Ashland's three-star QB Nathan Bernhard flips commitment to Maryland
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ASHLAND – The recruiting process is an interesting one.
Three-star quarterback Nathan Bernhard had offers from 14 schools toward the end of his junior year and decided on Appalachian State University over a number of others from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and MAC to name a few.
And the Ashland High School standout was confident in his decision made on April 25th.
But one program in particular stayed in touch — just in case.
“Maryland had been in contact with me since last January. They came and watched me play and kept close,” Bernhard said. “They changed their offensive staff and brought in a lot of new coaches and made a lot of changes with the roster. When recruiting a quarterback, they were taking it slow. But they contacted me, came and watched me play … just stayed in contact throughout the season and wanted me to take an official visit.”
That visit took place over the weekend.
“I came in Thursday night, meetings and seeing everything on Friday,” Bernhard said. “Saturday was a lot of the same in the morning, then we watched the game. After the game I met with coach (Mike) Locksley in his office … and when they gave me the committable offer Saturday, I told him I’d take it.
“I’d be coming to Maryland.”
Though the Terrapins weren’t one of the other 13 schools to initially offer Bernhard earlier this year, they were a team that always showed interest. And he admits it wasn’t a no-brainer decision at first.
“It got easier as the process got along,” Bernhard said. “I was pretty reluctant at first, I felt pretty good about what I had going on at App State and it would take a lot of things to change that to really know it was a better opportunity. But by the time I was ready to make the decision, I was very convinced in it and happy with my decision.”
A lot of little things added up and convinced the Arrows’ career leader in just about every passing statistic — and all rushing statistics with regards to quarterbacks — to flip his commitment.
“I had built a good relationship with them over the last couple months, then went on the visit and liked what I saw,” Bernhard said. “I think they offer a lot from a developmental aspect in developing me into a great player with their pedigree and NFL experience as a coaching staff. And it’s Big Ten football; that’s something I want to be a part of.
“The university has great academics, and there’s so much opportunity that can come from being so close to Washington D.C. … I was looking at it from a perspective of the opportunity, not just football and the upward trajectory of the program … they’re going to put more funds into the program with NIL and help build a Big Ten roster that can compete.
“Looking at all of those things, it’s a great opportunity for me.”
Maryland’s last conference championship came in 2001 when the Terrapins were still part of the ACC. But they have won each of their last three bowl game appearances (’21, ’22, ’23) and want to build on that new standard.
“It’s what you need to see for a program that has the confidence to get better and be successful,” Bernhard said. “I really think (NIL is) a big part of what college football is now. NIL is the real deal and it’s a part of getting good players and building a roster that can compete with Ohio State and Michigan, those kind of schools. They’re spending $20 million (plus) on a roster each year, so you really have to be able to come close to that in order to be competitive.
“For the university to say — we’re not just going to be a basketball school, we want to be a competitive Big Ten football school — that’s great to hear.”
In a world where NIL plays such a crucial role in bringing in new faces each season, Bernhard understands the challenges that could come with that.
“The best player is always going to play,” he said. “Everybody understands the transfer portal is here and it’s going to stay. You have to accept that schools are going to look into options for the best transfers they can find, it’s just the way things are. No matter who they bring into the quarterback room, you’ve gotta compete.
“But that situation specifically, they were completely honest with me — you’re the only 2026 quarterback and with the numbers we have in the quarterback room, we’re going to have to bring in one transfer — they told me that up front and that’s all I can really ask for.”
Malik Washington, a true freshman, is currently QB1 at Maryland and that situation in itself makes for a promising future for Bernhard.
“If you start three years in the Big Ten and play well, you’re going to end up in the league,” he said. “(There could be) other circumstances where you play earlier … if sitting two years and a guy goes to the league but you get to see the blueprint of how to get it done, how to end up as an NFL draftable quarterback — that also has a lot of value
“Your job is to be ready to be the next man up and compete with whoever else is in the quarterback room, or whoever else they bring in. Not a lot of transfers are going to want to come into a situation where there’s a true freshman quarterback starting, it’s not the most appealing situation for transfer portal quarterbacks … that is definitely a big part of it.”
He is considering the Pre-Law Advising Program at Maryland which would be beneficial to a potential career in Washington D.C. But the ultimate goal is putting himself in a position to be one of the 250-plus selected during NFL Draft weekend.
“There’s really something to say about walking into Ohio Stadium and The ‘Shoe, Beaver Stadium, the Big House and you’re playing on national television with 100,000 people there,” Bernhard said. “That is just a cool thing that not many people get to be a part of and something I’d love to be a part of. If you play well in the Big 10, it offers a great opportunity for the next level.
“I grew up an Ohio State fan and watched Big Ten football my whole life, and it has always been my dream.”
zholden@gannett.com | 419-617-6018 | Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland’s Nathan Bernhard flips commitment to Maryland Terrapins
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