Class of 2015 Raequan Williams

[Orangeyes]

"According to current Gordon Tech head coach Bill Jeske, Syracuse has shown interest in Class of 2015 defensive tackle Raequan Williams, a three-star prospect with offers from automatic qualifier schools Illinois, Indiana and Iowa."

From this story in the PS

Scott Shafer helped blaze recruiting inroads in Chicago through ...

Video of Raequan Williams Class of 2015 mentioned in above article

Raequan Williams - Recruitment Update Nov 2013

 

[sutomcat]

That article on Scott Shafer and how he established a presence in the Chicago area makes it clear how Syracuse, a school that has almost never recruited that area, has become a major player there almost overnight.

And why so many of us who questioned the emphasis on recruiting that area were so badly misguided. Good read.

 

[Rocco]

That is an awesome article. Wow... Shaf gets it.

 

[qdawgg]

That article on Scott Shafer and how he established a presence in the Chicago area makes it clear how Syracuse, a school that has almost never recruited that area, has become a major player there almost overnight.

And why so many of us who questioned the emphasis on recruiting that area were so badly misguided. Good read.

Not to toot my own horn but I have never cared where Marrone or Shafer have wanted to recruit, as long as we get recruits that help us win. Marrone and Shafer clearly had different perspectives on recruiting but both strategies have helped us improve from the depths of hell. Whatever works.

It is interesting to look back and wonder, did Shafer want to recruit these areas more and Marrone wanted to stick with his plan or were there not enough of the right people on the staff at the time to recruit the areas hard like we did this year? My guess is that it was a combination of the two.

 

[RF2044]

That is an awesome article. Wow... Shaf gets it.

I second that.

 

[PhatOrange]

That article on Scott Shafer and how he established a presence in the Chicago area makes it clear how Syracuse, a school that has almost never recruited that area, has become a major player there almost overnight.

And why so many of us who questioned the emphasis on recruiting that area were so badly misguided. Good read.

I think he also made this very clear in his recruiting presser when describing the camp they started out there. Even with DeAndre Smith I can still understand why they'd put another recruiter out there and just pound it. I have no problem with that.

Syracuse is a good fit for those kids for a variety of reasons, and I don't see those kids thumbing their noses at Cuse like the Downstate, and NJ kids do.

 

[CuseLegacy]

I think he also made this very clear in his recruiting presser when describing the camp they started out there. Even with DeAndre Smith I can still understand why they'd put another recruiter out there and just pound it. I have no problem with that.

Syracuse is a good fit for those kids for a variety of reasons, and I don't see those kids thumbing their noses at Cuse like the Downstate, and NJ kids do.

To your point I recently read an article in which Shafer again stated that he wanted kids who wanted to be at Syracuse. He wants tough kids and that he believes that some of the sport’s toughest young men are in the country’s toughest neighborhoods. That these kids have a fierce desire to succeed.

So where does he like to recruit... where he thinks he can find this type of kid. Miami, Chicago, Detroit, Philly and other large cities.

Additionally he said that within the coaching community folks are very impressed with what has been accomplished at Syracuse. even if the pundits don't think so. Which I think bodes well for a HS coach to encourage their kids to look at Syracuse.

 

[CaliCuse]

I think he also made this very clear in his recruiting presser when describing the camp they started out there. Even with DeAndre Smith I can still understand why they'd put another recruiter out there and just pound it. I have no problem with that.

Syracuse is a good fit for those kids for a variety of reasons, and I don't see those kids thumbing their noses at Cuse like the Downstate, and NJ kids do.

Kids who have been hardened in big cities that have motivation to gety out and improve their loves are tough Depending on where in NJ they can come out from there. the big city exposure of the Big Apple can spoil that desire and make them see beyond the opportunity a school like Syracuse can provide. NJ is full of $#itty towns that are literally filled with killers and worse. I've been there and know. A good friend was murdered in IrvingtonNJ one of the chess pool spots that my bank had an office. John Lulley was one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. A wife and two kids that were nearly identical in age to my two sons.Seeing him dead by his desk still haunts me. At the time it affected me for months and to this day I wonder why he had to die at the hands of scum who thought that robbing a bank was the easy way to obtain money. I will always be pissed about that.:bat:

 

[PhatOrange]

Cali, I love you man.

NJ has this pretentious entitled attitude about it that’s such a joke.

I like Chicago because it’s a no man’s land. Except for Notre Dame there is no affinity for one school or one conference. Sure lots of Big 10 kids for proximities sake, but by and large these kids go all over the place. Syracuse can recruit there. Hardnosed kids in a hardnosed town, Chicago kids relate to Syracuse, they aren’t scared by weather and it’s a short plane trip away. This year’s recruiting haul there was not a fluke.

 

[baggerbob]

His sincerity shows through in the article in the words of the other coach, and that's why Scott is already a great closer. Parents want their children to go somewhere where they will be protected, and they know with Scott he will see to it they do the work, and take care of them.

 

[PhatOrange]

From the presser:

"To get back to your question on Chicago just like South Florida I'm indebted to Chicago... Some of those high school coaches are the most respected people in the business that I know."

Summarizing a story regarding Chicago, he said, "we started a clinic back in the day it basically grew and grew and those coaches remember that how we took care of those kids how they graduated now we made sure we did right by them it's really easy for me to go back in those neighborhoods and talk about those people some of my former players and uncles and parents are at those high schools. Comfort factor to be able to get back to." Name drops places to eat and finishes with "we got quality kids from that part of the country and I'm excited to see them on the field."