2027 Recruiting

[Cuse4455]

I heard pretty soon Cuse Mlax will be recruiting against Lemoyne and Queens College.. aswell as some D2 teams for recruits

 

[OrangeXtreme]

I heard pretty soon Cuse Mlax will be recruiting against Lemoyne and Queens College.. aswell as some D2 teams for recruits

That would make us the Kings of Queens !!!

 

[LaxAddict38]

I am not sure where the panic on here is coming from. Kruger and Sullivan are elite offensive players that can flex to attack despite being listed as midfielders (both highly ranked by Xanders, who does a better job than IL). We got the highest rated goalie prospect in the country and probably the best high school goalie prospect of the last decade. We picked up some solid athletes in the midfield.

It sucks we whiffed on the Canadian lefties, Gary needs to wear that, but this is far from a horrific cycle.

 

[APsFinest]

I heard pretty soon Cuse Mlax will be recruiting against Lemoyne and Queens College.. aswell as some D2 teams for recruits

I heard pretty soon, Gary is gonna have to offer 50% off happy hour at Applebees coupons and unpaid internships at GB Lax to recruits and their parents...

 

[Lax Mouse]

Lots of great thoughts and perspectives shared above so I won't quote them all.

But again, kids will go where they already want to go. I'm not sure how much sway (I'm sure there's a little) recruiting pitches make sometimes. I'm sure NIL is starting to play a role but how much exactly? It would have to be a considerable amount to sway kids away from their top school and even then it'd have to be for a school that they already wanted at least a little. Kids have access to more information now than ever - they're able to see campuses and teams before Sept. 1 in ways that were impossible years ago. Websites, social media, talking to other students or friends, larger lacrosse social networks because of club teams, national news media, more televised games. Apparently they're able to have intermediary conversations with coaches before then too. I imagine at the very top of these recruiting lists, very few kids are going into the process thinking they're open to many teams and just waiting for the best pitch. They know what they want or at the very least have a very targeted list.

As noted already, Syracuse is still a top academic institution in this country (and I say that impartially - I'm not an alum). There's still a strong social scene on campus. And Cuse has without a doubt the best and largest fan network in the sport. But . . . many of their competitors are top academic institutions and have social scenes as well.

Kids are looking for evidence to support choosing the schools they already want and ignoring evidence why those schools might have some concerns.

There are many examples of perceptions that don't always match reality:
- Princeton making the quarters vs Syracuse in the FF having beat them - but one is viewed as resurgent and the other not so much
- Cuse's title drought being an issue but it's shorter than Princeton's and not that much longer now than Duke's
- Cornell winning it all but not having a serious recruiting bump
- The idea of Syracuse not reaching its potential with the class of 22 (with a year left and a FF appearance) although Duke has done that with far more classes for far longer
- Coaching at schools like Cuse and Hop being viewed a certain way when UNC coaching has actually been far more chaotic and disappointing, while Duke seems to fall short consistently, and while UVA buries talented players on the depth chart
- Bloated rosters at certain schools not being an issue for recruits
- Perceived lack of social life at a place like Hop when it's not any different at Ivies
- Schools like PSU, OSU, and Michigan being considered less focused on lacrosse when they've actually made huge recent investments

I'm sure there are many other examples. At the end of the day, it's important to remember that these are high school kids who are making college decisions at the beginning of their junior years.

If Cuse is to make inroads, yes the money is very important in the evolving landscape, but they also need to work to change perceptions that kids have of the school, the program, and the coaches. True or not, perceptions exist. Like Sobel, kids need to come into this process already having Cuse on their short list - then the pitch can make a difference. They need to highlight alumni and especially in the PLL - which they have the chance to do now for really the first time with Hiltz, Stevens, English, and Grace (among a few others) but which really needs to be highlighted this upcoming year when Spallina & co make the jump. The coaches need to build strong relationships and trust amongst hs and club coaches and especially parents. They need to promote their top academic programs and non-lacrosse alumni outcomes. There's a lot of work to do and being hands-off won't get it done. IMO the most important work here is marketing, and that starts way before Sept 1. (or should)

I still have a rather positive outlook of the next few years for Cuse, but this is a race they need to start getting in front of. This year, of course, could go a very long way . . .

