NY back has Syracuse offer

There's no doubt that Syracuse has the top football program in the state of New York, and the Orangemen are hoping to keep one of the Empire State's best close to home. They've extended a scholarship offer, but are they in a good position to land him?

5-foot-9, 188-pound running back/defensive back Raymell Rice runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds and is considered by many to be one of the top athletes in New York.

"I've got an offer from Syracuse and they're one of my six favorite schools," said Rice. "I also like Pitt, Alabama, North Carolina, Southern Cal and Boston College. Pretty much all of those schools are sending me mail and so is UConn and Iowa. I grew up watching North Carolina, so I hope they show a lot of interest in me."

How would Rice describe his playing style?

"I'm a hardworking guy and I love to be the workhorse in the backfield. I'm not too big, but I'm really tough. I'll run over defenders, but I've also got that speed to get away and the agility to get by people."

Rice plans on attending one of the Nike Camps and may take unofficial visits to some of the schools showing interest in him. He carries a solid 3.7 GPA.

As a junior Rice rushed for 1,339 yards and 23 touchdowns on 154 carries. He also caught five passes for 231 yards and five touchdowns, while recording 62 tackles and four sacks on defense.