The Orange express just keeps on rolling, as Syracuse landed its eighth commitment of the weekend with a pledge from Joshua Black. If you’re getting a little bit lost amid all of these recent verbals, it’s okay. They’re coming more fast and furious than Vin Diesel after his next sequel paycheck. The 3-star defensive end picked Syracuse following his official visit after having recently decommitted from Illinois.
Blessed to say I will be continuing my academic and athletic career at Syracuse! #GoOrange #DomeDudes #Syracuse 🍊🍊🍊 pic.twitter.com/EWse2IsbGL
— Joshua Black (@JoshNBlack) January 25, 2016
Black, a 6-foot-3, 240 pound prospect from Machesney Park, Illinois, played on the offensive line for most of his high school career before switching over to defense full time as a senior. He fills a big gap on the Syracuse roster, as the Orange are in serious need of depth at the defensive end position. Even better, he’s physically advanced enough to be able to step in and see the field as a true freshman in the 2016 season.
Along with already boasting a good frame and plenty of strength, Black has also been clocked as fast as 4.61 in the 40 at a camp last summer, giving him terrific speed off the edge that will help him become a disruptive player at the next level. It was his combination of size and speed that originally caught the attention of Illinois, and it’s what drew the Syracuse coaching staff to him as well.
Last season, Black had 48 tackles including 4.0 sacks and 8.0 tackles for loss, according to MaxPreps. Black adds even more defensive end depth to this year’s class, and is the third commit at the position in the last two weeks, joining Kendall Coleman, another 3-star talent from Indianapolis, and Jaquwan Nelson, a former Miami commit who pledged to the Orange on Sunday morning. The Orange still have a couple more defensive ends on the radar, including Josh White, who visits Central New York next weekend, and Drew Beesley, a Bowling Green decommit who is currently scheduled to visit SU next weekend.
