With less than two days until Syracuse has pen hit paper on its recruiting class, there’s a few late races fans need to keep their eyes on. The Orange had another recruit slip through its finger when the ‚ÄúHershey Hulk‚Äù¬†Harold Brantley announced Sunday he will commit to Missouri.¬†It’s a big loss for SU, since Brantley would have added power, speed and athleticism to the defensive line. Doug Marrone has been¬†the D-Line a focal point in this years class.¬†The Fizz thinks Harold was one of the best, if not the best, DE/DT SU had coming in. He has speed and size, and at 280 pounds he’s a load in the middle and will only get bigger.
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Florida LB Leroy Owens¬†flipped on SU as well, and chose FIU to play closer to home.¬†Tashon Whitehurst is also on the fence¬†tinkering with the idea of committing to South Florida. SU has its work cut out for it over the next 36 hours. Here’s¬†The Fizz¬†latest list of the top 5 prospects most likely to end up in the Salt City.
Wayne Morgan – DB (Erasmus Hall, NY)
Morgan¬†has been atop priority for The Dougie since the summer¬†and SU needs him to cap off this recruiting class. SU fans can exhale a sigh of relief and¬†put the Penn State rumors to rest. This is now a Big East showdown between UConn and Syracuse to land ‚ÄúLight’s Out.‚Äù This Fizz gives the edge to SU as Morgan said¬†he is comfortable on the Syracuse campus¬†and loves the idea of playing with childhood friend Brandon Reddish
“We’ve been wanting to play together since high school because we went to different schools. So we just want to go to the same school. We played Pop Warner together, and it’ll be great to play with him in college again. Brandon is one of the main reasons [I’m looking forward to coming to Syracuse].”
 Odds of committing to SU: 70%
Josh Glanton – LB (Haines City HS, FL)
The Orange is in a linebacker tug-o-war with FIU,¬†but maybe Mario Cristobal’s potential departure for Rutgers could help swing Glanton up north. Josh visited the Hill last weekend and was impressed with campus and the academics Syracuse had to offer.
“I really like the communications department and school (Newhouse). I think I would try to study that, it is a real nice school.‚Äù
The Fizz thinks the Golden Panthers still hold a slight edge because of proximity, but head coaching uncertainty would definitely help SU.
Odds: 50%
Marcus Pierce-Brewster – DE (San Francisco City College)
Losing out on Brantley means another spot to fill on the defensive line. Syracuse has already lockedup two JUCO defensive linemen in Zian Jones and Mark Garrick, and sees MPB as another older player that could make an immediate impact.
Odds: 35%
Julian Pinnix-Odrick –DE (Montclair, NJ)
This is Syracuse’s chance to deliver a counter punch to Rutgers. Pinnix-Odrick is a soft verbal commit to RU, but his recruitment has opened up again. He visited SU this weekend and sources say he really enjoyed this visit. Right now The Fizz thinks JPO is still leaning Rutgers, but has SU near the top of his list.
Odds: 30%
Myles Hilliard– DE (Bedford, OH)
The Fizz spotlighted Hilliard in the summer when he committed to Pittsburgh. But now, according to Scout.com, Myles is only a soft verbal there and considering the Orange. He is a freak athlete and would help heal the burns of losing Brantley and Owens. While The Fizz is intrigued by this last second push by SU, we think too little too late. But keep an eye out on Hilliard.
Odds: 20%
Posted: Dave Van Moffaert