 

[Bayside44]

Lots of great thoughts and perspectives shared above so I won't quote them all.

But again, kids will go where they already want to go. I'm not sure how much sway (I'm sure there's a little) recruiting pitches make sometimes. I'm sure NIL is starting to play a role but how much exactly? It would have to be a considerable amount to sway kids away from their top school and even then it'd have to be for a school that they already wanted at least a little. Kids have access to more information now than ever - they're able to see campuses and teams before Sept. 1 in ways that were impossible years ago. Websites, social media, talking to other students or friends, larger lacrosse social networks because of club teams, national news media, more televised games. Apparently they're able to have intermediary conversations with coaches before then too. I imagine at the very top of these recruiting lists, very few kids are going into the process thinking they're open to many teams and just waiting for the best pitch. They know what they want or at the very least have a very targeted list.

As noted already, Syracuse is still a top academic institution in this country (and I say that impartially - I'm not an alum). There's still a strong social scene on campus. And Cuse has without a doubt the best and largest fan network in the sport. But . . . many of their competitors are top academic institutions and have social scenes as well.

Kids are looking for evidence to support choosing the schools they already want and ignoring evidence why those schools might have some concerns.

There are many examples of perceptions that don't always match reality:
- Princeton making the quarters vs Syracuse in the FF having beat them - but one is viewed as resurgent and the other not so much
- Cuse's title drought being an issue but it's shorter than Princeton's and not that much longer now than Duke's
- Cornell winning it all but not having a serious recruiting bump
- The idea of Syracuse not reaching its potential with the class of 22 (with a year left and a FF appearance) although Duke has done that with far more classes for far longer
- Coaching at schools like Cuse and Hop being viewed a certain way when UNC coaching has actually been far more chaotic and disappointing, while Duke seems to fall short consistently, and while UVA buries talented players on the depth chart
- Bloated rosters at certain schools not being an issue for recruits
- Perceived lack of social life at a place like Hop when it's not any different at Ivies
- Schools like PSU, OSU, and Michigan being considered less focused on lacrosse when they've actually made huge recent investments

I'm sure there are many other examples. At the end of the day, it's important to remember that these are high school kids who are making college decisions at the beginning of their junior years.

If Cuse is to make inroads, yes the money is very important in the evolving landscape, but they also need to work to change perceptions that kids have of the school, the program, and the coaches. True or not, perceptions exist. Like Sobel, kids need to come into this process already having Cuse on their short list - then the pitch can make a difference. They need to highlight alumni and especially in the PLL - which they have the chance to do now for really the first time with Hiltz, Stevens, English, and Grace (among a few others) but which really needs to be highlighted this upcoming year when Spallina & co make the jump. The coaches need to build strong relationships and trust amongst hs and club coaches and especially parents. They need to promote their top academic programs and non-lacrosse alumni outcomes. There's a lot of work to do and being hands-off won't get it done. IMO the most important work here is marketing, and that starts way before Sept 1. (or should)

I still have a rather positive outlook of the next few years for Cuse, but this is a race they need to start getting in front of. This year, of course, could go a very long way . . .

I'll make a slight edit - add...kids are also going to go where their parents want them to go.

Duke and ND for certain reasons, Ivy for others - considering this batch esp are prep school types, and the goals are post college as much as on the field (if not more).

 

[JeremyCuse]

I am not sure where the panic on here is coming from. Kruger and Sullivan are elite offensive players that can flex to attack despite being listed as midfielders (both highly ranked by Xanders, who does a better job than IL). We got the highest rated goalie prospect in the country and probably the best high school goalie prospect of the last decade. We picked up some solid athletes in the midfield.

