The first official recruit of the Doug Marrone Era has committed. Safety/running back Torian Phillips out of Port Richmond High in Staten Island has signed on the line that is dotted and chosen Cuse over Rutgers. Phillips is a two-star rated recruit by Rivals and Scout.
Phillips was named the All-City Player of the Year by FiveBoroSports.com by making easy work of defenses all season long:
Phillips was dangerous whenever the ball came his way – on screen passes, stretch plays and draws. He capped an unforgettable senior season by tearing apart a sound Fort Hamilton defense to the tune of 206 rushing yards and four touchdowns, tying the record set by Lincoln’s Clive Harding in 1981. He scored 34 touchdowns, compiled 1,586 total yards and even had 20 receptions.
“He’s as good as they come,” PR coach Lou Vesce said.
Phillips also led Port Richmond to its first city title in a 206-yard, 4 TD performance.
The recruiting dead period ended less than 24-hours ago and Marrone already has a quality NY recruit, not too shabby for the situation he walked into. Phillips has some areas of concern (lack of height and weight are most glaring) but it's a fantastic reboot to what has otherwise been a depressing recruiting season.
Keep'm coming, Douggers.