Heckel makes the call

Waukesha (Wisc.) West offensive lineman Sam Heckel had narrowed his focus down to two schools - Syracuse and Northern Illinois - and made his decision Saturday.

"I decided on Syracuse," Heckel said. "It was one of the hardest decisions I had to make. With all due respect to NIU - I love the coaches and love the program - I just think Syracuse would be a better fit for me, for my future and prepping me for that."

The commitment to Syracuse almost did not happen. Heckel was close to deciding for Northwestern earlier this month before the Wildcats went on a run of offensive line commitments and ran out of room.

Around that same time Syracuse started picking up their interest in the 6-foot-5, 265-pound Heckel and they came through with an offer just two days ago.

"It's a great honor to be able to say I have the ability to go to Syracuse with the history it has and what the school is all about," Heckel said. "I talked to Coach (Scott) Shafer for awhile and I loved what he had to say. He just tells you straight what is going to happen and what he is going to do for the next 4-5 years up there."

Heckel and his father drove 12 hours to Syracuse's campus and got the full tour on Thursday. His interest in the Orange was already high going in, but it increased after having seen the school and program for himself.

"My dad and I, we loved it," Heckel said. "I thought I fit in well with the coaches. All the guys were Midwest guys, so it was very relatable. We spent the day there, toured everything and I loved the facilities. The campus was beautiful and I feel like that program has great potential and I'd love to be a part of it."

Heckel accumulated over two dozen scholarship offers during the course of his recruitment. He is ranked as the No. 50 offensive tackle prospect and the No. 4 player in the state of Wisconsin for the 2016 class.