Recruiting...Robert Washington

[jekelish]

I wanted to post this here, too - our own JackBauer44 scored a chat with Robert Washington, a running back in the class of 2016 who Tom Lemming recently named to his top 25 All-America team. Needless to say, this would be our biggest get in ages. And Syracuse is very much in the game. And Robert also has some thoughts on the number 44...

http://.com/gridiron-recruiting-qa-with-robert-washington/

 

[Upstate]

"Recruits don't care about 44." You know how many times I've heard that in the last few years?

 

[jekelish]

He comes off as a fantastic kid. He's going to be successful wherever he goes...let's just hope it's to Syracuse, New York.

 

[Toga]

Seems like a great kid. The Express strikes again. Give him the digits for God's sake.

 

[007]

I wanted to post this here, too - our own JackBauer44 scored a chat with Robert Washington, a running back in the class of 2016 who Tom Lemming recently named to his top 25 All-America team. Needless to say, this would be our biggest get in ages. And Syracuse is very much in the game. And Robert also has some thoughts on the number 44...

http://.com/gridiron-recruiting-qa-with-robert-washington/

Great article, Jeff. And great job with the site! Much appreciated.

 

[jekelish]

Great article, Jeff. And great job with the site! Much appreciated.

Thanks for the compliments on the site...for this article, it was all JackBauer44...outstanding job landing this one.

 

[007]

"Let all the Syracuse fans know that Syracuse is very high for me and they will be in it to the end. People always say to me that I have so many options and a lot of bigger football programs to choose from, but I won’t make my decision on the size of the football program. My decision will come down to what the bestfit is for me. I don’t care where that’s at."

 

[Trueblue25]

Jekelish, I thought it'd tickle your heart to know that this UB guy loves your site.

 

[jekelish]

Jekelish, I thought it'd tickle your heart to know that this UB guy loves your site.

Ha! Thanks man.

 

[Finwad32]

The number has, does and always will mean something, especially in Syracuse. I can't think of a better situation than this to unretire it.

I know some people would rather give it to a deserving upperclassmen, but, that's never been the practice.

Offer it up.

 

[jekelish]

Here's the thing with restoring 44:

People who are against it will say, "it's about a legacy, not one kid." And that's true. But this one kid could help change the perception of the program. After all, he said he's going to try to bring other elite players with him wherever he commits. So while 44 is about a legacy, offering it to this kid, even though he is just one kid, could help restore that legacy in the long run because of 1) what the perception of landing such a high profile kid could do for the program and 2) the level of friends he could bring with him will put us back on track toward being a legitimate football program in terms of wins and losses.

That said, even if he commits, and SU does decide to give him 44, obviously we won't hear about 44 being unretired until after he's signed, sealed, and officially 100% Orange on LOI day. You don't want to announce that you've restored the number, since everyone will know it's specifically for him, and then have him flip and go elsewhere. Talk about egg on your face.

 

[Chip]

The number has, does and always will mean something, especially in Syracuse. I can't think of a better situation than this to unretire it. I know some people would rather give it to a deserving upperclassmen, but, that's never been the practice. Offer it up.

You keep tradition alive by celebrating it and promoting it. 44 could easily be special on the field again but I'm guessing that's not going to happen until post Gross.

It would invalidate his entire # retirement celebration at halftime of the vaunted South Florida matchup in front of 20k as SU was putting up a home goose egg.

Certain memories are so special, they should stay as perfect as they were.

 

[Crusty]

If the living 44 's are in favor (I know Floyd is) then so should we all IMO.

 

[Orange4]

If we land this kid I'm going to throw a party like we just won the National Championship because this kid is that big a deal and that good. #CuseNation

 

[44oranges]

: Any running back interested in Syracuse has to know the history of the position at Syracuse. What does the number 44 mean to you? Syracuse fans are clamoring for it to come out of retirement. If it did and you were offered the chance to wear it at Syracuse, what would it mean to you?
RW: The movie Express was my favorite movie anyways so I knew a lot about the tradition of #44 before Syracuse offered. I know a lot of people my age don’t know, but how can anyone call themselves a running back and not know who Jim Brown is. I would love to wear that number, I’ve actually asked the staff if I could wear it. At this point, I don’t know if that’s a deal breaker- but it could be. I think if I brought it back as a freshman, it would give Syracuse a boost and could create excitement. I feel like I wouldn’t only be a great player, but I could also help recruit and land some of best players in the country. Let’s hope the coaches or admins let me do it. Fingers crossed.

 

[OrangePA]

"Recruits don't care about 44." You know how many times I've heard that in the last few years?

It's true.

The kids know much more than many on this board presume.

And, kids do recognize and appreciate tradition -especially in the world of college football.

 

[OrangePA]

If the living 44 's are in favor (I know Floyd is) then so should we all IMO.

Absolutely!!

It would make news - and that's what the Program needs.

 

[jekelish]

Here's the thing about the "no one knows or cares about 44" thing...um, have people forgotten that there was a major motion picture that was a giant celebration of the legacy of 44? A movie that came out at a time when these recruits were growing up, and 1) was family friendly and 2) inspirational and 3) about football, so yes, they all saw it and most of them loved it?

The Express is one of the best recruiting tools we've got.

 

[FAL]

If the living 44 's are in favor (I know Floyd is) then so should we all IMO.

Somebody better ask Jim Brown soon--he's getting up there.

 

[orange_in_VA]

If the living 44 's are in favor (I know Floyd is) then so should we all IMO.

Seriously! Tell him the number is his, and then when he gets on campus, have Little and Brown formally offer it to him. It would wake up the fanbase quick and give them something to get excited about.

 

[samspann1]

Offer him the number, please

 

[RMH44]

Somebody better ask Jim Brown soon--he's getting up there.

If JB were to expire before being asked...then he wouldn't qualify as one of the "living 44's". Just saying ;-)

And, ftr, I hope he lives many, many more years.

 

[OrangePA]

If JB were to expire before being asked...then he wouldn't qualify as one of the "living 44's". Just saying ;-)

And, ftr, I hope he lives many, many more years.

The purpose of maintain the jersey - not to retire it - was to provide a living tribute to Jim Brown.

Retiring the jersey violated that tribute.

Give the kid the jersey and bring back Syracuse University Football Tradition - The TD Cannon, the Saltine Warrior Fight Song, the reference "Bill Orange" the nickname "Orangemen" and - yes, some of you will get upset - the traditional uniform.

Thank you.

 

[Chip]

The purpose of maintain the jersey - not to retire it - was to provide a living tribute to Jim Brown.

Retiring the jersey violated that tribute.

Give the kid the jersey and bring back Syracuse University Football Tradition - The TD Cannon, the Saltine Warrior Fight Song, the reference "Bill Orange" the nickname "Orangemen" and - yes, some of you will get upset - the traditional uniform.

Thank you.

The worst part about retiring it is that an incoming Athletic Director did it in the middle of his first season. How can he know that much about the school already that he makes THAT decision? That has always bothered me. Just felt like a gimmick to try to sell tickets to a game for a very bad team that year.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

The worst part about retiring it is that an incoming Athletic Director did it in the middle of his first season. How can he know that much about the school already that he makes THAT decision? That has always bothered me. Just felt like a gimmick to try to sell tickets to a game for a very bad team that year.

Since Konrad graduated...

Dee Brown
Ali Culpepper
James Mungro
Diamond Ferri
Walter Reyes
Damian Rhodes
Curtis Brinkley

all refused to wear #44. The number was collecting dust on a shelf.

I guess that told Gross all he needed to know.