When word came down Friday that Ishaq Williams had committed to Notre Dame, it was further indication that New York is on the upswing in producing major-college prospects. The defensive end/tight end from Abraham Lincoln in Brooklyn was the 24th New York senior to commit to a Football Bowl Subdivision program ahead of next month's National Signing Day.
New York had an anemic 19 signings for full scholarships in 2008, 21 the following year and 26 last February. With three weeks to go, there are still at least half-dozen seniors from around the state trying to finalize their choices. Among the significant names still on the board are Canisius quarterback
Travis Eman, Fort Hamilton defensive end
Kevon Foster, Troy running back
Jordan Canzeri and Baker defensive tackle
Nick Robinson.
PASQUALONI SHOULD GET A STOCKED CUPBOARD AT UCONNMuch was made last week of Paul Pasqualoni's hiring as head coach at UConn, particularly with respect to potential head-to-head recruiting battles with Syracuse coach Doug Marrone. Pasqualoni was the head coach at SU from 1991-2004, posting a 107-59-1 record.
If history is an indication, it's a good bet his predecessor left the cupboard full for him in Storrs, Conn.
Before Pasqualoni became head coach at Syracuse, he and Randy Edsall worked together as defensive assistants on Dick MacPherson's staff there. Edsall left for Boston College after Pasqualoni was promoted in Syracuse, but not before he locked down one final exceptional recruiting class for the Orange.
With Edsall having left the Huskies this month to take over at Maryland, Pasqualoni should again benefit from Edsall's work on the recruiting trail.
But file this away for future reference: Some of that Edsall magic undoubtedly rubbed off on Marrone when the two worked together at Georgia Tech in the late 1990s. Marrone is already chalking up repeated recruiting victories in the metro New York area, where Pasqualoni presumably would want to make inroads.
In any case, having a veteran of the rust belt like Pasqualoni re-join the Big East can only give future New York prospects more options and opportunities.
