Maryland has its first commitment of the D.J. Durkin area, and it's a big one in more than one way.

Offensive lineman Richard Merritt (Washington, D.C./Archbishop Carroll) took to Twitter indicating he's committed to Maryland.

I want to thank everybody that recruited me doing this process..but I will be officially committing to the university of Maryland! #TERP — Richard Merritt (@_58thegreat) December 18, 2015

Merritt chose the Terrapins over offers from Florida, Virginia Tech and many others.

The four-star recruit is ranked as the nation's No. 10 guard and the No. 3 prospect in the District of Columbia in the 2016 class by 247Sports.com Composite Rankings.

Merritt is the 18th verbal commit in the 2016 class for Maryland.