Anthony Queeley had a feeling he might be committing to
Syracuse prior to taking a visit to the Central New York school this weekend.
Once the Orlando Lake Nona receiver got on campus, he knew where he wanted to be and he made his decision that Syracuse is where he will play college football. Queeley picked the Orange over 14 other Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship offers, including hometown
UCF, Duke, Vanderbilt,
Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
“It was mainly opportunity,” Queeley said of what Syracuse had to offer. “Starting with academics and athletics I feel like Syracuse can provide the best of both worlds for me and I felt like it was the best fit for me.”
The Syracuse offense was also quite intriguing and hard for Queeley to pass up given its wide-open flare, which is just like the passing attack at Lake Nona under head coach Anthony Paradiso.
“They had a couple of receivers [Amba Etta-Tawo and Ervin Phillips) have almost 100 catches [last year] and the type of offense they run is kind of similar to what we run,” Queeley said. “It’s a fast-paced offense, no-huddle, hard-working … best fit for me.”
Queeley, 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, was the top receiver in Central Florida last season, catching 76 balls for 1,063 yards and seven touchdowns. In his Lake Nona career, Queeley has 118 catches for 1,500 yards and 11 TDs.
He was recruited to Syracuse by co-offensive coordinator Sean Lewis.
“He came down in the spring and ever since I first met him I felt like I had know the man for a long time,” Queeley said. “His personality just sparked everything and since then we kept in contact and he wanted me to get up there.
“I went up there and everything worked out fine.”
Another big positive for Syracuse was incoming freshman Markenzie Pierre, the running back who signed with Syracuse in February after a prolific career at Kissimmee Liberty High. Pierre is good friends with Queeley.
“That’s my boy. We went against each other a couple of times in high school … He’s a really good guy,” Queeley said. “I saw him [Saturday] and we hung out at his apartment a little bit and he showed me the ropes. We went to the mall and hung out.
“You got a person who comes from a similar place to where I’m from and him talking about the school and talking about his experience, that just kind of eased my decision, eased my mind a little bit.”
Queeley was impressed with not just the campus, but everything about Syracuse.
“It was beautiful. There are genuine people there, people who care about other people, not just themselves,” Queeley said. “Of course there will be a little bit of harsh weather, but I can deal with that if I’m going to school for free.”
He won’t have to play home games outdoor, at least, with the Carrier Dome offering protection from the winter extremes. Queeley was impressed by the pressurized dome, which has two entrances to go through due to the building’s air pressure.
“It was pretty cool. Going in, they raised the gates for us so it was a kind of a game-like atmosphere with us walking in,” Queeley said. “It was beautiful and a constant 70 degrees, so it was nice.
“The weather, it will be different for me, since I’m a Florida boy and I haven’t seen snow yet, so I’m looking forward to that.”
