BRISTOL — Two years ago, Rayshon Andrews made the difficult decision to transfer from Bristol Eastern to Avon Old Farms with the hopes of furthering his development as a football player at a prestigious, powerhouse boarding school.
The move was made in hopes of drawing more attention to the three-star defensive back as he prepared to play at the top level of college football. The gamble ultimately paid off for Andrews, who received offers from Oregon State, Morgan State, Penn State, Bowling Green, Old Dominion, Akron, Rhode Island, Syracuse, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Boston College.
Andrews committed to Syracuse University this week after a successful visit to the Orange a few days prior. The 6-foot-4 cornerback is excited to move on to the next level and said he chose Syracuse because of the coaching staff and the homey atmosphere he felt when he stepped on campus.
“I ultimately chose Syracuse because that’s where I felt most comfortable. Every time I went there the coaching staff was very good to me and my family, which is very important,” Andrews said. “I felt like that’s where I could develop the most, not just as a player, but as a person.”
Andrews said location wasn’t a factor in his recruiting — he was prepared to go anywhere, but being closer to home was an added advantage — and Andrews’ decision to choose Syracuse was driven in large part by his belief that the Orange have the best defensive backs coach in the country.
Last season, among 130 FBS teams, Syracuse was 17th in red zone defense, 56th in scoring defense, 65th in total defense and 84th in total interceptions, but was 15th in defensive touchdowns and 78th in passing yards allowed per game.
Those numbers will no doubt improve as Andrews joins Syracuse’s secondary, but playing cornerback at the Division I level isn’t a position he always envisioned playing.
Andrews flourished as both a defensive and defensive back at Bristol Eastern, and whether he was running home a smoke screen or returning an intercept six, Andrews was always all over the field, but since deciding to leave the Lancers, he has focused more on defense.
At Avon Old Farms, he realized his size, length and speed would make him a formidable opponent for opposing receivers.
“To be completely honest, when I enrolled at Avon, I wasn’t planning on playing cornerback. I was actually primarily looking to play receiver, but when I got there, I realized I could do more than that and be a really good cornerback,” Andrews said. “There aren’t a lot of 6-foot-4 cornerbacks that can move around, so playing cornerback was definitely the best choice for me.”
Andrews added that while football was the main focus at Avon Old Farms, he also learned many life lessons from a dedicated group of coaches and said although leaving Bristol Eastern was tough, it was the best decision to achieve his goals.
“It’s not that far away, but it was a tough decision. Going to Avon was a decision to achieve my goal of playing college football. Obviously I could have gone to Bristol Eastern, but going to Avon was the best thing for me to play at the level I really want to play at,” Andrews said.
He said his re-education at Avon Old Farms not only helped him hone his skills and improve as a football player, but it also prepared him for college by being away from home and working a schedule that was heavily tied to football and academics.
Andrews added that the competition has made him a better player.
“Certainly, the level of competition is different,” he said. “When you’re on a team where everybody is as good as you, or even better than you, you have to compete every time you step on the field, especially when you’re playing against other teams that have the best players in the country.”
Entering his final season at Avon Old Farms, Andrews is more determined than ever. He said his commitment to Syracuse won’t let him relax and that this is just the beginning of more work that needs to be done.
The job will be dual-purpose, allowing him to continue developing as a defensive back but also move back to the offensive side of the ball and play wide receiver again.
Andrews credits his work ethic to the foundation built by his coaches, teachers and teammates at Bristol Eastern.
“Mentally, I think I had a lot of great teachers at Eastern, on and off the field, they were always there for me if I needed anything,” he said. “I had some really great coaches at Eastern that I called friends, and I also had a lot of really great teammates, whether they were good at football or not. Being surrounded by great people that have the same mindset of wanting to get better as a team and as a player definitely helps a lot when you’re chasing your dreams.”
