We’re just three months away from Signing Day 2014—and with it, head coach Scott Shafer’s first official recruiting class. The Fizz took a look at the progress over the last few months and broke down how things have shaken out for the Cuse as the calendar flips to November.
Syracuse Commits:
4-star              WR      KJ Williams
3-star              MLB    Colton Moskal
3-star              QB       Alin Edouard
3-star              CB       Lamar Dawson
3-star              OLB     Parris Bennett
3-star              RB       Naes Howard
3-star              OLB     Zaire Franklin
3-star              S          Rodney Williams
3-star              WR      Jamal Custis
*3-star            WR      Corey Cooper (*Playing this semester at Jireh Prep in N. Carolina)
2-star              G          Aaron Roberts
2-star              QB       AJ Long
2-star              RB       Ervin Phillips
*2-star            DT       Wayne Williams (*Playing this semester at ASA College in Brooklyn)
The Good
Syracuse has brought in an array of different players on both sides of the ball from all over the country. That’s difficult to do at this point in the recruiting season. The Orange has already addressed one critical need in the secondary by reeling in two 3-star DBs, Rodney Williams and Lamar Dawson, over the summer. And more good news could be on the way for the backfield if SU cashes in on the Josh Boyd sweepstakes. Bringing a quarterback every year is critical, and the Cuse has two signed for the class of 2014, including the leader of Syracuse’s Twitter Army. Adding Alin Edouard—who was coveted by schools like Arizona, Miami and Penn State—was an added plus.
The Bad
It’s something the Fizz has been saying for years, but SU needs another commit at the WR position. The Orange technically only signed two during the class of 2013 because Brisly Estime is primarily being used as an H-Back, and Corey Cooper is spending the football season at Jireh Prep attracting novel attention from some big time programs. Picking up Jamal Custis and KJ Williams are huge pickups, but let’s see if the Orange can grab one more before signing day. With the Cuse most likely losing DT Jay Bromley and Zian Jones at the end of the season to graduation, and with Wayne Williams’ status still a bit dicey, it would be nice to see SU nab a tackle. At this point, the realistic option for SU is unranked DT Zeek Rodney, who plans to visit the Salt City in January.
The Ugly
It’s pretty obvious when you lose commits this early in the recruiting period, it’s never a good sign. LB Jason Cabinda flipped to Penn State after the Nittany Lions were granted a few more scholarship offers after its sanctions were reduced. He visited the campus during PSU’s triple-OT victory over Michigan and Syracuse never had a chance afterword. In that same week, SU also said goodbye to 3-star OT Beau Benzschawel after the Badgers swopped in, offered the Wisconsin native, and he flipped. Syracuse has a good chunk of 3-star recruits already, which is better than previous years, but if better BCS schools keep leaping into the picture at the last moment, SU may be in for more losses.
Posted by: Kevin Fitzgerald
