sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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SU News
Cass Tech LB Tim Walton Finds Home at Syracuse After Illinois Decommitment (mlive.com; Purcell)
If there is one thing that is now known about Tim Walton, it is that he loves the colors orange and blue. After all, Illinois and Syracuse were the two different schools that Walton had committed to during his recruiting journey and both have orange and as primary uniform colors.
On Wednesday, however, it was Syracuse that ended up getting Walton's signature on a National Letter of Intent, officially claiming the three-star Detroit Cass Tech linebacker.
"Coach Dino Babers and all of the rest of the staff (at Syracuse) that was originally at Bowling Green and at Western is there right now, I love all those coaches," Walton said. "They're all great coaches, phenomenal coaches. I would trust them with my life beyond football."
As is the sign of the times, the recruiting trail for high school football players has become a much more fickle endeavor for athletes and colleges programs alike. It was no exception for Walton, who committed to Illinois on Aug. 9 of last year and then decommitted on Jan. 25 after visiting Syracuse. The writing was on the wall as, the next day, Walton committed to the Orange.
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Bailey: Syracuse Fans Should be Happy with Incoming 2016 Football Class (the juice; Cheng)
Syracuse.com’s Stephen Bailey calls in to chat about 2016 NLI Day with Wes Cheng on The Juice on the Cuse Podcast hosted by SNY.tv. Editor in chief Brad Bierman also calls in to discuss Syracuse’s thrilling overtime win against Virginia Tech.
Here are the highlights from the show:
Wes Cheng: Syracuse able to hold off late pushes from Kentucky and Georgia to keep defensive end Jaquwan Nelson. How big of a get was this for Syracuse?
Stephen Bailey: I think it was the signature win of the class. Jaquwan Nelson is a three-star defensive end from Florida. Good pass rusher. Very good in high school. Syracuse needs some help at defensive end, so once fall camp rolls around, I think Jaquwan Nelson is a pretty good candidate for a guy who could see the field early.
WC: Overall, how should Syracuse feel about this first recruiting class?
SB: I think Syracuse fans should be happy. I think it’s a solid class. A lot of three-star guys. Again, we’ll see how they pan out. But a good foundation to build on for 2017 for when the staff has a full cycle to recruit, and even 2018, when they’ve finally caught up to the other coaching staffs who have recruiting current high school sophomores already. It really is crazy how early that process all starts. The more time these coaches are here and recruiting younger players, the more benefits they’ll be able to reap.
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Why Marvin Harrison Belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (indystar.com; Keefer)
He hid in plain sight for 13 years, cloaked behind a carefully-constructed firewall of privacy, an enigma to coaches, teammates and the NFL circus around him. Marvin Harrison worked and then he went home. “Never heard him coming, never heard him going,” says former coach Tony Dungy.
He left his gloves on the sideline during practice. Why? Because gloves made catching the football easy. He told coaches he wanted a starting cornerback across from him during training camp. Why? Because he had no use for backups or practice squad players. Marvin Harrison was trying to get better, dammit. Late in his career, when his position coach begged him to trim his snaps on Fridays – common practice for a veteran – Harrison shook his head. No way.
Of course, it didn’t take long for the Indianapolis Colts’ inscrutable wide receiver to develop an almost telepathic rapport with his young quarterback. They forged a language based on glances, nods and gestures. They refined it through years of preparation. In practices they’d blitz though their route tree without ever saying a word. Hours, weeks, even months would pass without the football ever touching the ground.
That was Harrison’s secret all along. Practice. Nothing more. He poured himself into the work, day after day, year after year, and that young quarterback – a player who’d soon become known for his own level of manic preparation – could certainly respect that. Off the field, the star QB and the spotlight-shunning receiver could not be more dissimilar; on it, it was as if they shared a brain. Each matched boundless talent with bottomless work ethic.
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DeMatha RB Anthony McFarland
A Look Ahead at Anthony McFarland, Deon Jones and the Top Class of 2017 Recruits in the DC Metro Area (washingtonpost.com; Parker)
Another National Signing Day is in the books and the page has turned on theWashington area’s talented Class of 2016. But the recruiting conversation doesn’t stop there. Let’s take a look at the future and examine some of the top names in what should be another notable crop of prospects for 2017:
RB Anthony McFarland, DeMatha, 5-8, 185
The versatile Under Armour All-American made his greatest impact as a slot receiver last season for the three-time defending WCAC champion Stags. But with All-Met Lorenzo Harrison moving on to Maryland, McFarland, who holds offers from the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Iowa and Michigan State, will be the feature back in DeMatha’s run-heavy offense.
DB Deon Jones, Carroll, 6-1, 180
A strong student in the classroom, Jones is also sound in coverage on the football field, having drawn offers from Auburn, Clemson, Florida State and Michigan State, among others.
DL Chase Young, DeMatha, 6-4, 220
While lining up at the defensive end opposite All-Met Defensive Player of the Year Shane Simmons, Young broke out as a junior with 19 sacks and 27 tackles for loss. With more offers (joining a list that includes Alabama, Clemson, Florida State, Ohio State and Oklahoma) and double teams likely to come his way, next fall will be one to watch for the second-team All-Met.
LB Nathan Proctor, Lackey, 6-3, 217
The tenacious defender and second-team All-Met is steadily moving up the recruit rankings, drawing offers from Penn State, North Carolina, Florida and Maryland along the way.
RB Tyree Randolph, Gonzaga, 5-7, 172
The diminutive yet dominant rusher finally drew his first offer last week from Syracuse, and following last fall’s 1,823-yard, 23-touchdown performance on the ground, more should follow for the second-team All-Met.
