Ah, brotherhood. It’s at the center of every sports movie with the power to bring a grown man to tears; a group of guys goes in a team¬†but comes out a family. A great story, and one Scott Shafer appears to have put it in his recruiting playbook for the Class of 2016.
One of the things coaches have to worry about most is team chemistry, but some of this year’s recruiting class won’t have to look far to find a friend. In fact, over a quarter of Syracuse’s 2016 commits will be coming to campus with a member of his high school “family”.
Rex Culpepper and Scoop Bradshaw
It’s no surprise that Coach Shafer is interested in players from one of Florida’s premier high school football programs. Coach Robert Weiner of Tampa’s Plant High School has led the Panthers to four state championships in the last decade. Shafer had quarterback Rex Culpepper and safety Scoop Bradshaw visit together in June (Weiner was on the trip as well), and got commitments from both in less than a week. Coach Weiner said of his players in an interview earlier this month, “If you get one of them, you’ve got a chance to get other ones.” Rex’s younger brother Judge, a 2018¬†graduate, also picked up an offer from Syracuse on the June visit. His father has said it’s very possible Judge goes where his older brother goes, which makes the future ties between Plant High School and Syracuse even more exciting.
DyMelle Parker and Jamal Holloway
New Jersey’s Camden is another football powerhouse. The school already has four FBS commits on its roster for the 2015 season, and a number of others will play at the next level as well. This week, Syracuse got its second commitment from the school. On Tuesday, defensive end Jamal Holloway chose the Orange over Temple, Old Dominion, Pitt and others. Holloway will be playing in the same defensive unit as Camden linebacker DyMelle Parker, who committed a month ago.
What does this mean for the future? There’s no doubt Syracuse¬†will be showing interest in players from these two huge football schools for years to come, and it’s always better to have a man on the inside.
Posted: Nathan Dickinson
