'04 PA RB Curtis Brinkley (Syracus signee)

Buckskin86 · #1 (**permalink**) 07-27-2004, 07:20 AM

did not qualify for Syracuse and is going to Hargrave

http://www.syracuse.com/sports/posts...7551217001.xml

Quote:

SU football recruit headed to prep school
Curtis Brinkley will spend a year at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
By Donnie Webb
Staff writer
Tailback Curtis "Boonah" Brinkley, one of the prizes of Syracuse University's 2004 recruiting class, failed to meet initial eligibility standards and will attend prep school this fall.

Brinkley said he's headed to Hargrave Military Academy in Danville. Va. After that, he said there's no guarantee he'll sign again with the Orange.

"I'm going to open my recruiting back up," Brinkley said on Monday. "I really haven't had a chance to like see what else is out there. I only took one visit and that was to Syracuse.

"I'm not saying I'm not interested in them no more. They're still No. 1. Even if I get offers from a lot bigger schools than Syracuse, nobody else was there at first but Syracuse. I've got a goal I'm trying to reach and I've got to get to where I fit in. I ain't trying to get somewhere and sit on nobody's bench."

Brinkley was named the Class AAAA player of the year in Pennsylvania following his senior season at West Catholic High School in Philadelphia. He rushed for 7,429 yards and scored 85 touchdowns during his high school career. Both broke Philadelphia records held previously by Kevin Jones (Virginia Tech).

Brinkley was selected as Pennsylvania's most valuable player in the Big 33 All-Star game against Ohio this past Saturday in Hershey. He rushed for 110 yards and scored two touchdowns on eight carries. He had 116 yards on three kick returns.

By attending prep school for a year, Brinkley can transfer to Syracuse and have four seasons of eligibility remaining plus a possible redshirt year. However, Brinkley is now free to sign with any college team after the season at Hargrave.

Syracuse head coach Paul Pasqualoni said Monday that he

anticipates Brinkley will remain with the Orange.

"Obviously, we'd like to have had him," Pasqualoni said. "At the same time, this season, we'd look at it to conserve as a redshirt season.

"When kidsgo to prep school, you have to continue the recruiting process. We've got a great relationship with him. He's going to come up for one more visit this summer prior to school starting there. We'll talk about the details about what he's got to get done and eventually coming to Syracuse."

Hargrave offensive coordinator Ryan Sulkowski said it's school policy not to let other college coaches and recruiters on campus to visit with players like Brinkley who have signed previously.

"That's one thing we have built our reputation on," Sulkowski said. "We will not let anyone else look at the kid. We won't give the information out. That's understood. As far as we know, it's going to be Syracuse.