National Signing Day is a long ways off, but any college football follower knows 2016 recruiting had started even before the 2015 class signed. Now that the recruiting season is in full swing, let’s take a look at what the Orange has (and hasn’t) been doing well.
Syracuse 1st Quarter Recruiting Report Card
Skill Positions: A
Syracuse has been going hard on the skill positions early in the recruiting calendar, and it isn’t just Robert Washington making me say that. The 4-star recruit may headline the Orange’s 2016 recruiting class, but Coach Shafer and his staff are trying to put together a solid group of players behind him as well. The Fizz has already talked about all the quarterbacks Shafer is looking at, and over a third of the offers Syracuse has made have been to¬†a quarterback, running back or receiver, according to 247sports.com.
In-State Recruiting: B
The Orange have offered scholarships to 152 players so far, and of those 152 players only nine are from the state of New York. In mymind this is unacceptable. Syracuse has instead focused on the southern states (with 26 offers in Georgia and 39 in Florida). The Orange has done well here before, but that was when George McDonald was leading the way. I think the Southeast will still treat the Orange well with the ties¬†and relationships made when McDonald was with Syracuse,¬†but I wouldn’t expect things to be the same. The Orange do have 27 offers made to players in New Jersey, but “New York’s College Team” should still be bringing in more New York players.
Depth: C
It’s still early, but only having three commitments at this point in the game is still behind the pace. For some perspective, each of the top 10 recruiting classes has at least ten commits, and all but one of the top 50 has at least five. It could just be a coincidence, but you still want players committing¬†earlier rather than later. The delay could be because Syracuse is going after better players than in the past, and better players tend to decide later. I wouldn’t say there’s anything to worry about just yet, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
Posted: Nathan Dickinson
