Syracuse football adds prized 2020 recruit, Anwar Sparrow

Class of 2020 inside linebacker, Anwar Sparrow, has recently signed his national letter of intent to play for Syracuse football.

Anwar Sparrow, a class of 2020 inside linebacker, has committed to play for head coach Dino Babers and Syracuse football.

The defensive stud signed his national letter of intent to play for the Orange on April 29 via Instagram.

Sparrow, a Virginia Beach, Virginia native, is rated a three-star recruit by 247sports.com, and shows a lot of promise. He chose the Orange namely over ACC competitors Louisville and Wake Forest, but was also offered by Appalachian State, East Carolina, and Norfolk State.

According to Syracuse.com, Sparrow recorded 103 tackles, four sacks, and three fumble recoveries, among other statistics, while on his way to being named the Beach District Defensive Player of the Year.

The first point of notice that stand out to me is his frame. Sparrow is listed at 6-feet-1-inch and 215 pounds. While that weight may not stand out to most, as it is on the lighter side, it’s exactly the type of build that head coach Dino Babers prefers. It allows him to move gracefully and efficiently on his feet to make early tackles, while also serving as a double-threat ability to drop back in coverage.

In his 2019 highlight video, it’s easy to tell that Sparrow has mastered this double-threat. At the 0:24 mark in particular, Sparrow blitzes uncovered from the far right side of the field and sacks the opposing quarterback for a loss. The exact next play highlights Sparrow as he drops back into coverage, intercepts a pass, and returns it for a long touchdown.

Clearly, Sparrow has a nose for the ball, which as a defender is always a key.

It’s tough to see exactly where Sparrow will fit within the Syracuse football 2020-21 depth chart, as they currently list nine linebackers on the roster on cuse.com. However, of those nine returnees, only Mikel Jones and Tyrell Richards saw the field on a weekly basis while contributing a significant amount of production. In other words, whether or not it’s on the special teams unit or an eventually promotion to the starting lineup, the opportunities are there for Sparrow to succeed.

Past the football side of things, it’s clear Sparrow’s goals are much bigger than just success on the field. In his Instagram post where he declared his intent to sign with the Orange, Sparrow wrote, “First, I would like to thank my family, coaches, teachers, and friends for pushing me… I have to decided to commit and further my academic and football career at Syracuse University!”

Say what you want, but Sparrow also knows the importance of a great education, which he will surely get at SU. This alone stands out to me, that he is not only focused on his football career, but his academics as well.

Obviously with Covid-19 surely to have some sort of an impact on sports this summer, it’s hard to tell when summer practices will begin, but it’s nice to keep optimism that they will start on time. However, whenever they do, keep Sparrow in mind as one of those guys who may some right up the depth chart.