It’s almost become overstated at this point that Syracuse has become known for producing breakout wide receivers in the Dino Babers era. Amba Etta-Tawo, Steve Ishmael and Jamal Custis all had pretty huge final seasons with Dino at the helm and although it’s not quite obvious who that breakout candidate will be in 2019, everyone’s expecting someone to step up.
Quite frankly, the wide receiver position is stacked for the next few years with standouts in every class. The class of 2020 has Sean Riley. 2021 boasts transfer Trishton Jackson and speedster Nykeim Johnson while the 2022 class has breakout star Taj Harris and talented question mark Ed Hendrix. Even the freshman class of 2023 has young burner Courtney Jackson who many say has been one of the most impressive performers throughout the summer and newly added Canadian Kevin Mital.
The one class they don’t have a potential star in is the class of 2024 which, right now, is better known as the high school class of 2020. SU does have one pass catcher signed on in the class in highly-touted TE Steven Mahar Jr., but just under two weeks ago, the Orange missed out on four-star wideout Bryce Gowdy who spurned them for Georgia Tech.
That was a pretty tough loss for Syracuse when Gowdy decided on a different school in the conference, but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost for the Orange when it comes to wide receivers in the 2020 class. After only getting one in the 2019 class in Jackson, wideout should be a position of focus for SU in 2020 and these are just a few guys to keep your eye on.
Kentron Poitier
The fifth-highest rated uncommitted WR that SU has offered in the 2020 cycle, Poitier hails from Miami Palmetto High School in Florida which is a program that SU has had success in recruiting in the last few years with standout defensive back Neil Nunn pledging to the Orange from Palmetto in the 2019 cycle. If SU can parlay that connection into a commitment from Poitier then they’d be getting a really great player. At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, the rising high school senior fits into the mold of a guy like an Ishmael or an Etta-Tawo who can be a vertical threat for SU in the future. An uber-athlete who is also a very talented basketball player with explosive athleticism, Poitier has included SU in his top six along with Tennessee, Florida, Florida State, South Carolina and Louisville. He would immediately become Syracuse’s top recruit in the 2020 cycle and is listed as warm to both the Orange and the Gators on 247Sports.com.
Karaun St. Louis
Another guy that’s listed as “warm” on coming to Syracuse according to 247Sports (along with Baylor and Kentucky), St. Louis hails from Ft. Lauderdale, FL by way of Western High School. The Sunshine State is a pipeline for SU talent so that could mean good things for Dino and company. A bit smaller than Poitier, St. Louis is listed at 5-foot-10.5, 178 pounds and is built in the slot-style mode of a guy like Nykeim Johnson. He appears to be comfortable catching the ball on shorter routes like swing passes, screens and curl routes which is a lot of what a slot receiver would be asked to do in the SU offense. He’s also played a bit of outside receiver in his high school tape so that versatility would be a nice wrinkle and step up for his commitment if it comes. St. Louis is a three-star recruit and outside of SU, Baylor and Kentucky, also boasts offers from local schools like Florida Atlantic and Florida International.
Gerand Turner
Unlike Poitier or St. Louis, Gerand Turner, a three-star from South Miami Senior High School is not listed as “warm” to Syracuse, but rather to some lower tier schools in non-Power Five conferences like Florida International, Marshall and Western Kentucky. That’s the reason I’ve included him here. With the win over Clemson two years ago and the ten-win season last year, SU has brought itself onto more of a national stage in terms of recruiting and has some newfound power in trying to entice prospects to come to Central New York. That kind of pull could give the Orange a big upper hand in pulling Turner away from a school where he may have a more immediate impact. As for why they should go after him as a talent, Turner is a straight-up ball magnet. He’s got excellent hands both in traffic and when he’s all by himself in the open field. He’s a possession receiver through and through and has the ability to be a very reliable future target for SU. If he were to spurn a smaller school for the glitz and glam of the ACC, he would be the Orange’s fourth-best recruit behind safety Ben LaBrosse, TE Steven Mahar Jr. and RB Sean Tucker.
