Lehigh Commits: DB Jason Suggs and DE Arturo Gyles

(Photo Credit: Ron Schwane/The Medina (OH) Gazette)

Two new commits have been signed by Lehigh in the past few days, according to Internet reports.

One is a "Battling Bee" - as you can see to my left - and the other is nicknamed "T.O."  (The Tuscarora (MD) High School  product might want to consider ditching that nickname: the last T.O. that made his way to the Lehigh Valley didn't work out so well.  'Next question!')

Read all about these two new commits as the class of 2015 starts to take shape. (more)

RB Jason Suggs continues the tradition of Lehigh taking fantastic high school athletes at quarterback, and recruiting them as athletes. While the 5'10 running back broke a single season Medina High school record for rushing yards, Lehigh's latest recruit is tagged to be a defensive back at the next level, following in the footsteps of QB Jesse Sanchez (and fellow recruit FS Derek Gaul):

“I don’t think it’s actually set in yet,” Suggs said Monday evening. “It’s just great. Not many places can say they have the same education as Lehigh.”

A member of the Patriot League along with the likes of Bucknell, Colgate and Fordham, Lehigh has less than 4,800 undergraduate students. Suggs, who carries a 3.75 grade-point average and got a 25 on his ACT, plans to pursue a career in sports broadcasting.

“The campus is beautiful,” said Suggs, who chose the school over Dayton, Notre Dame College and Brown after a weekend visit. “It’s on the mountains and all the players are nice. It felt like I fit in with the players and surroundings and I liked all the coaches.

“They seemed the most interested,” said Suggs, a second-team All-Ohio pick whose 2,341 career rushing yards rank fourth in school history. “That’s what set them apart.”

There's even more information on this young man, too.

“He’s just a great young man,” Medina coach Larry Laird said. “We wish we had 11 just like him.”

Suggs carries a 3.75 grade-point average in the classroom and scored a 1660 on his SAT, which is why prestigious academic institutions like Columbia, Brown and Colgate are vying with a number of other Division I-AA and D-II schools for his football services.

“That’s what all kids that play football dream of — a D-I scholarship,” said Suggs, who is interested in pursuing a career in sports broadcasting. “I don’t know if it’s all it’s cracked up to be. If you can get a scholarship to a D-I school but it’s not great academically, you’d be better off going with a smaller school with a great football program and great academics.”

Suggs, who has 4.4-second speed in the 40-yard dash, bench presses 260 pounds and squats 375, would likely be getting more interest from D-I colleges, but he had just 113 carries for 417 yards while playing primarily in the slot as a junior.

“I didn’t know I would have an all-state running back on my hands, but boy am I glad he was,” said Laird, who was in his first season as Medina’s coach. “The first thing I noticed about him was his speed. He’s a legit 4.4 40 kid.

“Once we started working with the football and watching him make cuts, he’s just got great feet. That’s something you can’t coach. And he can move the pile. He’s a very strong kid. He’s not afraid to bang it up between the tackles.”

(The articles also add that virtually all of Suggs' tuition will be "covered by a combination of athletic and academic scholarships.")

Sounds like Lehigh's gotten yet another great athletic recruit with his priorities straight.

*****

Less had been written lately about DE Arturo Gyles - or the guy they call T.O. down at Tuscarora High school - but he's another player that has committed for the class of 2015.

He's a player that played TE for the Titans after switching to defensive line in 2010, a rebuilding year for his team with little upperclassman talent.  He played in the Baltimore Senior All-Star Classic this December, and the 6'4, 230 lb senior is playing center for the Titans basketball team as well while maintaining his honor roll GPA.

A Google search has him show up a lot in terms of strength and conditioning awards for his high school, which is a great thing to see in terms of incoming recruits as well.

Both Gyles and Suggs look like interesting new players in the incoming class.  Congratulations on picking Lehigh!