It sucks we whiffed on the Canadian lefties, Gary needs to wear that, but this is far from a horrific cycle.

Kruger is going to play attack at Cuse for sure. The class overall is very solid Sobel, Kruger, Sullivan, Quillard are excellent and it's like one of the three besides Sobel will bump up significantly between now and their enrollment especially Kruger. The FOGO and the poles also have good write ups and should continue to development. That said this was a massive class for reloading the attack position, we needed at least 1 if not 2 high end guys and probably a high 4 or real strong 3 the staff likes. At this point we only have Kruger. Again I like his potential a lot and him being a 3 * per IL is absurd but we also have to acknowledge the failure to bring in a few more priority recruits at the position.

 

[Powellfan]

i will offer my two cents

the trend goes back years and started during desko. that 2022 class with spallina was the exception, not the norm. desko's last handful of classes were not very good imo...take a look at that 2019 class. the best player was probably brandon aviles? it's a class of 16 and only like three or four guys ever saw major playing time at cuse. 2021 wasnt a whole lot better. long story short: the market forces that are creating headwinds for cuse recruiting started before gait...it may be part of the reason they moved on from dekso...

i also am not sure if the OC has the best reputation...i am not making a comment on him one way or the other, just reporting what i've heard...there was the whole dustup with spallina last year...people talk...if cuse is struggling to land top recruits on offense...it's something to at least consider.

bottom line though, the school just isnt as attractive as a destination for a 16 year old as a UNC (nothing is)...and it doesnt have the elite academic reputation that princeton or even hop can fall back on at the end of the day...cuse is recruiting with one hand tied behind their back...they have to get a lil creative

Thank you for the insight, it's much appreciated. The March stuff is interesting. When the coaching change happened a few years ago, I think it was pretty universal that we wanted March to stay as the OC. I've never met the guy and can't speak to how he is on the sidelines (the Cornell fiasco two years ago probably didn't help his rep). That said, he did coach English and Stevens at Princeton - or at least recruited them - and they choose to come to Syracuse when they probably could have gone anywhere. If they had a problem with him at Princeton, I doubt they would have chosen to follow him to Syracuse. Not saying I agree or disagree with your assessment, but just adding a data point.

Also they have been able to recruit midfielders pretty well. Eight four star middies (five ranked top 100) in the last three cycles, and that's not including Kittelberger, Sweeney and Quillard who are four stars and ranked in the top 100 but predicted to play SSDM. It's just the attack position is ... lacking to say the least and I don't know why. When the 2027 class gets on campus, they will have Anderson, O'Farrell, Myer, Peck and maybe Kraftson (I don't really think Bucktooth or Banks Jr will see meaningful minutes). That's not a lot of guys! And right now they have three guys for three classes if you count Kruger. Notre Dame are bringing in nine over the span of three classes (not to mention most are five stars). Again, not that mad we can't get the five star players, but why aren't they bringing in anybody?

So what is the plan here? I remember last year watching as the "Big Board" withered away with four star recruits committing elsewhere. Seems we are having a replay of that this year as there are only seven uncommitted four star attackmen according to IL. I think it's perfectly reasonable not to expect a hoard of five star attackmen lining up to play for SU, but to seemingly not bring anyone in is something I can't fully grasp. Are they counting on the transfer portal? That seems really risky given you don't know who will be available, and also the other big schools will be in on those players as well, because, of course. There are really good players who weren't five stars, or ranked or whatever. This strategy, or whatever you want to call it doesn't really seem sustainable.

Last point, but I do worry if the staff is focusing on some players who aren't attainable for whatever reason. It's easy to play Monday morning quarterback, but should they have put more effort into grabbing any of the top 100 attackmen Penn State grabbed, or the like, instead of going after some of these five stars? If a kid is looking at any Ivy League like Woods, should you move on? It sounds like Stankavage has serious roots at UNC, Matthews had his brother at Penn State. I just can't help but think they missed out on other targets further down the list by going after some of these five star players. Again, hindsight is 20/20.

