Maryland Stands Out to Tennessee Lineman Following Offer
After tracking Franklin (TN) offensive lineman Jason Amsler for the last month, offensive line coach John Reagan pulled the trigger on Saturday with an official scholarship offer to give the Nashville lineman his second Big Ten offer. The current 6-foot-6, 270-pound lineman showed he can play guard through his junior film, but another two inches and a full offseason of work has helped transition him into an offensive tackle prospect. That athleticism and added bend he shows on the outside fits the mold for tackles the Terps are looking in the 2021 class and Amsler is already aware of such.
“I Facetimed coach Reagan, we talked for a bit and he gave me the offer and it was just really exciting,” Amsler told All Terrapins following the offer. “We probably talked on the phone five, six times in the past two weeks not even talking much about an offer, just getting to know each other and talking about what they have to offer as a school. Plus, my game, about me and what I can work on.”
His 6-foot-10 wingspan helps with that transition to tackle as Amsler was transparent with Reagan about his offseason development. “I got good length, 6’10” wingspan, I can move well. My junior film has definitely been guard film, but lately I’ve been on the grind and I’ve sent him videos and stuff and he likes what he sees, so I’m a tackle. And I definitely have the frame, I can add weight if needed to. In high school I’ll be playing some guard, some tackle so if they need me down the road to play guard, I can do that.”
Amsler was clear to point out Reagan’s main takeaway through their early discussions. “The main message is I kind of fit what they’re looking for. Intelligent, athletic and good character and we talked on the phone and got to know each other.” Amsler had begun doing his homework on the Terps once the interest started rolling in. “Before that I didn’t know anything. Like everyone, I thought their jerseys were pretty cool,” Amsler joked. His initial findings, however, have piqued his interest in his latest offer.
“I was happy to find during my research how academically prestigious they were, public Ivy. That’s one of my top criteria, an academic school, so they checked that box for sure. And the football program, what they’re building right now is very impressive with coach Locksley. If you know him, he has one of the best reputations as a head coach and coached at Alabama. Every time I do more research, I feel better and better.”
Honored to be named Preseason All-State and Academic All-State! pic.twitter.com/Hs6NOy25er
— Jason Amsler (@jasonamsler) July 17, 2020
The outlook for college football has dampened the possibility for prospect visits this fall, which remains to be a key holdup in Amsler’s recruitment. Kansas, Indiana, Marshall, Maryland, Middle Tennessee, Missouri, Richmond and Vanderbilt all extended official offers over the weekend and the Tennessee native is already familiar with Vanderbilt just 30 minutes away while he’s acclimated himself to Middle Tennessee’s campus over the years. Outside of that, Amsler has yet to step foot on the campus of his remaining suitors. “I told [Reagan] when he offered me that I wouldn’t commit anywhere without checking out the campus. He said definitely, we can’t do official visits but fly out and I can Facetime him while I walk through it, so I’ll definitely come out for that soon. I’m talking with them more later this week and hopefully with coach Locksley.” The inability to take the formal official visits has prevented him from taking the next step, but with his senior year set to begin on Friday, he’s in no rush to make a decision.
“Our first game is August 21 so it’s very possible we could fly out for a weekend before then. But recruiting-wise, nobody is in too much of a hurry. I’m not and I don’t think coach Reagan is at Maryland, so I don’t think there’s a real rush to get there. Obviously, I’m super excited to check it out as soon as possible, but I think that might happen maybe in August but maybe in the next month or two.”
When he does make it to campus, Amsler has a strong idea of what he wants to see for himself. “Just check out the facilities. I watched the video about Cole, super impressive. I definitely want to check that out and just check out the town, College Park, I know it’s between Baltimore and D.C. so it’s good proximity to those huge cities and check out the area itself, get the vibe. Just see if it’s a place where I want to spend the next four years at.”
As Amsler takes in the next steps of his recruitment with more potentially to come his way during his senior season, he isn’t keeping himself to a concrete commitment timetable.
“Whenever the time comes and whenever I feel comfortable, that’ll be it. And also, I’ve put in a lot of work this offseason so I’m sure my film will get more attention, so we’ll see where that leads.”