Ray Marten Signs with Boston College (rockawaytimes.com; Watton)
“Ma, how long have I been playing football?” Ray Marten, Jr. asked. As he sat on his couch, the 6’4”, 250-pound high school senior tried to recall when his pigskin pilgrimage began as he prepares to take the next step into the college ranks. On Wednesday, of National Signing Day, Marten officially committed to Boston College to play on their football team as a tight end.
“I went for the first time in second grade but I was too young,” Marten said after a little prodding from his mom, Linda. The next year he began playing for the Brooklyn Hurricanes, a youth team based in Marine Park. Despite playing a variety of other sports such as basketball, baseball, swimming, and soccer, football has always been his primary athletic focus. “I always find parallels to real life situations,” he said. “Never give up, be tough. It’s more apparent in football than any of other sports I’ve played.” As a youngster he attended a couple of games at Penn State’s famed Beaver Stadium and over the years has met a number of NFL players including Marco Battaglia, Eric Olsen, Tyrone Wheatley, and Leon Williams.
Exhibiting talent from a young age, Marten has bounced around both sides of the ball, playing as a defensive end and fullback before finding his niche as a tight end. The position involves a variety of skills including run-blocking and catching, best exhibited by two of Marten’s professional idols in Dallas Cowboy legend Jason Whitten and longtime Pittsburgh Steeler Heath Miller. “I definitely prefer offense, I like scoring touchdowns,” Marten said with a smirk. “I like the idea of how much you can do with the position.”
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UNC-Charlotte Steals Potential Star in RB Robert Washington (todaysu.com; Rutter)
For senior running back Robert Washington, National Signing Day has been a long time coming. As a freshman sensation at SouthLake Christian in North Carolina, Washington jumped onto the national radar early on as an elite prospect in his class. He pulled in offers as early as his 8th grade year, and the dynamic back eventually committed to Mississippi State early on.
That pledge didn’t hold for long, however, as Washington realized how much time existed between that of his commitment and Feb. 3, 2016 — his last day as an unsigned recruit. With that in mind, Washington reconsidered his options and opened his recruitment before the start of his junior season.
After another record-setting year in 2014 at SouthLake, Washington narrowed his options down to Michigan, Syracuse, TCU, Alabama and North Carolina. These five programs had long been involved in his recruitment, and it seemed to be a logical step in his process. Washington committed to Syracuse in April of 2015, but that, too, was a short-lived pledge as he found reason to decommit just a few months later.
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Steve Addazio's NSD Press Conference (bcinterruption.com; Rubin)
Opening Statement ...
"I appreciate you being here. It was a great day for Boston College. We had a chance to sign a great class, which we are excited about. Here is overview of the 2016 class: 21 total signees, three mid-year enrollees, 16 student-athletes signed [National Letters of Intent] and three fifth-year transfers: Patrick Towles from the University of Kentucky, Jimmy Lowery from Eastern Illinois and Satchel Ziffer from Old Dominion as our kicker.
"I thought that was a good opportunity for us to gain a little bit of experience. Geographically, 13 states are represented in the 2016 class. Eight of the 21 student athletes are from a five-hour radius. Two are from Massachusetts, two from New Jersey and four from New York. Two are from Georgia, one from North Carolina, two from Texas, one from Ohio, one from Michigan, two from Pennsylvania, one from Florida and one from Illinois. One is from Maryland and one is from Kentucky. Elevent out of the 21 incoming student-athletes are from private or Catholic schools. Fourteen of the 21 incoming student-athletes were team captains. Ten were at the BC football camp. This is the breakdown on offense: two quarterbacks, two wide receivers, two tight ends and five offensive linemen; and on defense: three defensive linemen, three linebackers, two defensive backs and two punters. Fifteen of the 18 eligible players were first team all-state and two players participated in major postseason all-star games.
"I think you have a broad selection of guys here. You have them from our footprint beyond the five-hour radius. You see where we attacked our needs and where we wanted to build our program. This is really our third class. The first class when I came here was a very small class. It was a class that was recruited and one that we could not affect one way or another. The senior class this year is about eight guys. Our first class was that next year and we continue to grow from there. That's the reason why one year ago, we had a 27-player void and nine offensive line player void.
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Other
Hickory Creek Students Meet Author Tim Green (chicagotribune.com; Neuzil)
Hickory Creek Middle School sixth through eighth grade students and staff welcomed author Tim Green to the school recently. His two presentations were funded through a grant from the District 157-C Education Foundation. He has visited over 1,000 schools and spoken to nearly a half million students across the United States about the importance of education and character, in addition to the joys and benefits of reading.
He thanked the Hickory Creek staff for its commitment to reading saying that he came to the school to help the teachers in their mission to make the students better. He told the students that hard work in school would pay them back the rest of their lives. He stated, "This is your decision, you make the choice. I don't tell students what to do but what they can do, it is your choice."
Speaking to the students about how we can make our dreams come true, Green said his career goes back to when he was their age. He had two dreams, playing in the National Football League (NFL) and becoming a best-selling author. After studying writing at Syracuse University where he was an All American football player, Green was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons where he was a top defensive player for eight years. While he played in the NFL, he also studied law and began his writing career. After writing more than a dozen books for adults, Green began writing a series of novels for young readers set in a world of sports taken from his own experiences as an athlete and a coach. He made both of his dreams come true.
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The only reason for the Superfans to have any hope last year is losing almost the entire staff.
