Even as Wayne Williams says Syracuse is running New York, new developments show the Orange may have been a longshot for the best QB in the Empire State.
Just a few days after introducing Chris Laviano as¬†a mystery man in Syracuse‚Äôs widespread quarterback hunt,¬†recent signs point the Long Island signal caller to archrival Rutgers. It seems the Orange didn’t stand much of a chance for the Hicksville native who turned heads at the Elite 11 camp.
First, Tim Boyle, a Syracuse recruit and the top rated QB prospect in Connecticut, announced his commitment to Boston College Wednesday. BC had an offer to Laviano as well, but Boyle’s decision¬†likely closes that door. Rivals.com’s Rutgers writer Matt Hladik tells The Fizz Laviano will probably take the only remaining offer on the table – the one from the Scarlet Knights.
“I think he’s the kind of guy that they could see really thriving in that offense down the line. Rutgers was also very early on Laviano, having offered him in the beginning part of the 2013 cycle. “
Syracuse was too late to the party considering RU was the first school that offered Laviano, and the first he chose to visit. Hladik says it’s very possible the Syracuse scouts didn’t like Laviano’s style of play.
“Doug Marrone definitely knows who Chris Laviano is, but with the commitments of Austin Wilson and Zach Allen, Laviano might have taken a fall on Syracuse’s board. All of these schools have a board for quarterbacks, and it’s a ton of schools going after a small pool of kids. Sometime you see top-rated kids go without offers because their offer is contingent upon how the other dominos fall.”
It seems strange there would be such competition for a few select quarterbacks, yet a prospect like Laviano would have only two offers. He caught national attention at the Elite 11 workouts, but there wasn’t much interest from many schools including SU. Why? Probably because many assume he has long been leaning toward Piscataway.
Orange Nation can rest easy knowing SU didn’t completely ignore the best QB in NYS, and one in their recruiting hotbed of the New York City region. But would the Orange have had a shot even if it entered the fray? Hladik thinks CL would have heavily favored the Scarlet Knights anyway.
“To me it seems like Rutgers would be the logical choice [for Laviano]. BC has two quarterback commitments, and Rutgers doesn’t have anyone else for this class. RU will readily take him as someone who they’ve identified early on as someone they want in the class.”
There is still plenty of time for other schools to jump on Laviano. The summer is young, he’ll play his senior season starting in September, and many scouts believe he is a sleeper. But at the moment, cross out two of the horses on Syracuse‚Äôs QB Carousel: Chris Laviano and Tim Boyle.
Posted: Jake Moskowitz
