Syracuse Football: Tale of the Tape, SU commit OL Garth Barclay

Another Syracuse football commit is in the books. Here is a full film breakdown from our recruiting expert on what he can bring to the table.

Syracuse football stayed hot on the recruiting trail this week. After picking up two commits last weekend from Leon Lowery and Justin Barron, the Orange hauled in two more players. One is Kicker/Punter, James Williams and the other is offensive lineman, Garth Barclay.

Barclay is a 6-foot-7 250-pound offensive lineman. He is a large human being and fits the mold of tall tackles that Dino Babers and his staff like to recruit.

According to 247sports.com, Barclay is rated a 3-star prospect with offers from Central Michigan, Temple, and Virginia. Barclay is also ranked the 110th best offensive tackle in the 2020 class and 17th best player in the Keystone State.

Credit Mike Lynch and Mike Cavanaugh as the two primary recruiters for Barclay. The York, PA native also plays defensive end but is being recruited as an Offensive Lineman.

He announced his commitment via twitter:

Let’s take a look at the film:

At the 1:14 mark of the film, Barclay shows off his raw power. He is lined up at defensive tackle. He engages his blocker quickly, showing he can get off the ball pretty well. Once he does engage with the offensive lineman, he clearly wins the battle, taking him to the ground easily. Barclay is a big man that can move people. With that being said, he still hasn’t even completely filled out. Once he is in the Syracuse strength and condition program, watch out.

Barclay also seems to be pretty agile and quick for his size. At the 2:17 mark, he shows how quickly he can get off the ball. Barclay is lined up at defensive end. On this play, he times up the snap well, firing off the ball so fast that his blocker barely gets a hand on him. Although it will be a little different when he is playing on the offensive line, Barclay can clearly move pretty well for his size.

Finally, Barclay has really long arms, a huge advantage for a tackle. At the 2:27 mark of the film, he is once again playing defense, but you can see where those long arms are an advantage for him. Using his reach, Barclay is able to keep his blocker far away from his body, maintaining leverage on him. Because of this, he can watch where the ball carrier is and disengage from the blocker, making a nice tackle in traffic.

Barclay is a good defensive prospect. Syracuse wants him on the offensive line, and he might take a year or so to get adjusted. But with that frame and athleticism, Barclay has a high ceiling.