via lehighvalley.com
Follow the Fizz on Twitter for the latest SU football news
The Orange received some unfortunate news yesterday as K.J. Williams announced via Twitter that he will reopen his recruitment process after failing to qualify academically to join the 2014 class.
This will be a tough loss for Orange Nation to take after Williams became one of the highest-ranked signees in recent memory. The 4-star recruit will attend Milford Academy, a school several Syracuse recruits have attended in the past that have issues enrolling.
Williams was looked at as a big fish that the Orange finally caught in the recruiting waters. Fans know how hard it has been to secure a commitment from a 4-star recruit. In fact, many were impressed that Coach Shafer was able to pull off a big recruiting win in his first true recruiting cycle as head coach.
Although Williams was considered the main attraction of a solid 2014 class, there are several promising receivers who will be on the team next season. Jamal Custis, Adly Enoicy and Steve Ishmael will have to heavily impress in practice to see the field as freshmen but they do give the Syracuse receiving corps a bright future. WR Corey Cooper enrolled in January and also will be looking for his first crack at playing time.
There is the possibility that Williams does honor his commitment and play for the Orange. He is cousins with A.J. Long and hails from the same high school as Jarrod West. There is no word yet on where Williams is looking to play after his semester at Milford but his family did want him to play at Michigan before eventually committing to Syracuse.
Something of note in this particular situation is how Syracuse’s current commit total for the 2015 class will affect KJ Williams’ decision. The Orange already have 22 commits, which is a very high total considering there is still a month left before the end of summer and almost six months before National Signing Day. The good news for Williams if he wants to stay with Syracuse is that West Lindor is the only true wide receiver in the 2015 class thus far. Daiquan Kelly also could slide into the wide receiver role depending on where the coaching staff thinks he fits best.
All said, K.J. Williams is still a big talent who will be missed if he decides to enroll elsewhere next season. But the Orange will have to move on with the incoming receivers they have, which to be honest are not too shabby.
Posted by: Zephan Mayell
