Doug Marrone is close to landing his highest-rated recruit yet, and the prospect isn’t from Rochester, Buffalo, or Brooklyn.

David “Boom” Perkins plays his high school ball at Washington High School in South Bend, Indiana, squarely in Notre Dame‚Äôs backyard.

The Fighting Irish inexplicably haven’t offered Perkins a scholarship, but don’t let that fool you. His hometown team has expressed interest and Perkins, listed positionally as an “athlete,” is rated four stars by Scout.

And if you aren’t a believer in star ratings, the other colleges vying for Perkins don’t lie. Tennessee, Oregon, Michigan State, Purdue, Iowa, Illinois, and Mississippi State are among the schools offering him a scholarship.

But his coach at Washington High School, Antwon Jones, tells The Fizz that Syracuse sits ahead of all those powerhouses as the current front-runner for a commitment.

Coach Jones knows that SU is far from the most impressive name on Booms’ list, but he indicated that Perkins’ relationship with running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley could be enough to outweigh all other factors in his recruitment.

“He has a ton of big offers. One of the [reasons why Syracuse sticks out] I think is that coach Wheatley has established a great rapport with him.”

It doesn’t take too much dot-connecting to figure out, with Wheatley as the point man, the Orange sees Perkins as a running back. Jones says that while SU isn’t the only school that prefers Perkins in the offensive backfield, he is being recruited to play other positions, too.

“There’s some schools that look at him as a running back, like Penn State and Iowa. It’s kind of mixed. Oregon looks at him as an outside linebacker. Notre Dame looks at him as a safety.”

Should Perkins choose Syracuse, Jones says the program will be getting a complete player.

“He’s gonna bring a back with power and speed back to Syracuse’s running game in the future. He’s an explosive player.”

Delone Carter’s physical style wore down defenses, and Antwon Bailey possesses excellent speed and versatility. The SU backfield would love to have four years of both at once.

Perkins averaged over nine yards per carry last year, rushing for 783 total yards. He also racked up 180 receiving yards. Plus, his 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame means he can dole out some physical punishment as well.

Jones seems sold on the idea of Boom becoming the next great SU running back, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There’s still no guarantee that Perkins winds up wearing Orange.

According to Jones, a campus visit will have to take place before any decision is made. The plan is for Perkins to travel to the Salt City at some point in the next few weeks, before making his final choice by the end of the month.

The big wild card is Notre Dame. Should the Irish elect to dish out a late offer, the prospect of staying close to home and playing for such a prestigious program could be too tantalizing for Perkins to pass up.

Not long ago, Notre Dame snatched a huge New York recruit out of SU’s hands. Now it’s time for SU to seal the deal on a big Indiana prospect, regardless of whether the Fighting Irish are paying enough respect to him.

Posted: Andrew Kanell