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Syracuse may not have earned the commitment of highly touted defensive end/tight end Jake Pickard, but that doesn’t mean that coach Shafer and his staff aren’t working to earn the commitments of other talented players in the class of 2015.
Pickard chose the Wisconsin Badgers over the Orange, but the kid from New Jersey isn’t the only Mid-Atlantic prospect that Syracuse fans should keep an eye on.  In fact, cornerback Daivon Ellison out of Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey will be making his college choice on August 11, a little more than a week away.
Ellison has narrowed down his school choice to four schools, and the Orange have a good chance to land the 3-star cornerback.  Ellison is also is also considering Rutgers, Penn State, and Boston College.  Rutgers seems to be the favorite to land the 5’9” corner, just days after head coach Kyle Flood declared Rutgers more prominent in New York City.
Ellison is ranked as the 27th best player in his class in New Jersey for 2015, and is the nation’s 66thplayer at his position.
A tight end replacement for Pickard may come in the form of Amir Ealey, who is on the radar of many teams, including the Orange.  Syracuse will have stiff competition, however, as he is also interested in schools like Alabama and Ohio State.
Another top target for the Orange is inside linebacker/defensive end Qaadir Sheppard out of New York.  Like Ellison, the Orange will have to compete with Boston College and Rutgers for the 3-star player.  He was recently the recipient of 64 letters from the Orange coaching staff.
Fans should also keep an eye on Kyle Pugh, Emilio Gibbs and Jonathan Crawford in the coming months.
Essentially, Syracuse can’t win all the battles.  And while it would have been a big deal for Syracuse to earn Pickard’s commitment over a school like Wisconsin, the class of 2015 is certainly not something to be laughed about.  Already bubbling over 25 commitments, the Orange has a great problem with too much talent.  All that the coaching staff can do now is move on and score some more talented players, and build on this experience for the class of 2016, which has potential to be great.
Posted by: Jason Weingold
