UNIVERSITY PARK
Ayron Monroe didn’t know anything about recruiting when he crossed paths with then-Maryland assistant coach James Franklin in seventh or eighth grade.
He remembers Franklin and then-Terrapins head coach Ralph Friedgen visiting his older brother, sitting on the couch and eating dinner. Monroe wondered who they were and said it was “weird” — nobody came to the house for dinner. As Franklin prepared to leave, he shook hands with Monroe, who told the coach it was nice to meet him.
“He looks me in my eyes and tells me, ‘I’m going to offer you one day,’” Monroe said.