Three-star DT Wayne Williams knew the loss of John Anselmo would hurt. The Syracuse commit admitted to The Fizz Anselmo had always been a father figure to him. No longer SU’s chief recruiter of the New York City area, Anselmo has now moved on to Doug Marrone’s staff in Buffalo. As much as Williams would like to have Anselmo on the sidelines with him this season, he wishes him the best. And the 6’6” 325 lb pass rusher is looking forward to possibly crossing paths with Anselmo in the future.
“It was real crazy for me. Coach Anselmo is the Godfather of New York. New York Football, not a thing gets by him without him knowing. So the fact that he is now with the Bills, everybody is excited because now we have a pathway to the NFL, and that’s great for New York.”
The ASA Junior College transfer grew up being recruited by Anselmo at Lincoln HS. Even despite spending the last two seasons on the Avengers roster in Brooklyn, Wayne and the “Godfather of New York Football” remained close. Like many other NYC recruits over the years, William built up a strong relationship with Anselmo based on trust.
“Coach Anselmo is different from any other coach I’ve met. He has your future mapped out for you as soon as he says hello to you. He puts a lot of pressure on you, but you feel welcome, you feel at home, and you feel that everything he says he’s going to do for you is going to be the best decision for you.”
Syracuse’s coaching carousel is seemingly slowing down after the mass exodus to Buffalo. But Orange Nation is still wondering who will take Anselmo’s place in recruiting New York City’s top football talent. Reports have surfaced stating Orange WR’s Coach Rob Moore is the next best option. Moore is Long Island native, and Williams agrees he is a perfect fit.
“He’s a great coach. Me and him got along, we hit it off real good during my visit. I’m glad he’s going to be the backup recruiter for the New York area. He’s more down to Earth, a younger coach so he connects with us a little more.”
The hiring of offensive coordinator George McDonald will aid recruiting in general for Syracuse, but Moore seems to be a logical choice to work SU’s home turf. Some major damage control must be done with just over two weeks remaining until National Signing Day. SU already lost out on the city’s top ranked recruit again in Ebenezer Ogundeko, and the RB tandem of Laray Smith and Augustus Edwards (two prospects that seemed like locks for the Orange) are wavering after the recent coaching changes.
The last month has been a real eye-opener for Williams has well. He was shocked over the number of coaches that left for Buffalo with HCDM.
“It’s been scary figuring out who the new coaches will be, what’s going to happen, but it is a business at the end of the day, so I’m sure everything will be in good hands.”
But the changes didn’t deter Williams’ decision to stick with the Orange. He strongly believes staying in state with Syracuse was the best path for him and most of the other top NYC recruits.
“The main thing about our NYC athletes is that we get caught up with the brighter lights that are away from us. The [Syracuse] players that we have now РWayne Morgan, Brandon Reddish, Davon Walls, Ivan Foy 0 we’re going to go out there and were going to show them why New York players should stay in our own house. So, shout out to Ebo for choosing Clemson, my fellow brother Ishaq Williams for choosing Notre Dame, but we’re going to give NYC and New York State something to talk about.”
Regardless of how the next “Vito Corleone” will be appointed, making sure New York City remains a top priority will still be a vital key for SU’s new coaching staff.
Posted: Kevin Fitzgerald
