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via Rivals
As recruiting heated up recently with the end of high school football season and final official visits, so did the Orange commitment list. The Orange picked up its 14th commitment of the 2014 class: cornerback Cordell Hudson.
Some were surprised Hudson did not commit after his official visit to Syracuse went so well on December 6, but he and his mother decided to take his final official visit to Rutgers to make sure he made the right decision. Hudson had a final list of Syracuse, Rutgers and Iowa State. He becomes the second cornerback commit of the class, along with fellow 3-star recruit Lamar Dawson.
Hudson stands 5’11” and just 159 lbs. He will need to do some serious work in the weight room to adjust to the strength and athleticism of ACC wide receivers. Hudson does have raw talent, as shown in his highlight tape. We talked last week about how he had a blast on his official visit to the Hill and believed in Scott Shafer’s philosophy. Unfortunately, Nile Sykes, who also visited that weekend, did not feel as strongly. He committed to Notre Dame over this past weekend.
Syracuse is graduating two starting cornerbacks at the end of this year: Keon Lyn and Ri’Shard Anderson. Although the Orange will liekly start Brandon Reddish and Julian Whigham, a lot of playing time is freed up for Hudson and Dawson to make an immediate impact. There have also been talks that incoming running back Naesean Howard might convert to a secondary position.
The Florida native will be yet another member of the Orange secondary from the Sunshine State. Lyn and Anderson both hail from Miramar, Fla., while Durell Eskridge, Jerami Wilkes and Julian Whigham are all Floridians as well. Scott Shafer said last week about how Syracuse is heavily recruiting in Florida, largely due to the strong pipeline already present and George McDonald’s connections in the area. This is a great pipeline to focus on as the state of Florida breeds some of the nation’s top players every year. Continuing a strong connection to the area could have its benefits long-term on the program as Shafer tries to attract better talent.
Hudson’s commitment continues to show how strong the SU-Florida pipeline is. The next Floridians to look to are wide receiver Steve Ishmael and cornerback Mike Johnson, who are visiting mid-January. Shafer hopes for more talent regardless of location as National Signing Day approaches in less than two months.
Posted by: Zephan Mayell
