Syracuse, N.Y. — Class of 2016 Kingswood Oxford (West Hartford, Conn.) School quarterback Jacob Hallenbeck visited Syracuse for the third time in less than a year on Sunday, touring the football facilities, watching practice in the Ensley Athletic Center and sitting down with three SU coaches, including offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tim Lester.
Hallenbeck enjoyed the visit and was told by Lester that he’ll be extended a scholarship offer if one of the quarterbacks SU has offered commits to another program.
The Orange has offered three quarterbacks thus far in the 2016 cycle: New Jersey priority target Anthony Brown, local Jamesville-DeWitt product Jack Brotzki and Saline (Mich.) High School’s Josh Jackson.
“They said I’ll be next in line,” Hallenbeck said.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Hallenbeck camped at SU last summer before visiting for the Orange’s 34-20 loss to Maryland on Sept. 20. He also chatted with head coach Scott Shafer and defensive coordinator/primary recruiter Chuck Bullough on the visit, and is planning to throw in front of Lester later this spring.
“I just saw how well managed the practice was, how uptempo it was and how everyone had a job to be doing,” Hallenbeck said.
Hallenbeck, who completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,258 yards and 14 touchdowns last year, according to his Hudl.com video, has an offer from North Carolina and a visit set up to UMass on April 11. He’s working on setting up trips to a number of other interested programs including UConn, Rutgers, Pittsburgh and North Carolina State, he said, and plans on participating in a Rivals New Jersey camp in Piscataway on April 11, the Rivals quarterback challenge in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 25 and the Elite 11 quarterback regional camp in Columbus, Ohio on May 31.
On Sunday, Hallenbeck spent most of practice watching Lester and the Orange’s quarterback group and was impressed with how much individual attention was given to each player. If Hallenbeck does wind up at Syracuse, he thinks the transition to working with Lester would be a smooth one.
“Coach Lester’s really good with mechanics, just the little things that other people don’t pick up on,” Hallenbeck said. “The way they coach and what they coach is very similar with the style of mechanics and the footwork drills (we) do.”
Since the summer after his freshman year, Hallenbeck has been training with private quarterbacks coach Travis Meyer, who owns and operates Five-Star Quarterbacks in Rocky Hill, Conn. Meyer has worked with former Florida and Boston College QB Tyler Murphy, former UConn QB Casey Cochran and Washington Redskins tight end Jordan Reed, who was recruited to Florida as a quarterback.
Hallenbeck, who transferred from Avon (Conn.) Old Farms School in June, said the drill work he does with Meyer emphasizes the same techniques that he watched Lester emphasize during practice on Sunday.
“He’s really taken my game to the next level,” Hallenbeck said. “Footwork, mechanics, everything really.”
Moving forward, Hallenbeck is focused on visiting schools and continuing his training in preparation for his senior season.
Two Lawrence Academy prospects visit SU
Class of 2016 offensive lineman Eddy Fish wasn’t the only Lawrence (Groton, Mass.) Academy prospect to visit Syracuse on Sunday. He was joined by Class of 2017 running back AJ Dillon.
Great visit to Cuse today with @ajdillon7 #CuseNation #44 #Orange
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