(The Fizz‚Äôs¬†Dave Van Moffaert has gained a reputation as one of the most tapped in sources for Syracuse football recruiting news. Until Signing Day, DVM will regularly be posting his thoughts, predictions, rankings and buzz on how SU‚Äôs recruiting class takes shape. This is the second installment of his “Scoop.‚Äù Here’s his first post on the top 5 targets left.)
This is a big weekend for SU football recruiting. There’s a handful of talented players taking their official visits to the Salt City this weekend. The prep stars are headlined by Wayne Morgan, Josh Manley, Josh Glanton, and the¬†already committed George Morris.
- Glanton takes his official to Syracuse.
The Fizz had a chance to talk with Glanton before he came to the Hill. He says this visit can make or break his interest in SU. He is a soft verbal commit to FIU right now, so the in-state Golden Panthers hold an edge in landing the Sunshine State product. But there are some advantages Syracuse holds, according to JG.
“I like the academics really and they are moving to the ACC and they are going to have a lot of games close to home. That’s big fore me.” 
Glanton‚Äôs coach, Pete Barber, has told The Fizz¬†Syracuse‚Äôs prestige¬†is a main reason it’s still a race.
This season Josh played both MLB and OLB, and according to Barber, he was effective at both spots. Josh says at the next level he would prefer to play on the outside.
“I have better vision and get to see where the play goes and make the tackle a lot faster.”
As for what JG thinks his greatest strength is out on the field:
“Communication with the rest of the team and tackling. Also being a leader out there.”
With the Orange losing out on LB/RB Darius Parson this past week, Glanton would be a nice pick up for the ’12 class.
- The Sunshine State darkhorse.
While Morgan is the top defensive back on the board for the Orange, a name to watch for is Rodney Singleton (Hawthorne HS, FL). The Fizz highlighted Singleton in the fall, but had not been offered a scholarship by SU. Rodney still doesn’t have an official offer from the Orange, but Syracuse still has interest.
The Fizz spoke to his head coach, James Sims, who said the SU coaching staff asked for his film again before the recruiting dead period. The plan was to reevaluate him before extending an offer. Sims said Syracuse came back to look at Singleton because it had lost a defensive back on the recruiting trail.
Rod played cornerback and safety this year for Hawthorne, but was also moved to play linebacker in some games. Singleton also is a top receiver on the squad, but Sims thinks Rodney is best fitted for a defensive back
“Once he gets on the college level and learns a different degree of breaking on balls and getting better at his back pedal, I think he will be a vicious free safety.”
Like the Yoshoub Timms’ situation, Syracuse is still battling for a Florida recruit despite being the only BCS team to have interest in him. Middle Tennessee State, Jacksonville and Temple are the other schools that have shown interest. One thing that will not make a difference for Rodney is the move to the ACC.
Sims says players like Rodney just want a chance to show how good they can be and it doesn‚Äôt matter the location. The school that shows RS the most love towards will most likely land him. Sims said the SU staff showed a lot more interest in Singleton on the last visit, and if the Orange continues to push there’s a good chance he can land in CNY. Who ever he ends up choosing, Sims says a school is getting a real versatile player.
“Rodney is that type of kid that if Syracuse takes him and he doesn’t work out at free safety, they can move him to corner. If he doesn’t work out at corner they can move him to receiver. He even played quarterback for us sometimes. I think he is one of those kids where he is an athlete than a one-position player. So if they need help in other places, they got the right kid.”
National Signing Day is ticking closer and closer. Follow The Fizz’s Twitter for the latest SU updates. With right around three weeks left the scholarship situations should start to clear up. Check The Fizz for updates on all the latest news about Syracuse recruits
Posted: Dave Van Moffaert
