3-star DL Dillan Fontus commits to Maryland

Brooklyn (N.Y.) Canarsie three-star defensive lineman Dillan Fontus committed to Maryland on Saturday. The 6-foot-4, 260 pound prospect chose the Terrapins over programs including Louisville and Nebraska.

Fontus is the No. 1,089 overall prospect and No. 118 defensive lineman in the 2023 On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also rated as the No. 6 player in New York.

According to the On3 Visit Center, Fontus took an unofficial visit to Maryland on March 3. It was the same day as his high school teammate and three-star safety Tayvon Nelson, who also committed to the Terrapins on Saturday.

Fontus has an On3 NIL Valuation of $8.2K. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

How Fontus impacts Maryland’s 2023 recruiting class

Maryland’s 2023 recruiting class is currently ranked No. 61 in the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings. The group is led by Bowie (Md.) St. Frances Academy three-star wide receiver Ryan Manning.

Fontus, the fifth-highest ranked recruit in Maryland’s 2023 class, is currently the group’s only defensive lineman. However, the Terrapins have other members of the front seven committed including Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic three-star EDGE DJ Samuels and Laurel (Md.) St. Vincent Pallotti three-star linebacker Daniel Wingate. Madison (Fla.) Madison County three-star cornerback Jonathan Akins is another defensive prospect who pledged to the Terrapins.

The class includes 18 prospects overall. No Maryland pledges are rated higher than three stars. Multiple recruits committed this month including Fontus, Nelson, Samuels, Wingate, Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna Prep three-star interior offensive lineman Deandre Duffus, Southfield (Mich.) three-star running back Nolan Ray and Laurel (Md.) St. Vincent Pallotti three-star wide receiver Alexander Moore.

Additionally, multiple recruits pledged to Maryland last month. They includes Manning, Akins, Orlando (Fla.) Jones three-star wide receiver Derrick Rogers, Orlando (Fla.) three-star tight end Dylan Wade, Catawissa (Penn.) Southern Columbia three-star athlete Braeden Wisloski, Fairfield (Conn.) St. Peters Prep three-star quarterback Robert Long and East Orange (N.J.) East Orange Campus three-star wide receiver Josh Richards.

Others are Upper Marlboro (Md.) Dr. Henry Wise three-star athlete Mykel Morman, Towson (Md.) Loyola Blakefield three-star tight end AJ Szymanski, Owings Mills (Md.) McDonogh School interior offensive lineman Tamarus Walker and Severn (Md.) St. John’s wide receiver Sean Williams.