The Daily Orange

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Syracuse is one of two schools in a Bowl Championship Series conference without at least one three-star commit, according to Scout.com, not to mention a four- or five-star recruit.

Averin Collier, of Churchville-Chili (N.Y.) High School, could change all of that if he decides to make the two-hour drive east to go to school atop the Hill. Collier is a four-star running back with NFL skills, his coach Paul Dick said.

"He's as strong as an NFL running back," Dick said. "I'm not saying he's as good as an NFL running back, but he has the strength. You don't get that by being just a kid. You get that from being a motivated kid."

If the Orange can rope in Scout.com's top prospect in the state of New York, it won't only get Collier's stats and touchdowns, but also his unusually extensive knowledge of the game.

Collier plays primarily running back, but he also sees time at wide receiver, defensive back and linebacker. His expertise has resulted in 18 schools recruiting him and about 15 formal offers including Rutgers, Louisville, Boston College, Pittsburgh, Clemson and Central Florida.

Some schools are offering him scholarships to play running back, while others want him to play wide receiver. Connecticut has even offered him a scholarship to play cornerback.

Currently, Pittsburgh and Clemson seem to be his top two choices, with the Panthers edging out the Tigers slightly. That has to do with some close connections to Pitt.

Dick is close friends with former Syracuse running back and coach David Walker, who is currently the running back's coach for Pittsburgh. And Collier's older brother, Kevin, currently plays for Pitt.

With 874 yards rushing, 15 tackles and one interception returned for a touchdown, it's obvious why schools are recruiting him at three different positions. He's even done well with limited time at quarterback. On three pass attempts, Collier has completed only one pass, but it was for a 30-yard touchdown. Combine his rushing yards with his kickoff returns and Collier has 1,058 total yards in only six games.

"It doesn't matter to me," Collier said of what position he's recruited to play. "I just want to be on the field. Whatever helps the team, some games I'm more effective on offense and sometimes it's defense."

Dick said he cannot get Collier on the field enough. Offense, defense, special teams, whatever aspect it is, Collier seems to stand out while making his teammates better.

"On the field, he's another coach," Dick said.

Even though Collier is only a senior in high school, some people can already see him working the sidelines - and not as a player.

According to Dick, Walker said Collier is going to be a Division-I coach someday. Walker would know - he has an extensive list of credentials. He earned All-Big East honors twice while at SU and is the sixth-leading rusher in Syracuse history.

Coaching on the field is one thing, but coaching on the sidelines is another, something that Collier hasn't even considered. He has, however, thought about the 18 schools recruiting him. With big-time names like Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Oregon, Syracuse's chances seem slim.

But growing up relatively close to Syracuse may bring him choose the Orange. Collier can't remember his first trip to SU, but he said he was either five or six at the time. The four-star athlete said Syracuse is "definitely in his top five" and plans to officially visit after he retakes the SATs.

Collier's high school coach, Dick, however, said right now, Syracuse is at a disadvantage when it comes to recruiting.

"It might be controversial, but right now, the biggest drawback is the crowd support," Dick said. "When you sit there as a recruit, right away they're on the coaches. When you're a kid, it's not like that in high school."

Collier is giving nothing away, though, as any good coach on or off the field would do. He's taking the recruiting process day by day. He said having his brother at Pittsburgh helps a little but wouldn't be the deciding factor of where he will play next year. He's looking at all of the dozen and a half schools recruiting him, with the glass half-full mentality, even for 1-5 Syracuse.

"They are definitely a growing program," Collier said. "They are updating the facilities and around Manley. They can't go anywhere but up."

Fairchild feeling Orange's pain

Trey Fairchild, a two-star wide receiver according to Scout.com, continues to have a great season for Dublin (Ohio) High School. He has more than 650 total yards and 11 touchdowns, leading his Shamrocks to a 7-0 start to the season. Fairchild verbally committed to Syracuse in June.

He said he has been keeping in contact with some of the Orange coaching staff. A few coaches are making the trip to Dublin this week to see him in action. Fairchild said he's not nervous because they have seen him play before and knows what he can do.

Everything hasn't been fun and games for Fairchild, though. Living in Ohio, he made a trip to Yager Stadium to watch Syracuse and Miami (Ohio) square off two weeks ago. Syracuse lost the game, 17-14, and not only was the loss disappointing for Fairchild, but his friends didn't let him forget about it.

"My friends were Miami fans and giving me a hard time, jokingly of course," Fairchild said.

The wide receiver still has a lot of confidence in the current Syracuse team and the team he'll be apart of next year. Even those friends who remind him of Miami's win know to give credit where credit is due.

"(The Louisville game) was awesome, it was really fun," Fairchild said. "The same people giving me a hard time about Miami were congratulating me. It just shows what (the Orange) can do."

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