Syracuse Recruiting: Manley Softens Things Up

The busy football recruiting season kicked off for the Syracuse Orange with the great news that three-star defensive end Josh Manley was committing to play for SU. He was a huge get for Marrone, who needs to replenish the DE ranks and also needs to send the message that Syracuse is still a viable place for quality recruits.

Tempering that excitement a little bit comes the news that Manley's verbal is a little bit softer than we first thought, as the Fizz tells us:

I currently still have the verbal to Syracuse, but I’m keeping my options open. I wanted to see Missouri. I’ve had some interest in Missouri, they recruited me early in the process. I just wanted to make sure I’m choosing the right school. Syracuse was my only visit, I loved it there, but I want to make sure that I see at least one more school before I make my decision."

Scout has moved Manley to a soft verbal from a commitment as well.

One little nugget of info that we missed the first time, Manley is the nephew of former NFL star Dexter Manley (and not the young brother of Pat Manley, despite the uncanny similarities). Syracuse.com reminds us that Manley had some extremely good things to say about SU from his visit:

"All of us, within the first 30 minutes of meeting each other, clicked," Manley said of a group which included other prospects and current Orange players. "It was already like we were all family."

Hopefully this is just a case of Manley crossing the T's and dotting the I's. We'll find out soon enough.