Trey Dunkelberger didn’t know who would pick up the phone when he called Syracuse, but he knew what he was going to tell them 12 days before he planned on doing so on his Dec. 5 visit.

First it was the director of operations and recruiting quality control, then the tight ends coach, followed by the offensive coordinator and finally the head coach.

“I messaged Cole Dial and he said to call him, and he would give it to Coach (Bobby) Acosta,” Dunkelberger said. “So I told Coach Acosta and then I was handed to Coach (Tim) Lester and then to Coach Shafer and that’s where it ended.”

What he told each of them was a decision Dunkelberger said was “a bunch of relief.” His verbal commitment to Syracuse was the second in two days for the Orange, the 24th overall in the class and Shafer’s first junior college commit that is originally his.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end from Pierce (California) College is one of many JUCO athletes striving to make it to Division I, and he described the transition as “going from nothing to having everything.”

SU’s 3-8 season thus far is actually more of a reason to join the class, he said, rather than side with another one of his three offers on the table.

“Anyone can go to a team that wins every season and never has to struggle, but it’s different when you get to go to a team and help build toward winning,” Dunkelberger said. “I can see the potential the team has and the direction it’s going.”

Dunkelberger acknowledged that most freshmen end up redshirting because they’re not physically ready to contribute right away like most claim to be. As a JUCO recruit who already has college experience, he’s a different story.

“My first two years in college I’ve grown so much since high school,” Dunkelberger said.

Earlier this month, Dunkelberger said that Shafer told him one of this year’s tight ends would be moving to the offensive line, which would allow Dunkelberger to contribute immediately in the tight-end centric offense SU is trying to implement.

That, along with the fact Dunkelberger said he can line up on the line or in the slot, offers some reason to believe he could contend for a starting spot when he arrives on campus in January.

“The direction that this offense wants to go, I mean there’s definitely the potential to come in and play right away,” Dunkelberger said. “I can’t wait to get on campus and just start everything.”

Published on November 24, 2014 at 2:29 pm

Contact Matt: mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman