2017 Four-Star Small Forward Nick Claxton lists Maryland Terrapins in Final 6

Building a long lasting successful program starts with recruiting. It's widely recognized as the most important job for a collegiate coach, and the best coaches are often the guys that recruit and land the best talent from the high school level.

Mark Turgeon has had a really great run at Maryland, especially since joining the Big Ten, and he's looking to continue to build on that success with a 2017 recruiting class that is still looking for a player to commit to the program. While there are plenty of prospects considering joining the Maryland Terrapins, they haven't landed a commitment yet to get the ball rolling.

Nick Claxton, a 6'10", 195 pound small forward from Greenville, South Carolina, cut his list of possible schools from over 20 to six on Sunday, with Maryland earning a spot on the list. Along with the Terrapins, Claxton listed Georgia, Florida State, South Carolina, Baylor and North Carolina State.

With his size at 6'10" and his skill as a small forward, Claxton could be a guy that provides a ton of versatility for Turgeon and company, should he commit. While he would most likely need to put on quite a bit of strength (as most incoming freshmen do) to play to the best of his ability in the Big Ten, if he could put on the strength to be a dual post-perimeter threat, it could be a huge piece for Turgeon and the Terps.

247sports has Claxton listed as the 30th best small forward in the class and the No. 3 player in the 2017 class from the state of South Carolina. They have him listed as a four-star prospect and ranks him No. 126 overall nationally.

While talking with Phenom Hoops, Claxton said of Maryland, "They were one of my early high major offers. Coaches Clarke and Turgeon took the time to visit the school and talk with my parents. I was able to visit a game and experienced a great atmosphere."

Claxton has two official visits set up, one to Florida State on the weekend of September 10th and another to Georgia on October 1st. The general feeling around Claxton is that he's leaning toward the University of Georgia, but you never know with 17 and 18 year old kids.