As far as collegiate defensive linemen go, Arthur Jones is among the best.
He is also graduating following this season.
As far as high school defensive linemen go, St. Anthony’s (NY)¬†Robert Welsh is among the best, and he’ll be coming to The Hill next fall.
Welsh committed to the Orange back in July and has continued to work hard ever since.
His high school coach, Rich Reichert, has nothing but praisefor the senior who added 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason after being asked to move from defensive end to defensive tackle.
“He’s a grinder,” Reichert said of his Syracuse-bound senior.¬†“Nobody works harder and he’s tenacious. He just has a motor that doesn’t stop.” (Editor’s note: Very good. Hate to recruit a kid who’s motor shuts down in the third-quarter.)
Welsh now stands at 6’3″ and 265 pounds, a formidable size for a high school player.
Even though he hasn’t arrived on campus, it sounds like he’s taking quotes from Scott Shafer’s media playbook:
“It doesn’t matter to me (where I play),” said the soft-spoken Welsh, who adds “sir” to the end of his responses.¬†“I just want to do whatever I can to contribute. It’s still football, just hit somebody.”
When Welsh¬†gave his verbal commitmentto play for the Orange, he said he’d be willing to play anywhere as long as he can help the team.
“Reichert said the Orange coaches envision him as a future interior offensive lineman and this season he’ll get some snaps at tight end for the Friars.”
And he can move? Listening to Art Jones talk this summer, this Fizzsterfound out he trained with his brother Jon Jones, an MMA fighter.
Playing on both sides of the ball is versatile, but it’s not quite a Jones-ian level… yet.
New York high schools open today and The Fizz will be keeping an eye on Welsh all season long.
