Class of 2025 DB Amari Colon (NY) COMMITTED TO SYRACUSE (5/7/24)

[RSmith]

Do you think he would be better off on offense or defense?

He can play either side of the ball well although he is definitely better on offense. I compare him to Travis Hunter in the fact he can play both sides. He def would be better on offense.

 

[JarHeadJim]

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[sutomcat]

Props to Chris Carlson, who has taken over football recruiting coverage for the PS and raised it to a level I am not sure we have ever seen before.

Nice to get in depth articles and analysis on the new recruits from a talented writer.

Nate Mink, we SU football nuts have noticed the increased focus on SU football recruiting and appreciate it.

Let's keep it going.

 

[cusefan88]

Props to Chris Carlson, who has taken over football recruiting coverage for the PS and raised it to a level I am not sure we have ever seen before.

Nice to get in depth articles and analysis on the new recruits from a talented writer.

Nate Mink, we SU football nuts have noticed the increased focus on SU football recruiting and appreciate it.

Let's keep it going.

Chris is just a darn good writer. Glad they are using it more for profiles in this area.

 

[baggerbob]

That story is a reason why the previous coach wasn't successful, and Fran will be.
Fran makes sure to take the time to check
out film on local players.

 

[orangefog]

That story is a reason why the previous coach wasn't successful, and Fran will be.
Fran makes sure to take the time to check
out film on local players.

Fran ain’t got no time to watch no stupid movies.

 

[GoSU96]

Props to Chris Carlson, who has taken over football recruiting coverage for the PS and raised it to a level I am not sure we have ever seen before.

Nice to get in depth articles and analysis on the new recruits from a talented writer.

Nate Mink, we SU football nuts have noticed the increased focus on SU football recruiting and appreciate it.

Let's keep it going.

This seems to have a big element of bridge building.

Just demographically Upstate NY should have at least 8 to 10 P4 level athletes every year.

 

[baggerbob]

This seems to have a big element of bridge building.

Just demographically Upstate NY should have at least 8 to 10 P4 level athletes every year.

Fran's looking at measurables, speed, size, and molding the player. That sets him apart from other coaches.
A lot of these players from the hot beds of recruiting, Florida, Georgia, Texas, California have almost reached their potential in High School.
Fran is looking for the players who have room to grow.

 

[All4SU]

Really good article. Interesting how it depicts the direct, purposeful style by HCFB.

Also, local kids! Can’t be said enough. If they’re here, we have to be on them.

 

[SURules]

Fran's looking at measurables, speed, size, and molding the player. That sets him apart from other coaches.
A lot of these players from the hot beds of recruiting, Florida, Georgia, Texas, California have almost reached their potential in High School.
Fran is looking for the players who have room to grow.

I’m sure Fran and team can teach a highly athletic kid football skills but it is very hard to coach a kid to run much faster and almost impossible to increase a kids height and frame.

 

[richmondcuse03]

Props to Chris Carlson, who has taken over football recruiting coverage for the PS and raised it to a level I am not sure we have ever seen before.

Nice to get in depth articles and analysis on the new recruits from a talented writer.

Nate Mink, we SU football nuts have noticed the increased focus on SU football recruiting and appreciate it.

Let's keep it going.

Chris is a solid dude and reporter. And a very fair SU / Daily Orange alum. He's really good at these types of stories. I read them through my apple news subscription.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

This seems to have a big element of bridge building.

Just demographically Upstate NY should have at least 8 to 10 P4 level athletes every year.

