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Darien Williams remembered watching a video of Syracuse head coach Fran Brown’s introductory press conference in November. Williams recalled Brown saying he grew up on welfare and didn’t need to go anywhere else, giving him the feeling that Brown wanted to stay in central New York long-term.

The part-wide receiver, part-defensive back kept returning to the video. Shortly after he became Syracuse’s first regional commit of the class of 2025 in mid-March, he watched the press conference again. Williams was addicted to the message Brown sent recruits.

“He’s very involved in the community, trying to get out and help as much as possible and it’s definitely nice to see,” Williams said.

Williams, a three-star recruit from nearby Christian Brothers Academy, is the No. 2 Class of 2025 recruit in New York per 247Sports’ Composite Ranking. Because of Brown’s clear effort to recruit players from the Syracuse region, Williams was convinced to commit to Syracuse. Williams could be the Orange’s first enrolled recruit from central New York since 2018.

Bruce Williams, a Syracuse wide receiver from 2005-08, is the wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator at CBA. He said SU always placed some form of emphasis on recruiting locally and mentioned how former head coaches like Dick MacPherson, Paul Pasqualoni and his head coach Greg Robinson recruited players from the area. The previous coaching staff didn’t do that.

“Up until the last regime, everybody from the coaching staff that at least I’ve known has always recruited locally,” Bruce said. “Fran Brown, I think has done a good job in a matter of months, showing that effort that he will keep local kids here.”

The process for Williams started when he moved from Atlanta to Syracuse as a 4-year-old. It was easy for Williams to become a fan of the Orange with them playing close by. As he started playing football in fifth grade, first as a quarterback, Williams always watched SU.

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When Williams played at the modified level in seventh and eighth grade, Bruce told him he was playing the wrong position. The coach said Williams should switch to wide receiver, although he still wanted to be a signal caller.

But in ninth grade, there were already four other quarterbacks on the Brothers’ roster. Williams approached Bruce and said he wanted to make the position change.

Bruce said the shift was vital for Williams to garner attention from major programs since some of his older teammates played multiple positions and eventually committed to colleges like UAlbany and Central Connecticut.

“By being able to do multiple things, you become valuable,” Bruce said. “But it also teaches a kid how to be selfless, how to understand that he may not always be the guy and how he can still impact the game not with the ball in his hand.”

Williams excelled quickly after his shift to wide receiver. In 2023, Williams led the Brothers with 863 yards and 11 touchdowns as part of the team’s run to the Class AA state championship. Williams tallied three games with at least 100 receiving yards and four with two touchdowns or more.

In the state championship game against Carmel at the JMA Wireless Dome, Williams displayed his speed and catching ability. In the first quarter, he ran a deep post route and snagged a wobbly pass at midfield. Williams created separation at the block “S” logo and scored uncontested for 78 yards.

Later in the quarter, Williams took a slant route the distance for a 65-yard score. Then to seal the championship, he scored a 48-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Brown took note of Williams’ performance despite the game taking place less than a week after becoming Syracuse’s new head coach. Brown’s decision to attend the state championships was just one of the moments that renewed interest in the program even before his introductory press conference.

Around the same time at Christian Brothers, Williams and his friends talked about how Brown changed everything regarding Syracuse football. As fans of the Orange, they found the hiring to be shocking in a way.

“He would bring in a lot of great coaches by his side,” Williams said. “…It was just definitely gonna be a whole lot different.”

Williams received other offers from Penn State, Boston College, Colorado and UMass, but chose Syracuse. After announcing his commitment, Williams showed up to view spring ball practices with other potential recruits.

At the Ensley Athletic Center, Williams noticed the coaches’ involvement with the players and how intense players practiced. To him, it was an immediate change for the program he grew up watching.

While Brown and his staff brought in plenty of recruits from out of town, high schools from around the area have received invites to see the Orange practice during spring ball. Brown has not been shy; he calls central New York his backyard and doesn’t want the best players in that yard to leave.

“(With) the best football players in my backyard, I’m gonna watch them play,” Brown said. “And then if they go to college, why wouldn’t they play in the crib? … Someone just ran a 10.6 ( seconds in track) the other day in our backyard. Why would I let him leave the yard?”

Bruce said schools like Christian Brothers can be one-stop shops for talent, and he thinks Brown has already taken advantage of that with Williams.

“You get these kinds of kids that are on the same team and they’re local,” Bruce said. “I think that’s just appealing to Fran because again, they’re right there.”

Published on April 18, 2024 at 12:45 am

Contact Henry: henrywobrien1123@gmail.com