Syracuse football enters mix for 5-star, No. 1 running back in junior class

Syracuse football likely has a slim chance at picking up 2023 five-star running back Rueben Owens ll, given the competition for him, but I commend Orange coaches for at least giving it a shot.

In the last few days, the ‘Cuse offered a scholarship to the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Owens, according to his Twitter page and recruiting services. Owens attends El Campo High School in El Campo, Texas.

Depending on the recruiting Web site that you examine, he is a four-star or a five-star prospect in the junior class. Per a review of his bio on various recruiting Web sites, Owens holds roughly 40 offers, from heavyweights in college football like Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, LSU, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M, Auburn, Baylor, Wisconsin, Ole Miss, Houston, Penn State and USC.

Besides the Orange, a handful of Atlantic Coast Conference squads have also offered Owens, including Miami, Louisville, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Georgia Tech.

Syracuse football is vying for the country’s No. 1 running back, five-star Rueben Owens ll.

I’m sure that as some ‘Cuse fans have learned of the team’s offer to Owens, they’re chiming in that Syracuse football has no chance whatsoever to land this elite 2023 prospect.

It’s understandable to feel this way, although as I like to counter, you can’t secure a stellar high-school player unless you first take the plunge and offer him.

Plus, I’m sure Owens is aware of the record-setting campaign that current ‘Cuse running back Sean Tucker put forth for Syracuse football during the 2021 term.

That being said, I get that the Orange faces a really large uphill climb to prevail in the recruiting sweepstakes for Owens, who, according to his bio on the 247Sports Web site, rushed for nearly 3,000 yards in 2021.

Owens, at one time, was verbally committed to Texas, but he de-committed from the Longhorns last June, according to media reports.

At the time of this writing, Rivals.com had Owens at No. 22 overall in the 2023 recruiting cycle, as well as the No. 1 all-purpose back. ESPN places him at No. 48 nationally and No. 2 at running back.

The 247Sports recruiting service rates Owens as No. 21 across the country and No. 1 at running back. Finally, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, when I penned this column, ranked him as No. 26 nationwide and No. 2 at running back.

We’ll of course continue to monitor Owens’ recruitment and detail whether Syracuse football emerges as a serious contender for him.