Davide DePas/NESC/SyracuseFan.com
Cornerback Boaz Joseph is shutting the sunshine out of the Sunshine State Рat least on his side of the secondary at Cypress Bay HS in Weston, FL. An earlier report on The Fizz profiled Joseph as a hard-hitting corner with good coverage instincts who had landed an offer from SU. The Fizz got in touch with Cypress Bay head coach Mark Guandolo to see how things were going for Boaz in his senior season.
“He’s 6’2”, so the combination of size and speed means he’ll man up and run with their best guy. It’s good for us because opponents haven’t thrown much to his side. He does a good job of shutting his side down.”
Cypress Bay is 3-1 on the year so far, and Guandolo attributes the strength of his defense – especially the secondary, where Joseph is the senior leader – to the early success.
“We do it all on defense. Boaz is a versatile guy being able to use his abilities in both man and zone coverage schemes. He’s going to be a threat at the NCAA level.”
Versatility is priceless for an Orange squad that seems to be constantly coming up short. Joseph would look mighty fine in Orange next year, especially with the current secondary struggling against the big passing play. He could join a young, developing unit highlighted by rising star CB Brandon Reddish. But Doug Marrone has to make Syracuse stand out from a list of 14 offers, including ones from Purdue, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin and Rutgers. It appears Kentucky, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Rutgers are the schools most closely in the mix to gain Joseph’s commitment.
If SU lands Joseph, it would be the latest installment in a trend of success throughout the program’s history recruiting Florida Oranges. Recent commits out of the Sunshine State include TE Tyler Provo¬†and LB Marqez Hodge. Among his selling points, Marrone can promise Joseph the ACC. Since he‚Äôll play games in and around his home state in the new conference, it softens the blow of relocating from Fort Lauderdale to CNY.
On first take, it would seem Syracuse is a long shot to sign Joseph especially because he has already taken an unofficial visit to Kentucky. However his coach says he’s giving equal consideration to every offer that comes in, and waiting until the end of this year to start narrowing down his options.
“He’s focused on being a part of our team right now, and he has seen the offers come in. He’s looking forward to start making visits after the season is over.”
Building on the success of a huge junior year (5 INTs), Joseph is shutting down receivers and helping his team towards another winning season, garnering attention from around the nation as his list of offers grows longer. Syracuse could help it’s case by collecting some wins as Joseph surveys his options.
Posted: Jake Moskowitz
