Syracuse Football: SU adds some boom to backfield with Marlowe Wax

The Syracuse football squad continues to add depth to the backfield. Here are the details on SU’s new rugged tailback in the backfield.

The Syracuse football coaching staff was busy this past weekend adding to their stable of 2020 running backs. We already highlighted speedster, Sean Tucker, now meet the smash to Tucker’s dash, Marlowe Wax.

Wax is a 3-star prospect according to 247sport.com, the 78th best running back in 2020, and the 33rd best player from the state of Maryland. Both Wax and Tucker hail from the greater Baltimore area, with Wax playing his high school football at Mount Saint Joseph.

Maryland and the D.C. area has been a point of emphasis in the recruiting game for Dino Babers’ staff since taking over. They have established good connections that should pay off for years to come in a football hotbed.

In addition to the offer from the Orange, Was holds offers from the likes of East Carolina, Marshall, Pitt, and Temple. Credit Syracuse Tight Ends Coach, Reno Ferri, and Offensive Coordinator, Mike Lynch with getting Wax to verbally commit.

At 6-foot and 219-pounds, Wax packs a punch at the line of scrimmage and is difficult to bring down. He announced his commitment via twitter:

Let’s take a look at his highlights:

At the 1:26 mark of the tape, Max takes the handoff up the middle and shows some good running between the tackles. He uses solid cut-back ability for a guy his size to make his way through the front-seven. Once he does that, he uses good speed to catch the defensive backs off-balance as he blows by them and heads for the sideline, nearly taking it to the house. So much of the Dino Babers offense revolves around the power run up the middle. It is encouraging to see that Wax has the ability to steer through the middle to the sideline.

One thing that I love about Wax’s tape, is that he is an all-around football player. Not only does he have a great sense of the running back position, but he has a high IQ and feel for the game. At the 2:57 mark, he is lined up on the line of scrimmage for a punt block. Wax fires off the edge, recognizing that the other team has a fake called. It isn’t to his side, but he shows off his skills as a linebacker, pursuing the ball from the backside and bringing down the ball carrier short of the line to gain. The Baltimore native looks to be a very skilled linebacker, something you could potentially see him play at Syracuse if running back is full.

At the 3:56 mark, you’ll see another big run up the middle. Wax takes the handoff, using good vision to set up a cut-back to a hole up the middle. He makes a man miss, puts his foot in the ground, and takes a defender for a ride on his way to getting to the sideline. Although he lacks that elite speed to take it to the house, he will be a valuable runner for Syracuse in goal-line situations. Not only is Wax a good running back and linebacker, but he is an all-around football player. He will bring a good IQ and set of skills to the SU hill.