Syracuse Football: SU sees two prospects de-commit, reopen recruitments

Syracuse football commits in the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes have de-committed from the Orange and reopened their recruitments back up, according to recent Twitter posts.

Syair Torrence, a three-star wide receiver in the junior cycle who hails from Central New York, said he would de-commit from the Orange after giving the ‘Cuse a verbal commitment last November.

Also de-committing from Syracuse football is 2023 linebacker Lonnie Rice, who most recently played two seasons at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Rice, a native of Philadelphia, attended Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, Pa. He would have been a redshirt sophomore for the Orange during the team’s upcoming 2023 season.

Syracuse football has lost a commitment in both the 2023 and 2024 classes.

Torrence is a fast-rising player at Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse. His older brother, Symir Torrence, was previously a guard for the Orange but has transferred to Binghamton for his final year of college eligibility.

A recent article from Syracuse.com’s Emily Leiker stated that Syair Torrence recently had a conversation with ‘Cuse head coach Dino Babers, and Leiker writes that this conversation was part of the reason why Torrence elected to reopen his recruitment.

Not too long ago, Torrence said on Twitter that he received a scholarship offer from Big Ten Conference member Michigan State, and media reports suggest that he plans to officially visit the Spartans in June.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Torrence is rated as a three-star prospect in the 2024 cycle by the majority of recruiting services. Besides Syracuse football and Michigan State, his offer sheet also includes Memphis and Buffalo.

Per his bio on recruiting Web sites, Torrence has also received interest from squads such as Notre Dame, Penn State, Rutgers, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, LSU, Boston College and Army, among others.

When I penned this column, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite ranked Torrence as the No. 616 national prospect, the No. 82 wide receiver and the No. 3 player in New York within his class.

The industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking placed Torrence at No. 932 overall, No. 128 at wide receiver and No. 8 in New York.

Over at 247Sports, he is No. 101 at wide receiver and No. 4 in the state of New York.

ESPN, meanwhile, rates Torrence as the No. 75 wide receiver and the No. 2 prospect in New York within the 2024 cycle.

I’m of course wishing both Torrence and Rice nothing but success in the future. That being said, I do find it a little disappointing that Syracuse football has seen Torrence, a local product, de-commit.