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Glenbard West's Hoeh chooses Syracuse

Wes Hoeh and his father flew to New York for an impromptu recruiting visit.

Their hunch turned out to be a good one.

The Glenbard West offensive lineman committed last week to play football at Syracuse University, choosing the Orange among 17 scholarship offers. Even though Hoeh was unable to get a full look at the campus that's closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he saw enough to sway him.

"I loved the campus so I figured why wait any longer," Hoeh said. "I just wanted to see it sooner rather than later and I loved it there."

Hoeh endured an interesting recruiting process due to the pandemic, but the offers from around the country still poured in. Everyone from the Mid-American Conference to the service academies to the Ivy League wanted the 6-foot-4, 240-pound senior-to-be.

With about a week's notice in late May, Hoeh and his father made the decision to fly to New York. After boarding a plane wearing masks and joining about 30 passengers on a jet meant for 80, a near-empty campus awaited them.

Syracuse coaches gave Hoeh a suggested itinerary and map, making sure he hit all the important spots even if he couldn't actually go inside any buildings. Hoeh took the trip thinking Syracuse was the spot for him, and the visit confirmed his initial instinct.

Now he can focus on what he hopes will be a football season with the Hilltoppers in the fall.

"I didn't feel like I had to decide early, but as a family we just felt ready to do it now," he said. "The timing's right. I was definitely fortunate during this whole process."

Twitter: @kevin_schmit

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