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The University of Maryland has 11 Montgomery County natives on its football roster, the most of any NCAA Division I program.

Any guesses as to which school is number two?

Roughly one-sixths the size and hundreds of miles farther away — it is New Jersey's Monmouth University, with six.

"When I first got here it wasn't an area we recruited," said Hawks offensive coordinator Scott Van Zile, who landed all but one of the six. "But I went to Towson and knew the area, and we hired running backs coach Chris Damian, whose recruiting area was Maryland when he was coaching at Wagner College [N.J.]. So we went to [head coach] Kevin Callahan and talked about going there, and we decided to split up the state. ...

"My responsibility is Montgomery, Frederick and Carroll, but what happens is, you find specific schools that you know you have to go to."

One has become especially can't-miss.

The Hawks have four alumni of Damascus High, more than any other high school outside of New Jersey. All four of them might start this fall.

It all started on a whim. While at a film festival at Maryland's Byrd Field House, Van Zile collected highlight packages from a slew of players. One stood out, handed to him by "some kid who asked me if I was looking for a linebacker/tight end type."

That kid was Nick Bonturi. Van Zile, an offensive coach, saw a future tight end; the rest of the staff felt Bonturi was best-suited for defense. They made an official offer, but Bonturi opted for the Football Bowl Subdivision, and the Air Force Academy.

But he only went there for prep school. After one semester, he transferred to Monmouth.

A pipeline followed. Kyle Frazier and Dino Molina, starters on the Swarmin' Hornets' 2007 state championship team, committed in 2008. Brad Harris followed suit a year later.

"Especially when I first got here, they asked about potential recruits, and I named Kyle and Dino," Bonturi said. "Then I knew Brad was probably the top recruit from the next class. I talked them up, but I didn't tell the coaches anything wrong. ... They got themselves here."

According to Van Zile, eight of the Hawks' 22 projected starters should come from Maryland. Bonturi is one, back at the outside linebacker slot, while 2007 Good Counsel graduate Kendall Haley is an All-Northeast Conference first-team returnee at safety.

On the other side of the ball, Frazier is about to begin his second year as the team's first-string quarterback, with Molina again protecting him at tackle.

"We've had a special bond since high school," Molina said. "We've been playing together for so long."

In fact, this is the fourth year the two will start on the same offense together. Molina, a 6-foot-3, 305-pound rock, began as a guard with the Hawks, then switched to his natural left tackle position as a redshirt freshman. He started the team's last three games of 2009 on Frazier's blind side, but was moved to the right side of the line for the upcoming fall.

He insists it is just "a little different, but it's just working with a different foot backwards."

His buddy has nothing new to worry about, having surpassed logical expectations during his rookie year at the helm. After redshirting as a freshman, he began 2009 in a competition with then-junior Andrew Mandeville. It was so open that the two rotated in and out of the team's first four games.

"Coach Van Zile said we'd switch series throughout the game and eventually, whoever got the job would get it," Frazier said. "Then Andrew got hurt."

The job was Frazier's, and he made the most of his opportunity, "throwing more than I ever did in high school." His 1,543 passing yards and 10 touchdowns already rank eighth and sixth on the school's all-time list, with just four picks to boot.

Expect him to sling it even more, with the graduation of one of the most productive backs in NCAA history, Dave Sinisi. And one of his main targets is another Montgomery County product.

"I remember when Coach Van Zile asked if I knew anything about Mitchell Pollard," Frazier said. "I remember when Damascus played Springbrook last year and I went to the game, he had like a touchdown catch and maybe even a rushing touchdown, so I knew he was good. He's electric any time he gets the ball, and I think he was a steal for us."

According to Van Zile: "We were shocked a I-A [FBS] school didn't gobble him up right away. We got involved early, luckily, but I can't tell you how many I-A coaches say, ‘Hey jeez, you got that Pollard kid? That's great.' He will have a role in our offense right away.'"

Look no further than Monmouth's first intrasquad scrimmage of the season. Frazier opened Saturday's action by going 4-for-4 on the game's first drive. Pollard ended it with a 10-yard touchdown run.

A 260-pound defensive lineman, Harris got "between 10-20 snaps per game" as a freshman, and could earn a starting spot by the season opener at Colgate (N.Y.). Like his predecessors, he was drawn to the school immediately — not just because his old friends were there.

"It was a nice comforting thing, but wasn't really that much of a factor for me coming there," Harris said. "The end of my junior season, Monmouth came by, but a lot of schools did, too. But when I went up and visited them, everything just felt right."

It should not surprise anyone if more Montgomery County players earn trips up to Central Jersey, particularly current Damascus players. Kyle's older brother, Gregg, is the Swarmin' Hornets' assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.

Plus, the partnership has already worked out pretty well.

"With the product we've gotten from there, it's definitely an area we're always going to hit," Van Zile said. "Hopefully, we're having this conversation next year, too."

dgreenberg@gazette.net