There is nothing more frustrating in EA Sports NCAA Football than playing a great game the week a recruit is visiting and then finding out that instead of committing right away he's given you the Soft Verbal kiss of death as he goes off to visit USC. You know that your efforts have been in vain and it's only a matter of time before he shuffles you off his list and commits elsewhere. A few weeks ago, I wrote this about incoming two-star SU commit Raheem Cardwell:
Raheem, a two-star recruit from Hyattsville, MD, committed way back in July. He chose the Orange over Virginia and Virginia Tech amongst others. Cardwell has said it was the SU coaches that made him want to join as well as his appreciation for the campus. He's looking forward to the chance to be a part of SU's renaissance.Oops, just kidding:
Although Scout.com states that Cardwell has given a solid verbal commitment to Syracuse, he claims that it is no¬w a soft verbal commitment. This means that while Syracuse may be at the top of his list for prospective colleges, he is still open to playing at other schools. Cardwell - a two-star recruit on Scout.com - is one of only four commits for SU.In other words, let's see who you guys get to replace Robinson and then we'll talk.
Cardwell felt that he wanted to leave his options open until signing day in February, which is not a good sign for Syracuse recruiting up to this point.
Cardwell admitted that the recent struggles of the Syracuse program does play into his decision to remain open to other offers he may receive from other schools.
"Everybody likes to be on a winning team, and everybody likes to help out the team," Cardwell said. "I am looking to win a national championship one day in college, so that plays a little part in my decision."
It remains to be seen if Cardwell if worth all the trouble, his stats are decent if not spectacular, and he seems fairly motivated. But the point to take away from all of this has to be that even two-star-rated players are questioning whether or not they can do better than Syracuse. It truly is a glorious time we live in.