Each fall, colleges begin the recruiting process for sports such as cross country, field hockey, football, soccer, and volleyball. For junior and senior athletes who plan to play in college, getting scouted is important, and for some athletes, an athletic scholarship is their only way to college.

College scouts attend varsity high school games to see who the top athletes of the season are. Many colleges compete with each other to recruit the best. Athletes usually want to attend colleges who are known for having great teams in their sports.

Offensive lineman, junior E.J. Donahue, orally committed to the Terrapins on October 26th. At 8:00pm, Donahue tweeted, “I will be staying home and playing for my home state. I’m committing to University of Maryland!!! #GoTerps.”

Donahue is Maryland’s first Class of 2015 oral commitment. According to recruiting website 247Sports, “Donahue is ranked Maryland’s seventh-best player in his class” and “ranked a four-star recruit.”

“It’s a huge opportunity and I’m excited to join the family,” said Donahue.

Donahue has been playing football for four years as both offensive and defensive tackle. He started in 8^th grade and played for the Frederick Homeschooled Eagles. As a 9^th grader, he made the freshman football team; in 10^th grade, he made varsity. Currently near the end of his junior season as a varsity player, Donahue says Coach Conner, the head football coach, has prepared him for college level football.

“[Coach Conner has prepared me by] staying on me about everything and always pushing me to succeed. [Coach Conner] set up my recruiting by contacting all the schools and guiding me through the process. He is a very inspirational man and I owe a lot of my accomplishments to him,” said Donahue.

Old Dominion, Rutgers, and West Virginia U., also offered Donahue full-ride football scholarships. “[I chose Maryland because I] love the coaches and players there, it’s close to home, and the uniforms are sick,” said Donahue.

Colleges have their eyes on athletes like 6’5” and 330 pound Donahue even before they step out on the field; when it comes to most sports, size is just as important as skill.

“Measurements” separate the players who get recruited from the ones who do not. “There’s a lot of 5’10” high school [football] stars, but not a lot of 5’10” college [football] stars. An old guy told me once, ‘the most important factor in scholarships is good parents.’ 6 foot tall parents are great,” said Richard Conner, head football coach. According to bodybuilding.com, the average college football player is at least 6 feet tall and over 200 pounds.

Donahue is one of many players on the varsity football team in the spotlight. According to Coach Conner, senior Mike Pirolli was scouted by Bucknell and senior Josh Gontarek has been looking into West Virginia U.