Ashton Broyld left his mark in the Carrier Dome just two months ago as a quarterback.

In throwing for one touchdown and rushing for two, the playmaking quarterback led his Rochester area Rush-Henrietta High School to a New York State Championship on the Syracuse University campus. One month later, he gave his verbal commitment to play for the Orange.

It’s a commitment he backed with a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday. And he chose SU because of a commitment Orange head coach Doug Marrone made. He vowed to give the athlete a shot at being a quarterback first.

‘I was most comfortable with them, and I felt like it was the place for me,’ Broyld said Wednesday.

Broyld is one of 27 recruits who make up Syracuse’s signing day Class of 2011. Thirteen of SU’s commits are three-star recruits, according to Scout.com, placing the Orange’s class fourth in the Big East and 49th in the nation. Marrone said Wednesday there is one more player whose status will be decided in 10-12 days, but he could not disclose any further information.

But among the 27 already signed to play for SU, there’s one constant. And it’s a constant Marrone deliberately set out to reel in.

Versatility.

‘We’ve had great success here at Syracuse when players who haven’t performed well at one position will move to another,’ Marrone said in his press conference Wednesday. ‘We’ve seen that this year with Doug Hogue and Derrell Smith.’

Broyld embodies the versatility Marrone wanted in this year’s commits. He may be coming in as a quarterback, but most schools recruited Broyld for another position, whether it was linebacker, safety or somewhere else.

Another athletic quarterback, Terrel Hunt, also signed on to play for SU on Wednesday, and he is in the same boat. Hunt is a star point guard for his high school, Christ the King (N.Y.), and is not just a quarterback but an all-around athlete.

Marrone brought them into Syracuse, though, because he’s giving them a shot to play quarterback first. He said his commits have the understanding they will play wherever it fits the team best as a whole.

‘The players could come in and play the position they want to play and play it well enough for us to win, then they’re locked into that position,’ Marrone said. ‘That’s what’s great about the players we bring into Syracuse.

‘We’re upfront with them, they understand that this is the position they’d like to excel in, but (they say) ‘Coach, whatever position will help our team win, that’s what I want to play.”

In addition to the two playmakers at quarterback, Marrone brought in plenty of wide receiver recruits who could end up playing multiple positions. Brandon Reddish, Durell Eskridge and Dyshawn Davis were all standout wide receivers in high school and prep school this past season but are listed as defensive backs by Syracuse. All of these players can be dangerous in the return game as well.

Same goes for Jeremiah Kobena, a wide receiver out of Milford Academy who has the potential to play nearly anywhere.

‘I don’t know how many places they can play him, they’re going to have to find what’s the best fit for them,’ said Bill Chaplick, Kobena and Davis’ coach at Milford.

The Syracuse offense in 2010 struggled to find playmakers, and at times the offense looked anemic. Marrone said Wednesday his No. 1 goal for this year’s recruiting haul was to bring in speed.

Kobena brings plenty of speed. As does Reddish, whether he ends up at wide receiver or defensive back. Rivals.com recruiting analyst Mike Farrell said Reddish is the ‘most dynamic player in the class.’

There’s also Adonis Ameen-Moore, a highly regarded running back out of Colorado who was named Second Team All-American by Rivals.com. Ameen-Moore is a player who hopes to earn playing time right away, especially with the question marks surrounding the running back position for SU.

‘Of course I’m going to want that,’ he said. ‘Hopefully if I do, I can contribute to the team pretty early to fill in the footsteps of Delone Carter.’

Ten of the 27 recruits Marrone brought in have the potential to play quarterback, running back or wide receiver. It is a testament to Marrone and his recruiting coordinator, Greg Adkins, and their desire to bring in commits who are fast, athletic and provide raw talent.

They saw Broyld’s talent up close at the state championship at the end of November. The quarterback also played safety in the title game and made some key defensive plays to preserve the victory.

And whether he’s playing quarterback, safety or any other position on the football field for the Orange, Adkins believes he can do what he did in his Dome debut for Rush-Henrietta.

‘Anyone who saw him play in the Dome can tell that he has a lot of talent,’ Adkins said. ‘(Broyld and Hunt) are both great players. We expect them to be quarterbacks. If they can’t be, we will move them to some other place.’

mcooperj@syr.edu

Published on February 2, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr