Teammates commit to Cuse

The Syracuse Orange are making headway in the state of Virginia and beginning an impressive pipeline with one of the state's top programs.

"I committed to Syracuse last Friday and Derek committed to Syracuse on Thursday," said Clifton (Va.) Centreville defensive end Andrew Lewis. "We didn't commit because of each other, we both liked Syracuse a lot for our own reasons."

Derek is 5-foot-9, 168-pound cornerback Derek Bailey, a good friend and teammate of Lewis. Derek's older brother, Daniel, signed with Syracuse last year.

"That helped us a bit to know how Danny liked it there," said Lewis, a 6-foot-3, 247-pound defensive end. "Syracuse offered me very early, on Feb. 23, and I was a bit surprised. I've liked them since then because they showed the most interest early, even though I got offers from Rutgers, Temple and Kent State as well."

So why did Lewis commit?

"I wanted to end the process before the start of the season," he said. "I want to focus on football."

Lewis played linebacker last season, registering 63 tackles and six sacks. This year he'll play defensive end, the position he's being recruited for by the Orange.

"That will help me get ready for college," he said. "I'll be up and down though, sometimes dropping into coverage, other times going after the quarterback."

Bailey made 60 tackles and had three interceptions as a junior. He chose Syracuse over offers from Wake Forest, Temple, Akron and Kent State.

Both players earned all-district honors.