David “Boom” Perkins still has considerable interest in Syracuse, according to his head coach, Antwon Jones.

“There’s a part of him that could see himself being in Orange and trying to follow in the footsteps of some of those Orangemen running backs.”

Boom, who plays at Washington High School in South Bend, Indiana, once tabbed SU as the leader before eventually committing to Notre Dame in June.

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Earlier this month, he de-committed from the Fighting Irish. His coach opened up to The Fizz about where things stand now in Perkins’ recruitment. Jones said his star running back and linebacker needs to evaluate all his options more thoroughly, and that’s why he pulled out of the Irish’s 2012 class.

“Even with me being a former Notre Dame player and most of our staff having played at the University of Notre Dame, myself and my staff, we all felt that he needed to take all of his official visits. You only get to make that decision once, and it needs to be the right decision.”

With Washington High School in the regional finals of the Indiana playoffs for the first time in 34 years, Boom’s sights aren’t yet set on which schools he will visit. He’s focused on winning the state title. But Coach Jones said it’s likely that Perkins will visit SU.

“I know from the rapport he had with Coach Wheatley, that that’s a very strong possibility.” 

Running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley is a major reason why the ‘Cuse caught Perkins’ attention in the first place. The Michigan alum is quickly becoming a star recruiter for Doug Marrone and the Orange.

Jones, to the delight of Syracuse fans, believes that Notre Dame is pretty much out of the picture. Though he denies the rumor that Perkins de-committed because of a disagreement with Brian Kelly over what position he’ll play.

“That had nothing to do with it. Coach Kelly basically told David that he would let him try the offensive side or the defensive side, whatever side he wanted to try first.” 

According to Jones, the recruitment of Boom is “wide open.” But read between the lines, and you might be able to make out a top four. The coach wasn’t really prodded into mentioning specific schools, but the only programs he bothered to talk about were Syracuse, LSU, Boise State, and Oregon. Mark those down as The Fizz’s unofficial top schools for Perkins.

Jones says Boom will come out with an official top five by New Year’s at the latest. So there‚Äôs still a long way to go in this recruiting race. There is no set timetable for Boom‚Äôs final decision. Jones said that his player will make his final choice after he‚Äôs taken all of his visits.

The Orange is facing unbelievably still competition for Perkins, but the school’s switch to the ACC could have a major impact on SU’s chances.

“That could be a deciding factor when it comes down to it.”

Jones and Perkins recognize that the ACC will be a huge step up for Syracuse, with the conference possessing better competition and bigger-name schools.

Another encouraging sign for the Orange is Jones pushing hard to ensure that Boom has his priorities in the right place.

“At the end of the day, it’s not going to be about how many touchdowns you scored, or how many yards you rushed for. It’s going to be about whether you can take care of yourself and your family afterwards.”

“You go to a school, and when you go there you come in and they’re number one. What happens when they’re no longer number one? Are you still gonna want to be there?”

If nothing else, Jones just did a magnificent job of tugging on the heartstrings of Orange Nation. All Syracuse needs are a few recruits of Perkins’ caliber to use that logic and commit, and Marrone’s program will be on the fast track to BCS bowl games.

Posted: Andrew Kanell