Football Recruiting

Adam Dulka discusses why he committed to Syracuse

Courtesy of Adam Dulka

Adam Dulka visited in early March, only waiting to be accepted academically to officially announce his decision.

By Sam Fortier

At the Syracuse football practice Adam Dulka attended in early March, he saw a fast, physical defense and an offense running at a blistering pace.

What he saw under SU head coach Dino Babers reinforced the idea that the Orange was the “big time” and a place where he could face the best competition in a Power Five school.

“I loved the atmosphere and (the speed) of practice,” he said. “I could picture myself in that uniform. … (Playing college football has) been a dream for a long time.”

Dulka, the Class of 2016 inside linebacker from Huntington Valley (Ohio) University School, picked Syracuse over Tulane and various offers from Division I-AA, II and III schools. He said he received an offer from the Orange about a month ago, but wanted to wait until official academic acceptance before announcing his decision.

The 5-foot-11, 217-pound inside linebacker is the second Ohio linebacker in his class to commit in the last three weeks, joining another preferred walk-on, Zack Lesko.



Dulka had arrived at the decision-sealing practice because of a meeting he’d had in 2015 with Tom Kaufman, then the special teams coordinator and defensive line coach at Bowling Green under Babers.

Dulka said he met Kaufman at a showcase with Raw Talent Sports, a Cleveland-based football skills training facility. Kaufman followed up with a school visit, but Dulka still didn’t have an offer. Then suddenly Kaufman was gone to Syracuse.

“Initially there wasn’t much of a conversation,” Dulka said. “But we got in touch after and it (worked out).”

On Nov. 7, Dulka attended Tulane’s 7-3 loss to Connecticut on Homecoming weekend. He said the American Athletic Conference is up-and-coming, but the deciding factor was that he’d get a chance to face some of the nation’s best teams at Syracuse in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He listed Florida State, Louisville and Clemson, with Heisman trophy-finalist quarterback Deshaun Watson, as the schools that caught his eye.

“The best way to become the best is to beat the best,” Dulka said. “That made the decision. I’ve always dreamed of (this level) of competition.”





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