While Tajh Boyd’s record-setting performance on Saturday spells problems for Syracuse’s defense going forward, the game presented a bigger issue on the other side of the ball.

Out of eight completions by Terrel Hunt and three by Drew Allen, zero was caught by wide receivers.

Zero.

For senior Christopher Clark, junior Jarrod West and junior Jeremiah Kobena, the entire game was played under Clemson’s blanket of a secondary.

Their inability to create space paralyzed Hunt, but the sophomore’s problems could be remedied by the fall. For him — or whoever’s under center next fall — help is on the way.

Wideouts K.J. Williams, Corey Cooper and Jamal Custis have each verbally committed to the Orange for 2014, and could be the antidote to the team’s receiving woes. Williams is an all-around athlete that has seen success as a cornerback. Custis is a big-framed receiver with deceptive speed. Cooper is praised for his route running and ability to catch anything that is thrown at him.

For a receiving corps that lost Alec Lemon and Marcus Sales at the end of last season, its future is far more promising than its current build.

“They are going to make an impact as soon as they step on campus,” said A.J. Long, a quarterback who’s also committed to Syracuse for 2014. “These are big receivers that can run and are physical.

“If you look at the Clemson game, the guys coming in aren’t going to let (defensive backs) push them around because they are stronger than the receivers Syracuse has.”

After narrowing his decision down to Syracuse and Michigan, Williams was coaxed by his cousins Long and West to choose SU.

A four-star recruit per Scout, he is the Orange’s highest-rated recruit since current sophomore Ron Thompson. At Liberty (Pa.) High School, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound receiver has excelled on both sides of the ball.

Liberty head coach John Truby said that with Williams, Syracuse is getting a pure athlete that can do whatever he pleases on the field.

“Sometimes it seems like he’s a better cornerback,” Truby said. “Here’s a guy that can make any play he wants as a receiver and then turn around and shut down some of the best receivers in the state.”
While Custis’ 6-foot-6 frame is certainly something he uses to his advantage, his greatest asset is his speed. Scout reported that Custis runs a 4.37 40-yard dash, which would have made him the fourth fastest receiver at the 2013 NFL Draft Combine.

Still, Custis’ height — which will in all likelihood make him the tallest receiver on SU’s roster in the fall — is an attribute that shouldn’t be pushed aside. His rare combination of strength and speed has pegged him as a possible walk-on to the Syracuse basketball team next season, an opportunity “he’ll have to think about when he gets there.”

For now, he’s focusing on turning his physical gifts into success on the football field.

“I use my height and my speed to just pick on cornerbacks,” Custis said. “QBs can throw it higher because I always have a height advantage, I can beat guys and let’s say I’m in the back of the end zone, I can use my strength and my size to just go up and get it.”

Originally recruited out of Millbrook (N.C.) High School in the class of 2013, Cooper is currently a fifth-year senior at Jireh Prep (N.C.), where he plans to academically qualify to arrive at Syracuse in January.

Cooper, a three-star recruit and the smallest of the three, chose SU instead of Miami (Fla.), Oklahoma State, Louisville and Tennessee, among other quality programs.

Although Ken Helms was new to the Millbrook football staff last season and only got to watch Cooper play for a brief period of time, he was immediately impressed with the “quiet and unassuming” playmaker.

“What stood out to me was his strong hands in traffic,” Helms said, “he could go up and get it.”

When asked about playing with these three receivers starting next fall, all Long could do was laugh.

Signing to a major-conference Division I program was one thing, but having them join him took his excitement to a new level.

Said Long: “It’s a dream come true knowing these guys are coming. They’re all great players.”

Published on October 7, 2013 at 9:59 pm

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse