On Friday, January 26, Sharlandiin Strange, Cheltenham High School’s 6’3″, 230-pound junior defensive end, said he will announce his verbal commitment to one of the many schools that has been courting his abilities on the football field.

On the evening of Saturday, January 27 at the team’s end-of-season banquet at Our Lady Help of Christians in Abington, Strange picked Syracuse over offers from Boston College, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Penn State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Texas A&M, USC, Virginia Tech and West Virginia, among others. 

“I would definitely say it’s the fans,” Strange told Sports Illustrated. “They take that Syracuse football serious. A coach told me it’s only basketball and football there. They go crazy. I was in the gas station with my mom. They stopped me, they wanted a picture. That’s something I’ve never even been through before. I never thought I even mattered that much. But the fans go crazy.” 

The four star prospect said the decision was based in part on his relationships with defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson and head coach Fran Brown, in part on being able to stay close to family.

“That’s great because I’ve got family out in New York that I haven’t seen in so long,” Strange said. “A lot played a role in me committing to Syracuse. They get to see me play, my sisters get to see me play, my family I haven’t seen in a while can come up. It’s all coming together.” 

For more on Strange’s high school career, including video footage, you can click here and here.

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Photos: Cheltenham School District, Strange’s Instagram page