Syracuse football picks up a huge recruiting win in its 2021 class as four-star cornerback Duce Chestnut selects the Orange.
To date, Syracuse football possessed a solid 2021 class with a bevy of three-star prospects, but this recruiting cycle flexed its muscles on Sunday afternoon when four-star cornerback Duce Chestnut picked the Orange.
In electing to don a ‘Cuse uniform in about 12 months, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Chestnut, a rising senior at Camden High School in Camden, N.J., opted for Syracuse football over a mix of Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten Conference squads.
Chestnut’s final five, which he revealed on Friday, consisted of the Orange, along with Michigan State, Louisville, Miami, and Rutgers.
Following his top-five list, and ahead of his announcement decision on Sunday afternoon, momentum seemed to significantly point in the direction of Syracuse football to land the elite cornerback.
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Nearly a dozen recruiting experts split among the 247Sports Web site and Rivals.com logged predictions for Chestnut to select the Orange between Friday and Sunday, prior to his commitment.
While nothing is ever a guarantee in the fickle recruiting world, with the ‘Cuse appearing as a heavy favorite for Chestnut, it frankly would have come as a huge surprise if he ended up choosing another school.
In its 2021 class, Syracuse football now boasts 16 commitments, and Chestnut is the highest-rated of them all. His decision to come to the Hill absolutely will provide a boost to the Orange’s ongoing recruiting efforts in this cycle.
For one, Chestnut is deemed a top-25 cornerback nationally within the 2021 class. Rivals.com has him at No. 137 overall in this recruiting cycle, as well as No. 9 at his position, and No. 4 in the state of New Jersey.
The 247Sports Composite, meanwhile, slots Chestnut as the No. 325 prospect throughout the country, along with the No. 23 cornerback and the No. 6 player in New Jersey.
Personally, it gives me great satisfaction that Syracuse football beat out two ACC foes, the Cardinals and the Hurricanes, in getting Chestnut. Especially since both of those groups are expected to prove strong league teams in the 2020 campaign, whereas the ‘Cuse could struggle a bit, according to some national pundits.
Head coach Dino Babers and his assistants have their initial four-star pledge in their 2021 recruiting cycle, and with Chestnut on board, this Orange class has the makings of a special one.