Impressed with Fran's approach, recruiting locally, not just the top kids in NYS/ NJ that everyone is after but the developmental kids. He's also focused on keeping every legit P4 type player within 60-90 miles here as well but he's also going to take some shots with kids with solid measurables from local spots as well. He's also picking and choosing what legit 4 and even 5 stars he's going to try and recruit to Syracuse as well from all over. He's really keeping a nice balance and has figured out what will actually work at Syracuse in a hurry. Not really surprising that a guy who is heralded as the best recruiter in the country knows how to do exactly that but I think he knows what it will take to build really solid roster at Syracuse. It takes some coaches a few years to figure this out if they ever do. I did not want a coach hired that was going to be SHOCKED at what it would take to recruit at Syracuse and what the local market would produce every year. Fran knew because he had been to all these places before at prior jobs and he grew up in NJ. Prior Relationships were already in place. He wasn't an NFL guy or a college journeyman with no real ties to the Northeast. You put his stops at Rutgers and Temple and blend it with the stop at a powerhouse like Georgia and you get a recruiting buzzsaw. You also get a coach that embraces and accepts the current landscape of NIL and transfer portal as opposed to constantly complaining about it and the results speak for themselves

If he and the staff can gameplan and win 8-9 out of the gate the sky is the limit. It's a huge ask to win 9-10 the first year though, IMO. There's going to be some wrong turns along the way but what he has accomplished so far borders on the absurd from a roster rebuild perspective.

 

[GoSU96]

Impressed with Fran's approach, recruiting locally, not just the top kids in NYS/ NJ that everyone is after but the developmental kids. He's also focused on keeping every legit P4 type player within 60-90 miles here as well but he's also going to take some shots with kids with solid measurables from local spots as well. He's also picking and choosing what legit 4 and even 5 stars he's going to try and recruit to Syracuse as well from all over. He's really keeping a nice balance and has figured out what will actually work at Syracuse in a hurry. Not really surprising that a guy who is heralded as the best recruiter in the country knows how to do exactly that but I think he knows what it will take to build really solid roster at Syracuse. It takes some coaches a few years to figure this out if they ever do. I did not want a coach hired that was going to be SHOCKED at what it would take to recruit at Syracuse and what the local market would produce every year. Fran knew because he had been to all these places before at prior jobs and he grew up in NJ. Prior Relationships were already in place. He wasn't an NFL guy or a college journeyman with no real ties to the Northeast. You put his stops at Rutgers and Temple and blend it with the stop at a powerhouse like Georgia and you get a recruiting buzzsaw. You also get a coach that embraces and accepts the current landscape of NIL and transfer portal as opposed to constantly complaining about it and the results speak for themselves

If he and the staff can gameplan and win 8-9 out of the gate the sky is the limit. It's a huge ask to win 9-10 the first year though, IMO. There's going to be some wrong turns along the way but what he has accomplished so far borders on the absurd from a roster rebuild perspective.

Add in Baylor and what a roster there looks like in the realm of the possible

And with the portal you aren’t stuck with reaches. You give a kid an opportunity and if it doesn’t work there is a discussion that can be had to adjust expectations and next steps

 

[All4SU]

Athletes are athletes. They’re not exclusive to the south. They’re everywhere. They might need a little more coaching up if they’re in NYS. These might be the “program” guys. The ones that are dedicated and develop over time, and are loyal to the program, the team they grew up with. In todays portal age, maybe it’s the perfect time to balance portal kids, who are the mercenaries, with the program kids who are more inclined to stick. We’ve never really had that luxury very often before.

 

[CuseLegacy]

Athletes are athletes. They’re not exclusive to the south. They’re everywhere. They might need a little more coaching up if they’re in NYS. These might be the “program” guys. The ones that are dedicated and develop over time, and are loyal to the program, the team they grew up with. In todays portal age, maybe it’s the perfect time to balance portal kids, who are the mercenaries, with the program kids who are more inclined to stick. We’ve never really had that luxury very often before.

I wouldn't call the portal kids "mercenaries". There are a lot of them that things just didn't work out at their last school or they are JUCOs or Grad Transfers.

 

[All4SU]

I wouldn't call the portal kids "mercenaries". There are a lot of them that things just didn't work out at their last school or they are JUCOs or Grad Transfers.

True. I meant it in the sense that their loyalties are likely less reliable. But point taken.

 

[CIL]

Recruiting is now a very different game than it was a couple of years ago. Prior to the NIL / superportal era staffs had to be a little careful taking fliers on kids.

Now you can afford to take more risk recruiting because you can easily backfill an outgoing transfer with an older / better player from the portal.