Follow The Fizz on Twitter for the latest SU football news
As we near National Signing Day, Syracuse has another name to add to the list of visitors this weekend.
via Yahoo! Sports
Treevon Prater, a WR/DB out of East Saint Louis, Illinois, will come up to visit the Hill with three other prospective recruits: Denzel Ward, Steve Ishmael and Zeek Rodney.
Prater is committed to Western Michigan but only as a soft verbal. The Orange will have a chance to entice the Midwest recruit to look into switching his commitment. Prater’s position is listed by ESPN and Rivals as the highly coveted “A-word”: Athlete.
Athletes can be the most valuable recruits to a program such as Syracuse. The versatility that a recruit who can play multiple positions brings to the table proves vital when there is a major need during a given season. Ashton Broyld was listed as an “athlete” when he came to SU and took a receiving role when the team needed more weapons to throw the ball to. Prater runs a 4.82 40-time and played more safety than cornerback last season.
A 3-star recruit, Prater could join a solid 2014 secondary class. Rodney Williams is the only safety committed, while Lamar Dawson, Naesean Howard and Cordell Hudson have all given verbal pledges. DeAndre Smith has been heavily involved in Prater’s late interest in the Orange. At 6’1”, 178 lbs., Prater will have a shot to earn some early playing time, especially due to his flexibility among different positions.
As we have discussed, Shafer needs to grab some lineman commits to balance out the 2014 recruiting class. Aaron Roberts is the only offensive lineman committed right now, while Chris Slayton stands alone on the defensive line. That is what makes Denzel Ward’s and Zeek Rodney’s visits even more important. In fact, they are the only two linemen who have scheduled official visits to Syracuse before NSD.
A major positive for recruiting this weekend is that a large portion of recruits who are already committed to SU will be on campus. K.J. Williams, Alin Edouard, Parris Bennett, Zaire Franklin and Naesean Howard are scheduled to visit the Salt City this weekend.
In a few days, Scott Shafer will try to add the finishing touches to his first real recruiting class as head coach. Some of the best talent arguably is still on the table for Syracuse to scoop up. Will SU take the next step in recruiting by locking up sought-after recruits or struggle to make progress?
Posted by: Zephan Mayell
