Natick's Jack, Sam Shuster follow in family's footstep by attending Syracuse University

NATICK — Orange.

That color courses through the veins of Jack and Sam Shuster. And this fall, the brothers from Natick will attend a school that’s mascot is known as the Orange: Syracuse University.

“It was just in their blood from the very beginning,” said their mother, Shelley Shuster.

Was it a predetermined destiny – since both their parents and their maternal grandmother went to the decorated school in New York – or was it a decision made over time?

No matter which side of the coin they fall, the Shuster bros don’t really care. Jack and Sam are just juiced up to attend the school together.

“I’m excited,” Sam, 18, said.

“It will be pretty special to have these last two years of school together,” Jack, 20, said.

‘A Syracuse family, clearly’

Scott and Shelley Shuster met at Syracuse in the early 1990s. Scott studied communications at the Newhouse School (and also political science) while Shelley studied dietetics.

The two married in 1996, with Jack born in 2002 and Sam a year later. The two Shuster boys are now extending the family legacy in Onondaga County.

“It’s really amazing to go through this process with them and taking them back to our alma mater at the same time,” Shelley said. “It just brings back lots of great memories and I’m happy for their new adventures there.”

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“All my friends tease me that I pushed them there,” Scott said. “But I really didn’t.”

When it came time to decide on a college, Jack wasn’t sure he’d follow in his parents footsteps. The former Natick High golfer and baseball player looked around at other schools before ultimately coming to a realization.

“Jack says, ‘I don’t know how I can go to another school and root against Syracuse,’” his mother recalled, “and there you go.”

Sam’s first ever email address was samshustercuse@gmail.com. Ever since he was 9, the former Natick High golfer, basketball and baseball player knew where he wanted to go to school.

A visit to Syracuse with his brother ultimately sealed the deal.

“That’s when I knew if I get in here, I’m going,” Sam said.

The bottom floor of the Shuster family home features Syracuse football helmets, logos, basketball jerseys and more. It’s a sea of orange on the walls.

“If you entered that basement, you wouldn’t even have to guess what college their family is about,” said Sam Fosberg, a 2020 Natick High grad and friend of the family. “It’s all Syracuse.”

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“This is a Syracuse family, clearly,” said Rich Eisen, uncle of Sam and Jack.

Good times with Uncle Rich Eisen, NFL Network host

In 2017, the Shusters traveled to California to visit Eisen and his wife, Suzy, and their three kids. Eisen, a host for the NFL Network, brought his two nephews on his daily “The Rich Eisen Show.”

During a two-minute segment, Sam was a bit camera shy.

“I kind of got clowned,” Sam said. “My interview wasn’t as good as Jack’s.”

“I answered some questions pretty smoothly off the top of my head and Sam gave an answer that some people might think wasn’t the best,” Jack said.

In 2021, Eisen played a video on his show of Sam hitting a pinch-hit home run for the Natick High baseball team. Eisen brought up how his nephew’s home run trot was a little too fast.

“Take your time Sam,” Eisen said on air. “Look at him go. He’s kicking up dust like a road-runner.”

A year later, Sam hit another homer for the Redhawks. This time, the high school senior followed his uncle’s advice when he rounded the bases.

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“I slowed down and my coach yelled at me for that,” Sam said. “I had Uncle Rich in mind.”

So what do have you to say for yourself, Uncle Rich?

“Listen to (your) coach and not (your) uncle,” Eisen said.

Jack visited his uncle in February to help work as an intern for NFL Network during Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Jack worked 13 straight hours as an assistant for the talent on set.

The experience was “surreal” for the Syracuse junior, who majors in communication rhetorical studies and minors in sports management.

“Pretty much a dream come true,” Jack said.

The right fit in New York

When Sam was a junior at Natick High, he was asked to pick his role model for an assignment for National Honor Society. He chose his older brother.

“Everyone kind of laughed at me,” Sam said. “But it’s pretty genuine because Jack’s always been a great role model and kind of set the bar.”

Before their 300-plus mile trip to Syracuse last week, Jack tore the ACL in his right knee.

When Jack arrived at the picturesque school, Sam, who moved in a few days earlier, helped him unload the car and move his belongings to the third floor of Jack’s fraternity house.

“We both know that if we need each other that the other one will be there,” Jack said.

“It’s the healthiest, most-loving relationship you could see amongst brothers,” their uncle said. “It’s really great to watch.”

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The Shuster bros have settled into their new lives. Sam, a freshman, plans on studying business management with a focus on real estate.

Whether it was destiny or not, the brothers from Natick are glad to bleed orange together.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that ‘Cuse is the right fit for both of the Shuster brothers,” Fosberg said.

Said their father: “I’m excited to have them there both together. That’s the best part for me.”

“I think they’re going to enjoy their two years together,” their mother said.

Tommy Cassell is a senior multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at tcassell@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @tommycassell44.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Shuster brothers of Natick join up at parents alma mater in Syracuse