covers Terps Basketball. He has established relationships with Big Ten beat reporters across the conference, which he utilizes in his game previews. Now a Sr. Terps Analyst for BSL, Zack can be reached at: [email protected].

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