After penning 18 players back in December during the Early National Signing Day, Syracuse lured four more recruits today. That brings SU’s total to 22 recruits for the class of 2020. All but one of the recruits are three-star prospects, putting this Orange class 59th nationally and 10th in the ACC, according to 247Sports. To put that in perspective, Syracuse was 56th nationally last year and in the same spot in conference.
On National Signing Day II, Dino Babers shored up two positionsРcornerback and quarterback. Chase Atkinson, a CB out of South Carolina, was the first commit. He stands at 5’11, 180 pounds. About an hour later, quarterback Jacobian Morgan committed to the Orange, which was his only Power-5 offer. Texas QB, Dillon Markiewicz, followed. He comes in at 6’4, 215 pounds and is a mobile threat. We knew those three commits were happening, but the surprise came when CB Ja’Had Carter picked Cuse. He was originally committed to Virginia Tech, but took a prep year and switched to SU.
So those are the names of the second signing dayРAtkinson, Morgan, Markiewicz and Carter. Not as big of a haul as the first signing day, but that is pretty normal. What can SU fans take away from today’s signees? Well, there are two main things.
SYRACUSE’S SECONDARY KEEPS GETTING BETTER
If you ask just about anyone what Syracuse’s strength is, the answer will be the secondary. With names like Andre Cisco, Iffy Melifonwu, and Trill Williams, SU’s defense and entire team is anchored by the DB’s. By adding Atkinson and Carter, that unit becomes even stronger. Atkinson wasn’t the most sought after recruit, but he is extremely fast. Carter was a fringe-four-star prospect who had offers from plenty of other Power-5 teams. FAU, Texas Tech and Virginia Tech were his other final options. Add those two to a DB class with three others from the early period, giving the SU secondary five new faces. The future for this secondary is extremely bright, which is especially important with the 3-3-5 scheme new Defensive Coordinator, Tony White, is implementing.
THERE’S A FUTURE AT THE QUARTERBACK POSITION
Besides Tommy DeVito, Syracuse’s quarterback room was looking pretty barren going into next season. The number two guy, Clayton Welch, is gone. Rex Cullpepper is going into his final season. Then you have rising sophomores like David Summers and Drew Gunther (I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t even know who they are) who haven’t shown much potential. So, by adding Morgan and Markiewicz, Syracuse has secured a future at the QB position. Neither recruit screams instant QB battle, but they both have upside. They are big bodies and have strong arms. Markiewicz is a little more interesting because of his ability to move and the record numbers he put up in one of the most competitive high school football regions in the country.
Although it wasn’t as exciting as December when it seemed like a new player was committing every other minute, National Signing Day II was a success for Syracuse Football. The Orange added more talent to the spot that is crucial in their new defensive scheme, and hopefully found their future signal caller.
