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Syracuse earned yet another offensive line recruit, Andrejas Duerig.  The 3-star guard is a huge addition to a budding offensive line in the recruiting class of 2015.  While the Orange has just earned its 12th verbal commitment, nine have come since May 16, a span of only 32 days.  In that time, the Orange’s recruiting class has risen to the 29th best in the nation, according to 247sports.
Where does Syracuse’s 2015 recruitment timeline stack up against recruiting classes of years past?  The Fizz took a look to figure out where Syracuse’s huge month falls in the recruiting wave.
The incoming recruiting class of 2014 has already signed their letters of intent, and some have enrolled.  In total, there are 24 players joining the Orange for next season and the recruiting class of 2015 is already halfway there.
2014’s class was definitely one of turmoil and it got a very late start because of the Doug Marrone fiasco.  Once Marrone left the Orange for the NFL and Coach Shafer stepped in on Jan. 9 of 2013.  In Shafer’s first month of recruiting as new head coach of the Orange, Syracuse received no commitments.  And, in the second and third months, Shafer only earned two more verbals.  In the same 32-day span that we are currently experiencing (May 16 to June 17) Shafer brought in two players, but received two more by the end of June.  One interesting note is that nine of the 24 players committed to play in Orange during the early stages of 2014.  This is expected, as Shafer and his recruiting team had to put in time to convince the recruits to come to Central New York.
Since 2013 and 2014 recruiting was somewhat of an oddity, let’s take a look at a recruiting class totally unaffected by the coaching change.  2012 was a group of 23 kids.  The bulk of the recruiting was done in the summer of 2011, with nine recruits giving their verbal in June and July alone.  During the same 32-day span that we’ve looked at, Marrone earned only three verbals, who ended up being only his third, fourth, and fifth recruits of the class.  The Orange also snagged three players on National Signing Day, which happens every winter.
So what does this mean for the recruiting class of 2015?  It means that Shafer is doing an outstanding job of drawing players to Syracuse and impressing them enough to receive a commitment this early in the cycle.  It is showing in the rankings, as the Orange have the sixth-best ACC recruiting class. While the quantity is there, Shafer and Co. are still looking for their first 4- or 5-star player.  There should be a further onslaught of recruits through July, and then the commitments will pick up again as National Signing Day approaches.
All in all, Shafer has done a wonderful job with convincing high school players that Syracuse is a desirable place to play.
 Posted by: Jason Weingold
12 responses to “This Time Last Year: How Football Recruiting Compares to Years Past”
I said it last year…and I will say it again…this staff can recruit….and our recruiting is getting better! After we start winning on the field, the 4 star kids will come. I love the recruiting foot print that we are establishing. There are some really good football players in Illinois and Ohio!!! New Jersey is key….got to get those Jersey Boys!!!!
Dr. bill,your not talking about the “four Seasons” are you? hahahahahaha.
I too think shafer and crew are doing a good job recruiting and I also believe that the 2014 class has more than 2/3 4* recruits coming to the Cuse. I think that most of the 2015 recruits are underrated and will prove themselves to everyone in 2016. I can’t wait for the 2016 season to start,Syracuse will start an OL averaging 6’5 310 lbs. NFL here we come!!!!!!
The one thing you forgot to mention here Jason,are the Syracuse Fans. I believe they’re going to show up to support these kids and the Dome will again be the loud house. Things are getting really interested and looks real promising for the near future.
Watch out ND and that goes for you guys down in Clemson too.
Thank you Coach Shafer. Let’s lock the damn doors and start kicking some A$$.
What am I missing here? Last year as we all watched the 24 recruits commit to Syracuse most of us were excited,we realized that we had a large group of highly touted 3* athletes and a few 4*’s coming to the hill in 2014.
Today we had another N/R N/R 6’3″ 240 LB DE Brandon Ginnetti out of Hamden Hall HS (Hamden CT) commit to the orange. That makes 13 total commitments to date.
Last year we had the 3*,4* athletes commit. This year it looks like we’re getting nothing but the N/R 2*/3* players.
I just can’t understand nor can I explain the reasoning behind the change in direction.
Did any/all of these recruits miss the rivals/247,scout camps to get evaluated?
Have all of the recruiting websites overlooked these kids because of them not attending? Coaches must see something in these kids that guy’s like us are not seeing. Is there that many diamonds in the rough or as the old saying goes,THERE’S GOLD IN THOSE HILLS. I know I have to be missing something here fella’s. Please don’t misunderstand me,I’m not complaining,it’s just I don’t understand it.
Ron #1,
I like what you said about fans. Syracuse football is definitely on the up, and Shafer is cultivating an era of success that is really appealing to Central New York. Not to bash Marrone, but while he was coach, there definitely seemed to be a more professional attitude associated with the football team that was unappealing to fans. Shafer has attempted to connect with his fans more than Marrone did, and it is paying off, as I, too, think that people will begin to flock back to the Dome.
Ron #2,
The whole starring system is so subjective and flawed that it can’t be the only thing that is looked at. While it is a good tool to get a sense of the talent level, players come out of nowhere all of the time. The fact that Shafer has so many kids committing to the Orange in just his second full year as head coach shows, and the quality of recruits will improve over time. I think that stars should be considered, but should not be the only determent of ability. Simple things like metrics and size can give players an advantage, and Syracuse has plenty of size in this class. There is a reason that every system rates players differently, and because it is so subjective, I wouldn’t worry too much about the level of players. Look at Davis, who de-committed from the Orange a couple weeks ago. He was unstarred at the time of his commitment, yet rose to 3* when he withdrew.
Thanks for the read guys!
Good article and even better comments! Thanks, Guys!
