Syracuse football had inked national letters of intent with 13 prospects in the 2022 class as of Wednesday evening during the first day of the early signing period, plus the Orange landed a transfer from a fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member.
Head coach Dino Babers says that the team is about halfway done with its 2022 cycle, and certainly with the way that the transfer portal has blown up across the country in college football, there could be additional players joining the ‘Cuse or departing the Hill that might shift what the Orange’s 2022 class ultimately entails.
For now, of the 13 prospects and one transfer who have committed to the ‘Cuse, the mix of players definitely leans heavier on defense, at least for the time being.
Team rankings in the 2022 cycle absolutely will ebb and flow throughout the early signing period, but here are the latest national ratings for the Syracuse football 2022 class on the 247Sports Web site and Rivals.com.
As you can see, the Orange’s 2022 cycle isn’t super highly rated, and the ‘Cuse is near the basement in the Atlantic Coast Conference. However, as I always like to say, these sorts of recruiting rankings don’t always tell the entire story.
Let’s take a look at the Syracuse football 2022 class to date.
Per an announcement from cuse.com, of the 13 guys who signed their NLIs with the Orange on Wednesday, eight are on defense, four are on offense, and there is a punter. The vast majority of them are rated as three stars.
Additionally, Louisville freshman safety Bralyn Oliver, a three-star prospect coming out of high school, has decided to transfer to the ‘Cuse.
The commits on offense are top-60 running back LeQuint Allen from Millville High School in Millville, N.J., top-150 wide receiver Donovan Brown from Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Md., top-100 offensive tackle Chad Schuster with Franklin High School in Franklin, Wis., and top-170 offensive tackle Joe Cruz from Sachem High School North in Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.
Let’s move to defense. On the line, the Orange got commitments from top-150 defensive lineman Belizaire Bassette with the American Heritage School in Delray Beach and Plantation, Fla., as well as top-55 edge Denis Jaquez Jr. out of the St. Augustine Preparatory School in Richland, N.J.
Moving to the linebacker position, the ‘Cuse landed commitments from top-110 linebacker Kadin Bailey with Jefferson High School in Jefferson, Ga., and top-100 linebacker Mekhi Mason from Monsignor Edward Pace High School in Miami Gardens, Fla.
On to the defensive backs. Three-star Cornell Perry attends Woodhaven High School in Brownstown, Mich., while three-star Dom Foster goes to Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, Ohio.
Top-115 cornerback Quan Peterson is out of South Pointe High School in Rock Hill, S.C., and top-105 cornerback Jeremiah Wilson is with Osceola High School in Kissimmee, Fla.
Last but not least, Syracuse football picked up a commitment from Australian punter Max Von Marburg out of St. Mary MacKillop Colleges in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.
Wednesday was the first day of the three-day early signing period. College teams can also begin signing high-school prospects during the traditional national signing day in February.