DeMatha LB weighing options
Even before Greg Robinson was shown the door at Syracuse on Sunday, linebacker Raheem Cardwell was already looking at other options.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound linebacker verbally committed to the Orange in early July but more recently said he would like to see what other options might be out there for him. He didn't go so far as to decommit, but he didn't do too much to reaffirm his earlier decision.
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Prospects at Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha usually have no shortage of interest because of the sheer amount of talent that comes out of the school's athletics programs. Cardwell is hoping he can spark some interest from other schools.
"I'm still sort of soft but sort of solid," Cardwell said. "It's somewhere in between right now. Like I've told others, even though Coach Robinson recruited me and I know him, this all has pros and cons to it.
"I wouldn't mind playing for different coaches. Who knows? They might even be better. I might connect with whoever they hire even better than I did with Coach Robinson. But what happens if I don't get along with the new coach? There are positives and negatives that could come out of it."
Cardwell is largely taking a wait and see approach.
"I'm going to wait a little bit more and after the season I'll either announce that I'm solid or decommit. I'm going to be open to other options, though. I'm going to be looking at other schools to kind of expand my horizons."
Syracuse was the lone offer for Cardwell but he had been receiving interest from several others before committing. Who else might he be interested in?
"I'm really liking Penn State. I'm also liking a lot of the SEC schools. I'd really like to hear from those schools. I talked to a couple of them before the season but since then Illinois is really the only one I've talked to.
"I'd definitely like to take my official visits. Right now I'm focused on the season.
"We actually have the championship game this Saturday against Good Counsel. We played them earlier in the season and had a bad first quarter so it didn't go so well. I think we should come out on top."
Cardwell does not know how many tackles he has recorded on the season, but he has forced four fumbles, recovered three and recorded two interceptions.
He also said he is now close to 215 pounds.