Syracuse football is building up a solid 2021 recruiting class, and nearly a dozen commits are candidates for the 2020 Sports Illustrated All-America team.
SI All-American, the recruiting division of Sports Illustrated, has unveiled its pre-season All-America watch list of high-school seniors, and Syracuse football is well represented.
According to this article, 10 Orange commits in the 2021 recruiting cycle and several key targets are named as candidates for the 2020 Sports Illustrated All-America squad.
The Syracuse football commits included on the pre-season watch list are quarterback Justin Lamson, running back Josh Hough, wide receiver Kendall Long, tight ends Derek McDonald and Landon Morris, offensive lineman Austyn Kauhi, defensive linemen Jatius Geer and Jaelin Moss, linebacker Austin Roon, and defensive back Malcolm Folk.
Additionally, some ‘Cuse targets featured as potential high-school All-Americans are defensive linemen Zyun Reeves, George Rooks III and Tim Williams, as well as linebacker Sam Ofurie and defensive back Joshua Baka.
Approximately 1,000 high-school seniors are on this pre-season watch list, and “the 10 states with the most candidates for the SI All-American team are Florida (142), Texas (129), Georgia (84), California (79), North Carolina (55), Alabama (44), Ohio (37), Virginia (31), Michigan (30) and Maryland (28).”
To that end, Syracuse football has scooped up McDonald out of Atlanta, Lamson from El Dorado Hills, Calif., and Roon out of Byron Center, Mich.
McDonald is a three-star tight end, defensive end and linebacker from the Marist School. Lamson is a three-star quarterback who attends Oak Ridge High School. Roon is a three-star linebacker from Byron Center High School.
As far as Syracuse football targets on the pre-season watch list, Rooks is a huge priority for the Orange and reportedly may announce his collegiate destination soon. On the 247Sports Web site as well as Rivals.com, Michigan is deemed the front-runner to land the four-star defensive tackle, but don’t count the ‘Cuse out.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Rooks, out of Saint Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, N.J., would represent the first four-star prospect for Syracuse football in the 2021 class should he select the Orange.
He is a top-200 player nationally in this recruiting cycle according to the 247Sports Composite, as well as a top-15 defensive tackle and the No. 2 prospect in New Jersey.