One of Dino Babers’ biggest targets for the Class of 2017 has narrowed his list of potential schools to seven schools, and Syracuse made the cut. Four-star running back C.J. Holmes, out of Cheshire Academy in Connecticut, tweeted his shortlist of schools over the weekend and many were pleasantly surprised to see the Orange included.
In addition to Syracuse, Holmes included Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Penn State, UCLA and Notre Dame on his list. Let’s be honest here, one of those schools is not like the others. Holmes clearly has many offers from some of the top and most historic programs in the nation. And Syracuse.
That is not to say that Syracuse is without all hope. One of the three commits that Syracuse has so far in the Class of 2017 has been put in a tremendous amount of work to try to get Holmes to turn away from the colossal programs and start something special on the Hill. Of course, this is Quarterback Tommy DeVito.
DeVito has become a Matthew Moyer-like figure for the Orange football team. He is clearly very passionate about his decision to come to Syracuse and he, like Moyer, seems to be willing to put in work to get other players to join him at Syracuse. 
DeVito has been working on bringing several recruits into the fold for the Class of 2017. In addition to Holmes, DeVito has been pushing hard to get his friend, Wide Receiver Eddie Lewis into the class. On Fizz Radio, DeVito singled out both Holmes and Lewis as guys that he would love the chance to play with in Dino Babers’ high-paced offense.
He called Holmes his “real target right now” and there is no doubt that every Syracuse fans should welcome Holmes into this new offense with open arms, should he choose to commit to SU.
Not to drag down anyone’s hope but the recruitment of C.J. Holmes is eerily similar to Robert Washington, as it is a highly sought after running back with offers from powerhouse¬†programs, and Syracuse. Hopefully, for all parties involved it turns out better than that.
