Everything you need to know and what actually matters about the 2019 Syracuse Orange recruiting class.
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Considering all of the fun and all of the recent success, you’d have thought this would’ve been a stronger recruiting season. Expect that to come next year.
Remember, there were a whole lot of rumors about head man Dino Babers possibly leaving for another job after his successful 2018. It’s taking a while to build up the recruiting base that’s been relatively dormant for so long.
It’s an improvement of a class over last year’s, though. It might not end up ranking all that well, but it’s got a while lot of nice parts to it. So far, Babers has been able to build the program back up without the five-star types, but he could use a few more mid-range talents.
LB Lee Kpogba was the best get of the bunch. Babers was able to steal him away from West Virginia, but there’s going to be some bulking up to do first. With his speed and burst, he’s a perfect fit for the attacking Syracuse defensive style.
The stars of the class are at linebacker. Kpogba is the main man, but he’s hardly alone. Mikel Jones out of Florida is equally dangerous as a future disruptive force, but like Kpogba, he has to pack on the weight. If all goes according to plan, these two are about to become killers on the outside.
The offense is lacking after going big last year. The 2018 class of receivers was massive, and there isn’t much in the way of pass catchers in this year’s haul. David Summers is an okay quarterback prospect for depth, but be stunned if any of the skill guys in this class do anything special.
Next year, Babers has to find at least one superstar skill guy who could potentially turn into a gamebreaker who can become a signature star for the attack. The offensive line could use some reinforcements, too.
Babers kept pushing after the early signing period. Getting DE Steven Linton out of Georgia – and away from Arizona State and Missouri – was a nice move. Babers kept working, but there’s one problem with this class …
Where are the local guys? Syracuse isn’t dominating New York, with just three in-state guys signing on last year and none this season. Syracuse might be able to recruit nationally – to a point – but to be New York’s big college football program, to get shut out in the state isn’t okay.
