Democrat & Chronicle
Defensive end Pancho Barnwell will attempt to follow in the same footsteps as fellow Rochester product Ashton Broyld and head to prep school before coming to SU. Barnwell was another in-state talent Doug Marrone wanted to keep close to home, but Barnwell‚Äôs grades are a hurdle.¬†It scared many schools away, but Syracuse and Tyrone “Wheat the Beast” Wheatley were determined they had a sleeper.
The Orange looked to stock up on plenty of front 7 help with this class, and Barnwell could be another piece of that. According to Barnwell’s DC Sean Banks, SU has had interest for awhile.
“This time last year he got a lot of interest from Wheatley. They loved him from the start. They gave him a verbal hoping his grades would go up.” 
His scored did go up, but didn’t stay there. According to Banks, Barnwell had family issues in the fall, and as a result his grades slipped back down to around a 2.0. The Fizz can also verify his attendance was less than stellar. Banks is convinced once Barnwell leaves Rochester that things will turn around.
“He’s got some bad people here keeping him down. Once he gets out things will be better.”
Here’s to hoping Poncho Barnwell can turn things around like Broyld did and find his way to SU.
