Maryland Basketball: Which 2012 'Crab 5' Recruit Will Have the Biggest Impact?

In 1991-92, the Michigan Wolverines boasted arguably college basketball's most talented and cohesive group of high school recruits in history.

As freshman in college, they were known as the Fab Five.

Steve Fisher, the reserved but surely effective, head coach of the young Wolverines compiled this recruiting masterpiece in just his third season in Ann Arbor.

What made Coach Fisher's accomplishments even more transcendent is the fact that more than half of this quintet did not play high school basketball in the state of Michigan.

Maryland's overachieving recruiting class shares some striking similarities to the 1991 Michigan class, even beyond the clever nickname "Crab Five," which refers to the state of Maryland's delicious crabs.

The biggest similarity, of course, is the amount of recruits. Michigan brought in five, as did Maryland.

Steve Fisher was entering just his third season at Michigan in 1991. Maryland coach Mark Turgeon will be entering his sophomore season at Maryland in 2012. Evidently, these are two astonishing feats for the lack of tenure.

As stated before, three of Fisher's recruits were not from the home state of the university. Four of Turgeon's recruits were brought in from outside states.

While the 2012-13 Terps may not be talented enough to make a Finals run like Michigan did 21 years ago, underestimating the power of Turgeon's five-piece recruiting class would be an injustice to the five very skilled players heading to College Park.

But, the question is, which of the five Maryland recruits will have the biggest impact next season?

Before we can determine that, let's meet the recruits:

Seth Allen

Position: SG

Hometown: Fredericksburg, VA

Allen was Turgeon's first ever get at Maryland. He was recruited while Turgeon was coaching at Texas A&M, but Allen was worried about making such a distant trip to the state of Texas. When Turgeon made the move to coach Maryland, Allen jumped on a golden opportunity.

Allen's skill set fills a gaping hole in Maryland's roster. With Terrell Stoglin's departure, Maryland was in desperate need of an explosive guard who was an adequate ball handler, but most importantly, a deadly jump shooter.

With still no true point guard at Maryland, Allen may be asked to fulfill that duty. His repertoire does not yet include that capability, which could potentially plague his initial playing time.

Sam Cassell Jr. 

Position: SG

Hometown: Baltimore, MD

Yes, he's that Sam Cassell Jr. The son of a former NBA All-Star, Cassell Jr. is the most recent commitment of Maryland's 2012 class. With his decision coming in late-April, Cassell Jr. is the final piece to Mark Turgeon's compilation of high school phenoms.

Cassell Jr. will typically be matched up against smaller guards than him due to his 6'4'' frame, giving him a physical advantage. On the offensive end of the floor, he needs to learn how to create his own shot, but his game without the ball in his hands is solid.

His length on defense will give him an edge when it comes to receiving minutes. Cassell Jr. is fairly raw, but if the injury-prone Pe'Shon Howard goes down, a next-man-up scenario will fall into play. That man will be Cassell Jr.

Shaquille Cleare

Position: C

Hometown: Houston, TX

Cleare is the prize piece of this recruiting class and one of Maryland's best recruits in a very long time. He was the second of the five players to commit to playing for Coach Turgeon but has had a relationship with Turgeon dating back to their days on the Texas AAU circuit.

Cleare checks in at a massive 6'9'', 270 pounds. He is a huge force in the lane, forcing smaller guards to shy away from the paint. Cleare is relentless on the boards and flat-out ferocious playing above the rim, as highlighted with this throwdown over 2012 No. 1 recruit Nerlens Noel.

As shown in the linked video, it's quite evident Cleare needs to shed some weight. He's very stocky and burly, and while those attributes will help him in the low post, they will deter his ability to stay on the court for Maryland. Nonetheless, Cleare will be nothing short of a man among boys in a relatively smaller ACC.

Jake Layman

Position: SF

Hometown: Wrentham, MA

Layman's decision to head to Maryland is a byproduct of Maryland assistant coach Scott Spinelli's dominating recruiting prowess in the Northeast. Layman was the third of the five players to declare their intent to play for Maryland.

Layman has nice size for his style of play, measuring out at 6'8''. He is a bit frail, but he mostly hovers around the perimeter, so his lack of muscle shouldn't be a glaring issue. Layman can stroke it from deep and moves extraordinarily well without the ball.

Don't take Layman's build restraints too seriously. He's definitely an athlete. He may just need to bulk up a bit before possessing the ability to play on the low block in college. Layman's combination of size and shooting makes him an important asset and will assure him of respectable playing time.

Charles Mitchell

Position: PF

Hometown: Marietta, GA

Mitchell is the sleeper of this class. Often unnoticed by many because he was not ranked in the ESPNU 100, Mitchell will be an immediate contributor for a squad in need of physicality. He was the fourth of the five players to commit to Maryland, doing so during the 2012 ACC Tournament.

Mitchell is definitely undersized as a power forward, but he makes up for those lost inches with mass. He weighs 250 pounds, and while he does need to slim down a bit, his wide frame benefits his low post game. It may not count for much, but likability and energy will work in Mitchell's favor.

His knack for scoring off of his post moves will earn him some court time early. Finding minutes to split with Alex Len, James Padgett and Cleare in the frontcourt will be a challenge, but Mitchell gives too much energy for Turgeon to keep him on the bench.

Who will have the biggest impact?

Guard minutes will be available, but Sam Cassell Jr. will struggle to receive them. He's definitely unseasoned, raw and very similar to experienced combo guard Pe'Shon Howard. Therefore, Cassell Jr. likely won't have the biggest impact.

Charles Mitchell will have difficulty assuming a major role playing behind the lone senior (Padgett), the future NBA prospect (Len) and the top recruit (Cleare). For that reason, it's too tough seeing Mitchell being overly effective.

Seth Allen is grossly underrated as the No. 42 shooting guard by ESPN, but not underrated enough to leapfrog himself above either of the two ESPNU 100 players in this recruiting class in Layman and Cleare.

So, the question is—Layman or Cleare?

The answer has to be Jake Layman.

Despite Cleare being slotted 37 spots higher on ESPN's rankings, Layman fills a disastrous void for Maryland.

The Terps desperately yearned for outside shooting in 2011-12 but never found a proficient source. Nick Faust was erratic, Terrell Stoglin was inconsistent and Sean Mosley was not much of an outside bomber.

Layman will finally be the one who can sink a three ball when the game is on the line. He stretches the floor for Maryland on the offensive end and creates an entirely new dynamic for the Maryland offense.

Aside from being a silky smooth long ball threat, Layman is easily the most versatile defender on the roster.

He has the capability of defending larger guards and all forwards. He's quick on his feet but has length at the same time.

Layman's presence lets Nick Faust play a more natural position of shooting guard. Layman can cement himself on the wing and give Maryland that outside threat they have been longing for ever since Eric Hayes graduated in 2010.

Who do you think will have the biggest impact in 2012? Leave your opinion in the comments.