After spending the better part of the last two days on the Syracuse University campus, Will Harper has committed to the Orange. Harper is a safety prospect who could potentially play outside linebacker, and who will almost certainly be used in the “Okie” position in Chuck Bullough’s defense. Harper picked Syracuse over offers from Air Force, Army, Navy, Western Michigan, among others.
🍊🍊🍊 #Cuse16 @coachDLSmith1 @elitefootballac pic.twitter.com/tvoGKMmv43
— Will4️⃣ (@_willharp) June 12, 2015
The 6-foot, 190 pound Harper runs a reported 4.56 in the 40 and fills a major need for the Orange, as Syracuse looks to shore up its secondary. The hard hitting safety from Tyrone, Georgia looks to be tailor made for the okie position, as he loves to come up against the run and deliver punishing hits on the ballcarrier.
Harper shows a good ability to read the offense and quickly close on receivers and running backs, and looks to be a sure tackler in one on one situations. The thing that will jump out at most fans in his highlights is how ferociously he explodes through the ballcarrier.
Harper is the second commitment of the week for the Orange, joining quarterback Rex Culpepper. He might not be the last, either, as Amir Tyler, a 3-star athlete from New Jersey, was also on campus today, and linebacker Solomon Manning will be attending the Syracuse coaching staff’s camp tomorrow. Manning has previously said he’s planning on making his decision by Monday, with Syracuse, Rutgers, and North Carolina thought to be the three finalists.