Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
SU’s recruiting class nearly grew to 18 this weekend.
We’ve been talking about the Syracuse Orange’s football recruiting momentum of late. But for every kid that does commit, there could be another one-time target that could potentially fall by the wayside. This is not unique to SU, but is the case for every school. It’s the unfortunate side of these things, but a fair one considering how involved the process is today.
On Sunday night, three-star Virginia (Stafford) running back Damone Drew announced his commitment to Syracuse on Twitter, but was informed by the staff (running backs coach Mike Hart) that he no longer had a commit-able offer. Syracuse.com’s Stephen Bailey followed up with Drew to get more details. He shared:
“It got declined. Just because we haven’t been in contact for a while. So it just got passed up.”
“The only time they were pushing hard was the time I visited.”
Syracuse currently has one running back in the fold — Michigan product Allen Stritzinger — though that will only make four scholarship backs on the roster come 2017. George Morris II departs, while Stritzinger would join Dontae Strickland, Jordan Fredericks and Moe Neal in the backfield. Bailey believes the team could take another one or two players at that position this cycle. Which could mean some good news down the line (potentially) for Drew.
As you may recall, Devon Clarke committed to Syracuse last July, but his pledge was not accepted by the staff. Later on, he ended up joining the Orange anyway after the coaching change. For Drew, who has offers from Appalachian State, Cincinnati, Temple and Virginia, among others, it’s somewhat of a good sign — despite being far from a guarantee.
247Sports has a full list of known offers the Orange have out right now, including a ton of running backs, a bunch of which have already made verbal (non-binding) commitments . One of those players is Florida product Isaiah Miller, who indicated yesterday that he’s planning a campus visit to SU soon.
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Who knows if this is the last we here about Drew and the Orange. But as Dino Babers’s Orange staff starts throwing a wider recruiting net, occurrences like this may become a bit more frequent. Offers are based on team needs the moment they’re tendered, and can shift on a dime. If the past couple months are any indication, we’re in for a busy five months before National Signing Day.