National Signing Day is rapidly approaching and the Syracuse football coaching staff is working hard to finish the 2016 recruiting cycle with a bang.
The next two weekends could make or break this year’s class for head coach Dino Babers, who has seen tremendous turnover not just on his own coaching staff, but also in his first recruiting class as the head man for the Orange. At this point, only five of Scott Shafer’s recruits (Moe Neal, Rex Culpepper, Scoop Bradshaw, Jamal Holloway, and Sam Heckel) remain a part of the class, while Babers and his crew have snagged eight new pledges in their short time on campus.
Right now there are 13 spots filled, with outside linebacker Andrew Armstrong representing the latest pledge, and the third person from last weekend’s official visits to commit to Syracuse. That’s a nice trend for the Orange, by the way. The coaching staff has hosted two official visit weekends, and each time, they’ve reeled in three commits from among the players who visited.
The first official visit yielded linebacker Kenneth Ruff (who is already enrolled at Syracuse, along with Culpepper and Neal), cornerback Carl Jones, and offensive lineman Liam O’Sullivan. This past weekend, the Orange grabbed dynamic athlete Sean Riley, safety Devon Clarke, and Armstrong. They may not be done, either.
Among the visitors from last weekend who could still join the class are DeVaughn Cooper, a teammate of Riley’s at Narbonne High (Calif.), who is a speedy wide receiver currently pledged to Arizona, and Stewart Reese, a mammoth offensive lineman who’s being wooed by some SEC schools as well. Reese would immediately be one of the biggest prizes in the class, both literally and in terms of reputation, as a 4-star talent with offers from plenty of the big boys.
This weekend, the focus will be shifting in large part to the defensive line. Among the visitors headed to upstate New York are defensive ends Jaquwan Nelson, a former Miami pledge, and Joshua Black, who recently decommitted from Illinois. Both are high on Syracuse, and vice versa. Don’t be surprised to see at least one of them commit, and the smart money is on that commitment coming from Black.
Another player who is on commitment watch this weekend is safety Evan Foster, a former Bowling Green pledge who also likes Purdue. Syracuse appears to be in the driver’s seat for the 6-foot-2 defensive back, though, and this weekend could seal the deal. Iowa just got involved today, though, which could throw a wrench into the works.
Other defensive players visiting this weekend are Rashad Smith and McKinley Williams. Smith is currently committed to Florida Atlantic, but is absolutely on flip watch this weekend. He’s a big hitting, 6-foot-2 safety who most expect to grow into an outside linebacker, and he’s become a priority target for defensive coordinator Brian Ward.
Williams, meanwhile, is a new name and a bit of a sleeper. He’s garnered some attention from a few Power 5 schools, but his offer sheet is limited. He’s from Dillard High (Fla.), the same school that produced Ruff, and is being recruited as a defensive tackle. If Syracuse makes a big push for him, the chances of him committing on his trip are very high.
A few offensive players are visiting this weekend as well, and at key positions. Wide receiver Devin Butler was originally committed to Maryland as a safety, but things went sideways there and he drew an offer from new tight ends coach Reno Ferri earlier this week and quickly set up an official visit to Syracuse. Butler is a 6-foot-3 receiver and a tremendous athlete, starring in the 55 meter and triple jump events for his high school’s indoor track and field team. Receiver is a brand new position to him, though, as he played quarterback and safety throughout high school.
Running back is still a priority, especially since the ship appears to have sailed on Illinois Player of the Year Sam Brodner, who seems to be down to Wisconsin and Iowa as his top two choices. Brodner visited this past weekend and by all accounts enjoyed the trip, but it was always going to be tough to pry him out of the Midwest.
Syracuse will be hosting a top running back from Pennsylvania in uncommitted Jo-El Shaw, who will be making the trip up this weekend.
Next: Syracuse Football: Recruiting Down the Home Stretch
Shaw isn’t much in the way of a home run threat at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds. He is however a a true bruiser who runs a 4.59 40, and comes from Woodland Hills (Pa.), one of the biggest powerhouses in the Keystone State. Shaw just recently emerged as a target, and was recently committed to Western Michigan, where he was recruited by new Syracuse running backs coach Mike Hart.
It will be tough to pry Shaw away from his hometown Pitt Panthers, though it should be noted that Pitt currently has four running backs committed in this year’s class, while there are no true running backs in Syracuse’s class. If Shaw does the math, he’ll see that there’s a much better chance for early playing time in the Carrier Dome.
At the end of the weekend, you can fully expect at least a couple commitments. My money is on Foster, Smith, and Black jumping on board, and Butler is a real possibility as well. Of course whether Butler even makes it to campus or not depends on how nice Mother Nature feels like being, and right now the winter weather headed toward the Maryland and Virginia region doesn’t look like it’s ready to play nice.