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The Orange received some troubling news over the weekend that KJ Williams and Treevon Prater did not qualify academically to enroll at SU this fall.
Williams, a 4-star recruit, was one of Syracuse’s highest-ranked commits in quite some time and could have seen the field often as a freshman. Now the Orange faithful will have to wait and see whether the Bethlehem product chooses to go the prep school route or opt for a JUCO school. This is reminiscent of an academic situation involving 2013 commit Corey Cooper just a year ago. Cooper will be a freshman in the fall.
As for Prater, he probably would not have seen the field in his freshman campaign. However, this situation might hurt him more in the long run than other commits. Prater did not play organized football for too long in high school and would have benefited from a year on the bench to get a feel for the team. Like Williams, Prater will also be choosing between prep school and junior college.
Academic issues for recruits are nothing new for the Orange. Ashton Broyld did not qualify academically his freshman year and went to Milford Academy, a prep school for athletes who do not qualify to enroll at their committed schools. Myles Hilliard is another player who had to go to Milford after not having the grades for Syracuse. He, on the other hand, was kicked out and did not join the university. You can also add in Wayne Williams, who opted for ASA College in Brooklyn before enrolling at SU in January.
The list goes on and on. The point is that Williams and Prater have been given a wake up call and know the path they can take from here. The Orange are hoping for both players that it ends with them playing on the field at the Carrier Dome.
Posted by: Zephan Mayell
