Syracuse has a very important recruiting weekend coming up that includes a visit from WR/DB Najee Clayton.
Clayton is one of six recruits visiting the Hill this weekend. Other recruits who are taking official visits include Tyrone Perkins, Keivonnis Davis, Jake Pickard, Nate Howard, and Donate Strickland.
Clayton would be a huge pickup for the Orange. The three-star recruit has offers from Syracuse, Boston College, Iowa, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, and Virginia. However, he has been receiving attention from Penn State, who could offer before National Signing Day.
The Jersey product is the type of local player that Syracuse needs to start receiving commitments from. Bobby Acosta, the primary recruiter for Syracuse in New Jersey, has been trying to make a push into the Garden state to pluck talented players. New recruiting tools such as the move into the ACC and a new indoor practice facility have helped Syracuse recruiting mightily. The Orange saw another fellow Jersey recruit, Kyle Kleinberg commit to Syracuse last week as a preferred walk-on. It would be a major recruiting improvement to see the Orange build a consistent pipeline to a local area in New Jersey.
Clayton would also be the first true wide receiver in the 2015 class for Syracuse. The Orange has struggled recently to find breakout receivers and has had to deal with losing a promising receiver in last year’s class. With no real certainty at the position, early playing time is a key piece Syracuse has to offer with young receivers who want to get to the field sooner.
Although he did see a decrease in offensive production in his senior season at Paramus high school, Clayton finished with 79 tackles when he played as a defensive back. Syracuse loves to mix and match players so players see the field, so versatility could play into Clayton’s favor.
The Orange has the task of recruiting new players to the class, while hosting players who could change their minds before signing the letter of intent. Najee Clayton is a new player that could make a big difference if he does decide to commit to the Syracuse.
Posted:  Zephan Mayell
