Syracuse’s Newfound Recruiting Chops

We may finally be seeing the fruits of Head Coach Doug Marrone’s labor — Richard Mackson-US PRESSWIRELet me start off by saying that recruiting is the definition of “inexact science.” There is absolutely no way to determine whether recruits will pan out (see: SU basketball’s “vaunted” 2003 recruiting class). That being said, recruiting makes us excited because it represents hope. It is an unknown, which in turn gives us fans something to grab on to, and say things like, “This is our year.”

Can we say without fail that the top recruiting class in football = success for the next three to four years? No.

Can we waste in inordinate amount of time developing hypotheticals, stupid theories, and reasons why these recruits are going to be the ones that get us over the hump?

Absolutely.

While SU football has been a rollercoaster ride mainly filled with downslopes the past decade, the 2012 crop of freshmen is generating a buzz. Exciting dual-threat QB Ashton Broyld and CB Wayne Morgan were the crown jewels of this new class of Orangemen waiting to contribute right away. Next came news of the transfer of four-star wideout Quinta Funderburk from Arkansas. Throw in some exciting early-2013 commitments, and Dougie Marrone has the fans genuinely excited again about recruits for the first time in … a long time.

But just how long has it been since SU has really generated a class worth noting?

I thought this would be an interesting time to look back over the past ten years, along with next year, to see how some notable players from each class panned out. Taking into account the fact that I didn’t have any media guides to make this easier (hook us up SU Athletics!!), I did my absolute best making a class-by-class list of players I felt warranted mention. The following are the years, followed by the players who were incoming freshmen/transfers that season:

• 2003: Jameel McClain, Tanard Jackson, Ricky Krautman, Eugene Newsome
• 2004: Joe Fields, Tony Fiammetta, Ryan Durand, Corey Chavers, Rice Moss
• 2005: Arthur Jones (RS), Cam Dantley, Derrell Smith (RS), Curtis Brinkley, and BFFs Bruce Williams & Lavar Lobdell (RS)
• 2006: Taj Smith (transfer), Mike Williams, Delone Carter, Andrew Robinson, Ryan Bartholomew, Jared Kimmell (RS)
• 2007: Doug Hogue, Rob Long, Max Sutor, Nick Provo (RS)
• 2008: Chandler Jones, Ryan Nassib, Marcus Sales, Antwon Bailey, Mikhail Marinovich’s mustache, Van Chew, Dorian Graham
• 2009: Greg Paulus (transfer), Jose Cruz (transfer), Phillip Thomas, Alec Lemon, Shamarko Thomas, Zack Chibane, Charley Loeb
• 2010: Prince-Tyson Gulley, Macky MacPherson, Ross Krautman, Jerome Smith
• 2011: Brandon Reddish, Ritchy Desir, Jeremiah Kobena, Cameron Lynch
• 2012: Ashton Broyld, Wayne Morgan, Ron Thompson, Myles Davis (transfer), Jason Emerich
• 2013: Quinta Funderburke (transfer), Austin Wilson, Tyler Provo, Wayne Williams

This is a lot of information to digest, but a couple things jump out to me.

First, and craziest: Greg Robinson actually found some really nice talent from 2006-2008. Taj Smith, Mike Williams, Delone Carter, Rob Long, Chandler Jones, and Antwon Bailey, to name a few, were all really nice players for the Orange. Carter is poised to break out with the Colts this season, Williams is one of the bright young receivers in the NFL, and all Jones did was become the highest Syracuse player drafted since Dwight Freeney.

Second, I don’t even know which class I’d necessarily call the best. Do we consider team success or individual success? Does an NFL career matter? Do we favor the top-heavy classes or strong ones across the board?

For my money, I’ll take 2008 and here’s why: This class was the driving force behind the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl victory. Yes, Delone Carter won MVP, but Ryan Nassib hit Marcus Sales for 3 touchdowns and Antwon Bailey had 79 total yards. They had the aforementioned 1st round draft pick in Chandler Jones. Bailey actually ended up sneaky-high on some impressive SU lists, including going over the 2,000 yard mark and setting records for career receptions (91) and receiving yards (706) for a running back.

Furthermore, 2008’s legacy is still yet to be written, as both Sales and Nassib return for one more go-around. They’ve been here for at least 20 total wins, and well, that’s more than basically all of the previous guys on this list can say. Going off my criteria of individual, NFL, and team success, I’d say 2008 is a nice candidate for best class of the past decade.

Of course, none of this speculation really means anything until the new guys get on the field. All of this wishful thinking could flame out on the heels of just one horrid season. Will the 2012-2013 recruits supercede the Class of 2008? We won’t know until at least 2014. However, for the sake of Orange fans and Doug Marrone’s job security (already entering his 4th season), let’s hope so.

– Kevin Cartini

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