MSG Varsity
Orange Nation deflates after Ishaq Williams chose Notre Dame yesterday, but the commitment from Brandon Reddish should not be lost in the mix. All season long Syracuse was without a legitimate deep threat, partially due to injuries, mostly due to talent. While Marcus Sales had a legendary Pinstripe Bowl, SU’s aerial attack set passing back seventy years during the bulk of the regular season.
While play-calling is certainly part of the blame (look what happened when they coached aggressively against Kansas State) and Ryan Nassib’s downfield arm is still suspect, the lack of a big play target was obvious.
Reddish snared 18 touchdowns this season for Fort Hamilton and caught the only score in a dramatic win for the Public School Athletic League championship. SU beat Rutgers, Penn State and Boston College (among others) in grabbing the wideout. Serendipity: Reddish beat Ishaq’s Lincoln team for the PSAL title at Yankee Stadium.
While the potential of Ishaq as a disruptive force in Doug Marrone’s already rock-solid defense made Orange Nation drool, Reddish’s talents come at a position of greater need. Merely being in the discussion for Ishaq’s talents and locking horns alongside Penn State and Notre Dame was also enormous in building the Syracuse football brand.
Celebrating the PSAL championship Reddish said, “It was the greatest moment. It’s been four long years, but we finally did it!” Syracuse recruiting can finally say the same thing.
Posted: D.A.
