Earlier this week New York linebacker Taylor Riggins and Georgia halfback Darius Stubbs committed to Syracuse. The Orange now has ten commitments in the class of 2016 including 2015 signee Brandon Ginnetti who pushed back his enrollment because of a foot injury.
Many Syracuse fans have criticized the program on social media for accepting Riggins’ commitment when he does not have any other scholarship offers. Fans also don’t like how the SU staff pulled New Jersey linebacker Solomon Manning’s offer a week ago, a player who had eight Division I offers, and then decided to go with Riggins.
Riggins and Manning both play outside linebacker and have worked out in front of the Syracuse coaching staff; fans are just going to have to trust the coaches on this one. Scott Shafer has talked about how he wants to be patient and bring in the right players this cycle. In this case he thought Riggins was a better fit than Manning.
Watch Riggins tape here. Watch Manning’s tape here.
Stubbs, the Orange’s second commit of the week, will fit in as a hybrid running back and receiver; a position George McDonald used when he was offensive coordinator and Tim Lester will continue to use.
Looking at Stubbs’ tape it is clear to see why he’ll be deployed as an h-back for the Orange. He excels when lined up in an untraditional formation. He went for big plays on reverses, delayed hand offs with three players in the backfield and in motion carries and screen passes. He’s definitely an exciting player.
Just like his Georgia counterpart Will Harper, Stubbs enjoyed his Syracuse visit so much that he decided to commit during it. In a on-on-one session Stubbs told Shafer that he wanted to be a member of the 2016 class and SU’s head man happily accepted the commitment.
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Posted: Connor Morrissette
