Even with summer camp getting underway this week, Dino Babers secured four commitments for the Class of 2019.
Wide receiver Nazir Burnett, defensive end Ishmael Goulbourne, cornerback Garrett Williams and safety Dorian Hewett all made verbal commitments to the Orange. All four prospects are three-star recruits, according to 247Sports.
There has been a clear emphasis on defense in this cycle after Babers’ offensive minded 2018 class. So far, SU has picked up seven defensive players to just five offensive guys.
The lone offensive player picked up this past week was Burnett. The Pennsylvania wide receiver is the second player at his position in this cycle. He held other notable offers from Michigan State, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Pitt and Boston College. He is rated by 247Sports as a top 200 wide receiver in the class.
On defense, Babers continued his conquest in Florida by picking up Goulbourne. He is the third commit from the Sunshine State, tied with Burnett’s home of Pennsylvania for the most in the class. In fact, SU has yet to pick up anyone from New York. Goulbourne played his high school ball at Palm Beach Gardens, where he was a teammate of Orange freshman safety Cam Jonas. Goulbourne was heavily recruited by New York state. Along with SU, he held offers from Buffalo and Albany. His other major offer was Cincinnati.
The other two players both came to help bolster the secondary. The first was Hewett. He has not received a lot of buzz on the recruiting trail so far. The Orange was the Texas product’s only significant offer. He is the first commit from Texas, a place that SU has started to recruit a little more these past two years.
Finally, Williams is the final piece to this week’s recruiting puzzle. He hails from North Carolina and turned down many offers from smaller local schools. Amongst major offers, Williams picked SU over Maryland and West Virginia.
Williams and Hewett are two of the four defensive backs added in the class.
Despite these two pickups, 247Sports still ranks SU’s 2019 class as the worst in the ACC. But remember, the Orange’s football team, much life its basketball squad, is now recruiting for a system. Stars and rankings are not necessarily indicative of how good the class is. But Syracuse surely could use a couple four stars in the mix to take the program to the next level.
