After a cycle in 2023 in which Dino Babers and the Syracuse football program finished 73rd in the nation in totality, and 91st in just high school recruiting, significant improvements were needed to replenish the talent that’s been lost on the roster. So, in June which just finished up last week, the Orange secured 12 commitments, and a 13th on July 1st. That’s pretty darn good.
As things currently stand, SU’s class is ranked 39th in the nation according to 247 Sports, and that would be its highest since 2001. The players that have committed to the Orange include Jakhari Williams, a four-star quarterback from Macon, Georgia, and the 328th-ranked player in the class. On top of Williams, the Orange have six other top 1,000 players in the 2024 class. For comparison, in 2023 SU had one top 1,000 player, five in 2022, and four in 2021. So, what that tells us is that Babers and his staff are having significantly more success this go around than in previous years.
Now, things can always change, as they did with LaNorris Sellers last year. But, for the moment, Syracuse’s class is ranked 10th in the ACC, and higher nationally than teams like Illinois, Maryland, Northwestern, Kentucky, TCU, Auburn, Michigan State, and a plethora of other teams. Now, will that hold, probably not, but there’s still time to keep adding and striking while the iron is hot.
Syracuse has lost considerable talent this offseason, from the likes of Garrett Williams, Matthew Bergeron, Sean Tucker, and Mikel Jones heading to the NFL and Duce Chestnut, Ja’Had Carter, and Justin Lamson hitting the transfer portal, the Orange seem to be entering a gap year in 2023 with eyes on 2024 and beyond as where the future of the program takes shape.
At that time, Jason Beck will have a year of experience as the offensive coordinator under him, and a lot of the current underclassmen in the system will be more experienced and ready to take leadership roles. In 2023, the current roster is a real mix of established players who proved themselves the last couple of years, but a lot of inexperienced players as well. Plus, two new coordinators calling plays on either side of the ball.
Not to mention, there is still a large LeQuint Allen situation cloud hovering over the program, and the resolution to that will be key to the amount of success the team has this upcoming season. But, regardless, Babers and his staff are on a heater at the blackjack recruiting table right now, and as long as he keeps hitting and bringing in recruits, he shouldn’t rest on his laurels because you never know how things can change in college football.
