Snyder Big 10 Bound

Southwestern varsity quarterback Cole Snyder verbally committed to Rutgers University early Tuesday evening. This past weekend Snyder participated in a spring camp at Rutgers and impressed the coaching staff enough that they made an offer late Sunday.

After consulting with his family and Trojans coaching staff including Jehuu Caulcrick a former Michigan State standout, Snyder made the decision to commit to the Scarlet Knights. Last year Canisius high-school product Paul Woods also committed to Rutgers.

The Scarlet Knights made a couple of trips to the southern tier in the past year to scout Snyder. Offensive Coordinator John McNulty and Tight-Ends coach Vince Okruch were instrumental in leading Snyder to New Brunswick, NJ. “Coach Okruch is my kind of guy,” Snyder said by phone Tuesday. “He told me if I threw well at camp he thought they would offer.”

Committing early takes some pressure off of Snyder, heading into his final year at

Southwestern. The three-sport athlete enjoyed a lot of success on the gridiron, but last winter he was part of a WNY club hockey championship. “They (Rutgers) haven’t told me if I could or couldn’t play hockey next year. I would love to have a chance to repeat as champions with my teammates.”

Snyder likes what head Coach Chris Ash is building at Rutgers and wanted to be a part of it. “I enjoyed my first trip enough and looked forward to the spring camp. I wanted to get some reps in and show the coaches what I could do. I felt really good throwing the football.”

With the commitment now out of the way it gives Snyder the opportunity to concentrate on his senior season and the goal of winning a state championship. “We have the pieces, they’re all here. Now we just have to go to work.”

Snyder will enter next season as a Connolly Cup hopeful having been in the final 10 last year. In two seasons as a varsity starter Snyder has amassed over 3000 yards passing and 36 touchdowns while only throwing four interceptions. In 2017 he was named to the Buffalo News All-WNY First Team and was the Class C offensive player of the year.  He was also selected to the New York State Sports Writers Association (NYSSWA) first team and was Class C All-State.

Snyder has been invited to and participated in a number of high-profile football camps over the past three years including the FBU Top Gun Showcase in Rock Hill, SC and the Army All-American Bowl’s National Combine in San Antonio, TX.

Snyder is a client of CSA Prepstar, a national college recruiting firm. Additionally, Snyder has been training with former Syracuse and Stony Brook quarterback John Kinder. “John really helped me in my development and played a key role in landing this opportunity.”

“I have no doubt that Cole will do fantastic at the next level,” Kinder said. “Cole understood things as a sophomore that I did not truly pick up on until my junior year in college. He’s a sponge. Cole has the physical ability to match the mental aspect and he’s a tough player. He grew up playing hockey. I like the fact that he can stand in the pocket and isn’t afraid to take a hit to make a play.”

“I committed to Rutgers because of the people. They make the program. The facilities are just the extras, but the coaches there all made me feel welcome and I felt this was the place for me. I was hoping they would make an offer.”