Eric Coley started to doubt his decision. It was weeks after the high school senior committed to Syracuse and, despite all signals indicating otherwise, Coley worried he jumped the gun and committed just to get the recruiting process over with. People around him began to question whether or not he committed to the Orange only because his stepfather, Vinson Reynolds, coached there.

During that time, Coley came upon one passage of the Bible involving Paul the Apostle’s shipwreck on Malta. One of the places Paul travels to after leaving Malta is Syracuse, a city on the island of Sicily. For Coley, it was a sign that he’d decided right.

“After that I just knew, right there and then, I made the right choice,” Coley said. “I got that confirmation, I was like ‘alright.’ I just wanted to make sure I’d made the right decision.”

After redshirting during 2017, Coley played in six games and made six tackles as a redshirt freshman. He’s remained a backup this season, serving as a fill-in at both safety positions. But he’s pushed through his limited playing time, staying ready for when players ahead of him suffer injuries. This season, despite not starting a game, the redshirt sophomore is fourth on the team with 22 tackles, third in pass breakups and is one of five Syracuse (3-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast) players to record an interception. His path to production wasn’t linear, but in his third year at SU, Coley is finally making an impact.

“You look at his development, it’s one of the things that you get a lot of pleasure (out of) as a coach,” Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said. “Not only his on-field development but his physical development.”

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Coley estimates he’s gained about 15 pounds since his freshman year, when he was more of a “chicken with their head cut off” than a football player, he said. During SU’s summer training camp prior to his freshman season, Coley and his fellow third-stringers were clueless when they were called onto the field, behind on reads and the speed of practice.

He’s also been forced to play different positions throughout his three years at Syracuse, first starting at free safety before playing strong safety last season. He’s seen time at both this season due to injuries to both Andre Cisco and Evan Foster, SU’s starting safeties. What was at first a difficult transition has become second nature for Coley, who’s been vital as a versatile defensive back for the Orange.

“There are some times when I could be lined up on the field and I’m sitting there like, ‘wait a second, I gotta be lined up over here,’” Coley said. “I’ll forget that I’m playing one of the positions.”

Coley didn’t start playing defense until his final year of high school, when he began playing rover in addition to running back at Fayetteville-Manlius High School. He had moved to New York during the middle of his junior year, when Reynolds was hired as SU’s defensive line coach.

“What I need to get better on, (most people) probably wouldn’t tell me to my face,” Coley said. “He’s not afraid to tell me and be real. You want that, at the end of the day, you don’t want anybody to steer you wrong.”

The first game of Coley’s senior season was in the Carrier Dome for the Express Mart Kick-Off Classic, in which he ran for 218 yards and recorded three touchdowns. One of the “coolest” experiences of his life, Coley admitted how much the atmosphere he felt that day influenced his decision to ultimately commit to Syracuse.

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He’d have to wait a few years to play a meaningful role in another game at the Carrier Dome. The best game of Coley’s Syracuse career came a few weeks ago against Western Michigan, at the peak of SU’s rash of defensive back injuries. With Cisco already out with a lower-body injury, Antwan Cordy started at free safety before also suffering an injury that forced him out of the game.

That paved the way for Coley, who entered in the second half. The redshirt sophomore finished the game with four tackles in the fourth quarter alone, capping off his performance with an interception on WMU’s final drive, the first of his career. The pick was “surreal” for Coley, who received a number of congratulatory texts from former high school coaches after the game. He fell down untouched after seven yards, earning himself some jabs from Babers and his teammates.

“I think he would’ve had a touchdown if he’d have went to the left, but oh well,” Babers said after the game. “He’s gonna have to live with that. I’ve got to get a replay for that one so I can keep it on my phone, if he gets out of line.”

Coley earned the most playing time he’d ever received last week against Holy Cross and finished third on the team with a career-high six tackles. To stay engaged on the sideline during games he wasn’t expected to play in, Coley used to keep his helmet strapped and paid attention to defensive play calls. Now, he’s playing in those games.

“You make the right decisions, you do everything right off the field, then things will go right on the field,” Coley said.  “You just have a peace that everything’s gonna be okay at the end of the day as long as I do what I’m supposed to do.”

Published on October 9, 2019 at 10:23 pm

Contact Eric: erblack@syr.edu | @esblack34