It is true that recruiting is as much subjective as it is objective. We have had our share of 4 star recruits bomb out. And we have had some kids like the Chandlers or Pugh come in as 2 stars and go big time in the NFL. I rely on Shafer and his assistant coaches to figure it out,
@Jason W;
Thanks for the response. I know that the star rating system and the people who do the ratings on these kids are not the “END ALL” to these kids future. I also realize Jason no matter the amount of stars after a kids name they won’t win a ball game ever,it’s the players action on the field that win the games. During the last 30 some years I’ve been a Orange Fan I’ve also come to know what type of player Syracuse recruits and these kids fit the bill perfectly.
It’s just the homie in me,but I know that starting in 2016 Shafer is going to take Syracuse Football to another level and people need to be ready when it happens.
As far as the fans go. I feel we can compete with the best of them. I don’t care if they’re from Florida St,Alabama,Auburn or Clemson. They have nothing on us at all.
OK you non believers/homies out there!! Let me list some names of programs with higher ranked classes year in and out above SU. Lets see-Alabama, LSU,FSU,MICH, OSU, USC, ND, PSABUSERU, Oregon ,OKL., TAM, MSU, Clemson, SC, and Georgia. And hell I forgot the mid 20 after these program with higher ranked classes and players than SU. I would bet a pay check that “NONE” and I mean “NONE” would swap talent now with SU right now. If I mentioned that to them they all choke on their Scotch’s!! Come on the sites are not always right I agree, but whose class deep down would you like to jersey up for the CUSE. Most of the top 30 no doubt. I love RON but most of his insight is through colored glasses of OZ land. In reality SU right NOW with the 2015 class is a .500 team-AT BEST. Its all about talent or lack of QUALITY talent and a QUALITY coaching staff, that put the above mentioned program ahead of SU. SU lacks top 30 talent NOW and the Coaching staff still has to have time to really show its self. Recent hires in staff really have not impressed me yet!! The KING OF THE HOMIES=RON still believes in hope and pray talent will succeed for SU. DAMN that all SU has now so hell yes I hope HCSS is right on these guesses as well. He better be!! Until the above mention programs come DOWN to SU’s rank then the sites are wrong. But HISTORY shows that ain’t so!! SO sorry for that KING BEE RON! So get over it!! LOL!!
@Terry;
If you read my post again,you’d understand my concerns about recruiting all of these N/R players after getting all of those higher rated 3* athletes for the class of 2014 last year.
Well it seems that we’ve recruited another N/R N/R 6’1″ 210 LB MLB Shyheim Cullen out of Lowell (MASS) HS making him the 14th recruit for the class of 2015.
With this latest commit gives me reason to be concerned and leads me to ask the question WHY.
@Terry;
I hit the wrong button before I finished my post.
There has to be a reason for this to be happening. Last year Shafer recruited a good class and this year he’s done a 180 degree turn around by bringing in all N/R recruits.
Syracuse has a nack of developing their talent into NFL players. Odds are greatly against the 2015 class for all of the players making it to the NFL. I asked you before on how many of those 4 and 5* recruits from Alabama would make the NFL? I’m sure that in the end they’re going to be just like Syracuse with maybe 5-8 of them making it. So what good did it do for those players coming out of HS with a 4 or 5* ranking going to a school like Alabama?
I think Terry I read that a 5* QB has left UCLA and transfered to a Div II school,because he couldn’t cut it at UCLA. What about the 4* QB who transfered to Rutgers because Les Miles wanted a duel threat QB under center?
I just looked at the list of the 2015 Syracuse recruits and it has 7 of the 14 recruits listed as 3* athletes that are ranked. To be honest I don’t know what the numbers mean after their names,but they do indicate a ranking. Maybe Terry we need to wait for the people to reevaluate these kids before getting to upset.
Todd Philcox was one of those N/R players who came to Syracuse as a QB. In 1988 he led Syracuse to a 10-2 season that ended with a 24-9win over LSU. In 1990 became a member of the Cleveland Browns as a backup QB and spent the next 10 years setting the bench and made millions. He started his own company and now resides in Florida with his family. Not bad for a N/R player from Connecticut is it Terry? LIKE I’VE ALWAYS SAID YOU CAN’T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT’S COVER.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOO KINGBEE HOMIE RONNIE. I don’t give a rats A$$ if a player makes the NFL from SU. He signs to play for SU first-period. Its gravy time for him and others on SU if they get drafted. ITS SU FIRST ALWAYS!! There you go KING BEE and your HOMERISMS!! For the 1000th time what would you rather have a program like Alabama/FSU/OSU ETC ETC ETC or SU that MAYBE(and maybe here is huge) sends 2/3 to the drafts in 5 years. I WANT WINS at SU!! Because the have great talent and the above mentioned teams are winners because of that!! Lets look team by team for the above mentioned program and compare how many got drafted compared to SU. Well SU’s book cover is a comic book lately. I’ll take the hard cover of talent from the top 10 any day, but that will not happen unless SU gets out of hope and pray type of players and also leaking stories about high ranked talent interested in SU. BULL BLEEP TO THAT TOO! SU has to win continually for them to get into the top 20 or top 10 god willing!!
But this CULLEN kid is worth a gamble. He looks the part. Speed is only 4.6 at 210lb but still decent!!
DO NOT FORGET THEKIDS OF PSABUSEDU!! HE NCAA DID!!
I don’t get that Terry?? Only 4.6? I only ran a 4.63 and as an 5’11” 195 former Marine was a blazer…do you realize how fake all those 4.4s times teams list are? I wish our whole team outside OL could average 4.6 but we’ve been through this before!! @3*NJ HS SS/LB Daiquan Kelly chooses Cuse today on his visit but watch out for Mich St late. Great verbal from N.J.