Syracuse picked up commitment No. 5 from defensive end
Poncho Barnwell (Rochester, N.Y./East), who had a big camp performance with the Orange this past weekend."He's a tall, athletic kid that can really run," said East defensive coordinator Sean Banks. "We took him to camp and he did well. Syracuse sees his future as a rush end, coming off the edge. His fast, physical and explosive."Last season, despite missing four games with a high ankle sprain, Barnwell recorded 31 tackles and seven sacks in five games. As a sophomore he had 58 tackles and six sacks in seven games."Poncho is kind of an under-the-radar guy," Banks said. "Saturday was his first college camp. He had offers from Buffalo and Akron and teams like Rutgers and UConn were also showing interest in him."In the end, he loved what the Orange had to offer and the loyalty they showed."Syracuse has seen so much of him," said Banks. "They see so much potential. Some schools were a little afraid that he may not qualify but Syracuse isn't. They are going to help him make it. Plus, he has a great relationship with the coaching staff, especially Tyrone Wheatley. He's met most of those guys and he really likes them. And Syracuse is close to home. That's a little important to him and his mom. Syracuse is about an hour and fifteen minutes away."