Big Brooklyn Defensive Tackle Wayne Williams Commits to #SwaggerCuse

Generally, the recruitments that fans follow for years on end are for the big 5-star recruit types- the Ishaq Williams and Jarron Joneses of the world. Wayne Williams is not a blue chip prospect, neither Scout nor Rivals have even evaluated the big man from Brooklyn, but he is a name that has been on Syracuse's radar for a long time. Wayne played high school ball at Lincoln with Ishaq Williams, and has remained a priority for the coaching staff for years.

Williams stands at 6'6", 340 lbs, and is an imposing athlete who should add to what is becoming an absolutely monstrous group of defensive tackles, joining Zian Jones (6'5", 310), Ryan Sloan (6'4", 324), Jay Bromley (6'3", 280), Eric Crume (6'0", 332) and others. According to his Rivals profile, he combines a 350 lb max bench with a 4.9 40-yard dash.

Williams was a non-qualifier out of Lincoln, so he enrolled in local Brooklyn junior college ASA, where in three games he recorded 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. He missed the rest of the season due to injury. He holds offers from Texas A&M, Maryland, UConn, and Rutgers. He will have three years to play two at SU.

City Gridiron: Wayne Meets President of ASA & Tours Weight Room (via CozziPix)

Williams is the latest in a long line of New York City players to come to SU in the Marrone era. Some underestimate the value in branding Syracuse as "New York's College Team", but it has made a distinct impact on football recruiting. New York is a bit underrepresented as a hotbed for potential football stars, and players from the city take this to heart. The fact that Marrone and Syracuse have faith in players from the area will only continue to help us on the trail. Williams cited his relationships with current Syracuse players Brandon Reddish and Wayne Morgan as a major reason for his commitment, as well as his desire to represent New York on the next level:

Wayne Williams on why he chose SU: "We're (NYC recruits) bringing the swagger back to SwaggerCuse"

— John Garcia Jr. (@JohnGarcia_Jr) May 17, 2012

City Gridiron S2 Ep1 - B "Meet Wayne Williams".mov (via CozziPix)