Follow the Fizz on Twitter for the latest SU football news
via rivals
Yesterday Shyheim Cullen verbally committed to Syracuse. He is the 14th Orange commit for 2015, which is a strong number for a middle-tier ACC program in June. But like so many of the Orange’s recent recruits, he is a relative unknown. According to Rivals.com, Syracuse is his only offer.
There is so much talk about the SU football program trying to improve to eventually become national contenders. That clearly will take time, but it is the ultimate goal of Scott Shafer and the rest of the Syracuse coaches. In the coming years it will be interesting to see how effective Shafer’s staff proves to be at evaluating talent. Can these 3-star, 2-star and unranked players successfully transform the program?
Of course, some unranked players do pan out: former Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib was unranked coming out of high school and now plays for the New York Giants. However, it is very disheartening to see Syracuse continue to receive commitments from these types of players when the University of North Carolina already has four 4-star recruits committed for 2015. Both programs went 4-4 in the ACC last season, yet the Tar Heels currently have the 14th best recruiting class in the nation.
Has there been any news of the Orange being even remotely close to landing a 4-star player so far this summer?
Sadly, the answer is no.
Seven of the Orange’s fourteen 2015 recruits have no rating on ESPN. Tyrone Perkins, Sam Clausman, Anthony Giudice, Evan Adams, Brandon Ginnetti and Cullen all had received little to no coverage at the time of their commitments. Every recruiting class has some hidden gems, but it seem like SU’s is filled with them.
There really should be a few more proven players.
Syracuse fans must ask themselves what the realistic expectations are for this group if these recruiting trends continue. What will we be happy with? Six wins? Eight wins? Ten wins? Between the construction of the new practice facility, the back-to-back bowl wins and the move to the ACC, Syracuse definitely has the makeup of a team on the rise.
But will the Orange posses the players to carry out that growth if 4- and 5-star players continue to go elsewhere? Only time will tell.
Posted by: Connor Morrissette
