(Picture: Brighton-Pittsford Post)
Ashton Broyld has made plenty of headlines before even stepping foot on the Syracuse campus, and unfortunately not in a good way. There was the¬†never ending courtroom drama stemming from the ugly incident at his Rochester high school basketball game. Then the news broke he would be¬†academically ineligible for the season and headed off to SU football’s halfway house, Milford Academy.
Now, Broyld posts this to his Facebook page:
“Na I’m not switchin until I feel like I just wanna knock a bitch out, just sayin like ppl coaches in life s— gonna change for everybody in time.”
We can‚Äôt be entirely sure what prompted Ashton to write this post, but many believe he was approached about a position change and was less than receptive to the idea. It’s possible the New York State Player of the Year at quarterback has been asked to switch to the defensive side of the ball.
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It’s been often speculated that with an abundance of depth at quarterback for the Orange (although Jonny Miller may have removed himself from that list), a position change may be inevitable for a few of these high school signal-callers. Broyld would be an ideal candidate given his size and athletic ability.
Broyld is listed at 6’5″, 225 and could be in line to shift to linebacker or safety. Ashton wouldn‚Äôt be the first quarterback ever to resist a position change, but Orange Nation would certainly like to see more of a team-first attitude or humble approach from him.
The quarterback depth chart is a claustrophobic one after Ryan Nassib graduates. Behind him is Charlie Loeb (Jr.), James Jarrett (Jr.), John Kinder (So.), Jonny Miller (So.), Nick Raven (So.), Terrell Hunt (Fr.) and Broyld to battle for snaps. Miller’s future might be murky for SU, but that still leaves five other QB’s Broyld would be battling next season for a spot on the roster. Once Nassib, Loeb and Jarrett graduate, it’s still a race between Kinder, Miller, Raven, Hunt and Broyld for the starter’s job.
As naturally talented as he is, a successful position change would require a lot of work, and Ashton’s commitment to it is paramount. After the recent public embarrassment of his court trial and then heading to Milford, you would hope Broyld was doing everything the coaching staff needed from him.
Having Hunt in the same class also presents another hurdle for Broyld to have to deal with in the future. One of them would have to redshirt or switch positions, or potentially be relegated to a career backup. If Marrone and co. have decided Broyld is going to be the odd man out, this would give him plenty of time to get acclimated to a new position.
It does seem early to give up on Ashton as a quarterback, and that could be why he‚Äôs so against the idea. Although even without throwing a pass, Broyld’s decision-making may have proven that he‚Äôs not reliable enough to lead a program. Marrone will take the smart decision over the flashy play (witness Nassib’s lock on the starting job). Broyld’s going to have to convince DM he can be that guy.
Some question whether Broyld will ever even make it to the Hill, much less at quarterback. Unfortunately for him, his reputation is already dinged up. But Broyld’s athletic talent gives him the ability to help the team in plenty of ways. A position change would make a lot sense, whether Ashton is ready to admit it or not.
Posted: Steve Neikam
