During his freshman year, Ashton Broyld was one of Syracuse’s most interesting players because of the intrigue and the unknown that surrounded the highly-touted athlete.

Less than two weeks into his sophomore campaign, his skill is beginning to match the intrigue that came with him out of high school. So is the off-the-field personality that delivers some of the most memorable and insightful quotes during media availability from week to week.

During Scott Shafer’s pregame press conference on Thursday, the head coach was asked about how well Broyld, who’s listed as an H-back on the depth chart, is doing in his transition to the slot. His answer began with coach speak, but evolved into an insight on Broyld’s personality.

“He’s a very honest and upfront young man,” Shafer said.

On Tuesday, Broyld said he would grade the offense in Week 1 with a D or D+ and that it felt like the Orange was “experimenting” when it was in its pistol sets.

But there’s more to Broyld than just the football skill and the brutal honesty. He was a two-sport star in high school, he excelled on the basketball court, and Shafer said he’s “arguably the most competitive kid on the team.”

Shafer told a story about an offseason barbeque at the coach’s house and the “gym rat” Broyld’s escapades:

“The whole time he was there, he sat down to eat for maybe 15 minutes and then for the rest of the time he was playing rough house on the basketball court and they had a 3-point contest that he manufactured.

“Then, all of a sudden, he pulls out baseball gloves from the back of my garage that I haven’t picked up in a year or two. Then all of a sudden around the corner he’s throwing bocce balls, then it’s a Frisbee, then it’s a contest in the swimming pool. The kid is highly competitive and that’s what you love about him.”

Published on September 5, 2013 at 10:54 am

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