The “Hershey Hulk” Harold Brantley is Rumbling Toward Syracuse
D.A. | Oct 30, 2011 | Comments 5
Syracuse is always looking for more power along the trenches, and Harold Brantley may just deliver that. He’s turning heads with a huge senior season and SU coaches are salivating over what they snared. Brantley committed to SU back in June, adding to an already exciting 2012 class, choosing the Orange over Penn State, Pitt and UConn. The 6’2’’ 280 lb. defensive tackle/fullback from Hershey, PA is an animal on the field. He’s coming off a solid junior season where he dominated in the middle. Brantley also rushed for 327 yards and three touchdowns last year. This season Harold has taken his game to another level and become a monster.
Besides being a roadblock in the middle of the defense, Brantley has nimble feet and can carry the rock. It must be frightening seeing a 280-pound with 4.8/40 speed trucking through holes. He already has 590 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns this season. HB also returned a kickoff to pay dirt this season for the Trojans. Yes, reread that sentence again. How many interior lineman are returning KICKOFFS for touchdowns? Syracuse may have mined a gem from the Keystone State.
Brantley will not carry the rock for the Orange, but instead clog up the middle and disrupt the running game. When he committed to SU, he saw himself as a great addition to an up and coming Syracuse program.
“First, I think I am an every-down tackle. I may not make every tackle but I constantly disrupt the offense.”
And for his greatest asset on the field?
“My pursuit to the ball, decent speed for my size and the fact I can take on two blockers at a time are what I feel are my strengths.”
But imagine Brantley coming in for short yardage situations and goal line play. It would be shades of “The Fridge” rumbling and bumbling into the end zone 25 years ago for the Chicago Bears. Get your Syracuse Shuffle on Brantley!
Speed, strength and athleticism are the classic traits that Doug Marrone looks for and Harold has all three. Speed kills, and getting a quick jump off the line is critical for lineman. He’s fast and athletic for a lineman and should be able to get into the backfield quickly. At 280 pounds, he is a load in the middle as well.
Harold loves Syracuse and is excited to wear Orange next season. A main reason for him choosing SU is the academics that ‘Cuse offers. He plans on going into communications, and potentially the renowned Newhouse program.
Brantley has already started gaining steam as a fan favorite for Orange fans following the incoming football class. HB is another future Orange getting fans giddy. SU can’t wait to add another impact recruit that will have an impact on the program down the road.
Posted: Dave Van Moffaert
Filed Under: Featured • Recruiting
I glad that he choose Syracuse to play for the next 4/5 years. Boy can you imagine him 1st and goal from the 10 yard line as a fullback crashing through the line foa a touchdown. Wooooooooooooooooooooooow.
It just goes to show you just how hard it is for anyone to lock their state down by keeping the good talent at home. The great JOPA couldn’t pull it off, now could he?
Great job Syracuse on getting another one of those so-called underrated 280 lb. players.
GO CUSE!!!!!
DA why is the media so light on HCDM and recruiting. Its real early but our next class is average at best. Programs that are similar to us(not Ala or LSU or not Buffalo or Duke)are getting a few quality players(4 or better stars). HCDM can’t keep this up forever and win regularly if he’s not questioned. This idea of his Syracuse will never get the real quality players id BS. Others do so why not us???
Terry – The answer to your question is pretty simple: Doug Marrone does not care about the star ratings. They mean absolutely nothing to him. The program does its own scouting, and doesn’t rely on the recruiting services for any help. He may raise some eyebrows with his recruiting classes in terms of how many so-called four-star guys he gets, but a lot of that is just because he doesn’t care.
Three seasons into his tenure, Marrone is on track to do something that hasn’t been done at SU since 1999: make two bowl games in a row. So I don’t really know why it’s necessary to be so caught up in how many stars his recruits are, as long as he keeps on winning.
To Whomever: DA or KANELL
This in coming class is exciting?? Can this years team really compete against the SEC,ACC,BIG10,BIG12 and PAC 10. I doubt it!! And you do too!! He’s only a few games above .500 for his career. Is that progress. Yes from the past teams but you make this guy smell like Lombardi. So far he’s not. I like the hire, but for 3 years the progress is to slow and next years class so far(yes its early) is average. So if HCDM keeps this so called style of his we’ll be the second DUKE of the ACC. It make no sense not to not look at the star services. It doesn’t hurt Alabama, LSU, Mich and Mich St, Penn St, OK St and OK, USC, or countless other Div 1 programs with much higher star value than ours does it?? Let me ask Mr. DA and Mr. Kanell one question. Whose talent would you rather see run on the Dome field next year the highly ranked stars of the pre-mentioned teams or HCDM’s UTR, NR, 2 star and a sprinkle of 3 star kids. I know that is highly unlikely to happen. But talent wins championships not coaching. Until HCDM gets higher ranked kids in here we’ll always be a bottom feeder in the ACC under his style. History shows that. This is big time College Football not College Basketball. Cinderellas in CF lose regularly.
Terry I see your point. But what is your real expectation out of Marrone three years in to his stint? He has brought SU from a bottom feeder of the Big East to a bowl team in year two. Also, he is most likely going to bring the orange to consecutive bowl games for the first time since 1998-1999. He is turning this program around and he is doing it his way. That is why we believe in him. Also the kids he is getting are no slouches either. Ill repeat what the whole Fizz staff said before, Marrone doesnt give a crap about what people on scout.com rank a recruit.He evaluates his own talent. But you are correct, down the road, the talent in the ACC is superior to what SU is getting now. But Marrone is establishing his territory ACC country and the move to the ACC will help seal the four star recruits that slipped away at the last moment. If in two more years he doesnt get any big time recruits, I think all of us will be on him
DVM