The SU Football Team has received a much sought after verbal commitment from James Washington, a defensive end and/or outside linebacker from Winter Park, Florida.

Washington had been mulling over as many as 16 other offers including West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Illinois and South Carolina.

The 6 foot 2, 220 pound Washington had 15 sacks last season, while averaging about 6 tackles per game. He's the 55th ranked outside linebacker according to Rivals.com for the Class of 2012.

Ryan Murray from Cuseconfidential.com says this is a huge commitment, not only for the player himself, but for the Future. "it puts Syracuse in the minds of other potential recruits from Florida, and this is only July. Washington committed without even visiting Syracuse, so it shows the SU coaches are doing a great job convincing young players that Syracuse is the place to be"

Click on the link to read more from the Orlando Sentinal, and to watch Washington in action.