Get To Know Your Orange Man - #69 Robert Welsh

We're counting down every SU football player, one a day, from Chandler Jones (#99) to Phil Thomas (#1). Keep track of every player profile right here.

Next up on your Orange-Man Orientation, #69, Robert Welsh.

Position: Defensive tackle

Year: Sophomore

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 260 pounds

Hometown: Bay Shore, NY

High School: Saint Anthony's H.S.

2010 Stats: None. He redshirted.

2011 Projections: He's currently third DT on the depth chart right now, behind Cory Boatman and Ollie Haney. That said, he did push Cory Boatman at times in practice while Haney was out nursing an injury. He probably won't see significant time, but don't be too surprised to see Welsh on the field from time to time.

How'd He Get Here?: Welsh was named a 2009 Daily News All-Long Island/West Chester County All-Star. He had 66 tackles and eight sacks as a senior and captained his team, something Marrone values. Welsh says he received other scholarship offers from Hofstra and New Hampshire and was being recruited by Penn State, Boston College, Maryland, Rutgers and Pittsburgh, but chose the Orange due to some serious recruitment by the big man, Doug Marrone, himself.

Scouts/Rivals Said: Rivals gave Welsh two stars but Scout saw enough in him to give three. According to Scout, "Welsh is a high-motor kid that never gives up on a play and also has a very high football IQ."

Money Quote: "I loved the coaches. The campus is awesome, I just feel like this coaching staff is going to turn it around and bring Syracuse back to the way it was; bring it back to bowl games. Coach Marrone is a great coach. They showed an interest in me from day one. It's the best place for me academically and I feel like I can go in there and make an impact." - Welsh on why he chose SU.

Links of Wonder: Here's Welsh's Twitterfeed. On May 4th, he tweeted "This thing on my chest is getting bigger the medicine they gave isn't helping." Let's assume that thing on his chest got smaller cause he's still tweeting.

 Doug Marrone Thinks: Highly enough of Welsh that he put a lot of personal effort into recruiting him. He apparently saw a little of himself in the young lineman, according to Welsh's high school coach.

Interesting Nugget O'Interest: Welsh's stated academic interest last year was criminal justice. Now, he's majoring in communication and rhetorical studies. Guess he's cool with criminals now.

Let Us Get A Good Look Atchya: Here's Welsh in all his high school glory...