 

[APsFinest]

I am not sure where the panic on here is coming from. Kruger and Sullivan are elite offensive players that can flex to attack despite being listed as midfielders (both highly ranked by Xanders, who does a better job than IL). We got the highest rated goalie prospect in the country and probably the best high school goalie prospect of the last decade. We picked up some solid athletes in the midfield.

It sucks we whiffed on the Canadian lefties, Gary needs to wear that, but this is far from a horrific cycle.

Lots of great thoughts and perspectives shared above so I won't quote them all.

But again, kids will go where they already want to go. I'm not sure how much sway (I'm sure there's a little) recruiting pitches make sometimes. I'm sure NIL is starting to play a role but how much exactly? It would have to be a considerable amount to sway kids away from their top school and even then it'd have to be for a school that they already wanted at least a little. Kids have access to more information now than ever - they're able to see campuses and teams before Sept. 1 in ways that were impossible years ago. Websites, social media, talking to other students or friends, larger lacrosse social networks because of club teams, national news media, more televised games. Apparently they're able to have intermediary conversations with coaches before then too. I imagine at the very top of these recruiting lists, very few kids are going into the process thinking they're open to many teams and just waiting for the best pitch. They know what they want or at the very least have a very targeted list.

As noted already, Syracuse is still a top academic institution in this country (and I say that impartially - I'm not an alum). There's still a strong social scene on campus. And Cuse has without a doubt the best and largest fan network in the sport. But . . . many of their competitors are top academic institutions and have social scenes as well.

Kids are looking for evidence to support choosing the schools they already want and ignoring evidence why those schools might have some concerns.

There are many examples of perceptions that don't always match reality:
- Princeton making the quarters vs Syracuse in the FF having beat them - but one is viewed as resurgent and the other not so much
- Cuse's title drought being an issue but it's shorter than Princeton's and not that much longer now than Duke's
- Cornell winning it all but not having a serious recruiting bump
- The idea of Syracuse not reaching its potential with the class of 22 (with a year left and a FF appearance) although Duke has done that with far more classes for far longer
- Coaching at schools like Cuse and Hop being viewed a certain way when UNC coaching has actually been far more chaotic and disappointing, while Duke seems to fall short consistently, and while UVA buries talented players on the depth chart
- Bloated rosters at certain schools not being an issue for recruits
- Perceived lack of social life at a place like Hop when it's not any different at Ivies
- Schools like PSU, OSU, and Michigan being considered less focused on lacrosse when they've actually made huge recent investments

I'm sure there are many other examples. At the end of the day, it's important to remember that these are high school kids who are making college decisions at the beginning of their junior years.

If Cuse is to make inroads, yes the money is very important in the evolving landscape, but they also need to work to change perceptions that kids have of the school, the program, and the coaches. True or not, perceptions exist. Like Sobel, kids need to come into this process already having Cuse on their short list - then the pitch can make a difference. They need to highlight alumni and especially in the PLL - which they have the chance to do now for really the first time with Hiltz, Stevens, English, and Grace (among a few others) but which really needs to be highlighted this upcoming year when Spallina & co make the jump. The coaches need to build strong relationships and trust amongst hs and club coaches and especially parents. They need to promote their top academic programs and non-lacrosse alumni outcomes. There's a lot of work to do and being hands-off won't get it done. IMO the most important work here is marketing, and that starts way before Sept 1. (or should)

I still have a rather positive outlook of the next few years for Cuse, but this is a race they need to start getting in front of. This year, of course, could go a very long way . . .

As you sated, too much good stuff here to point out all of it, but id say that the size and active-ness online of the fanbases goes a long way to turning some of these perceptions into a quasi-reality. Princeton outside of Tierney in the late 90's has never had the expectation amongst its fans of competing year in and year out for titles and FF appearances (at least imho, esp after Bill left). Whatever goes into forming that expectation, the majority of the kids they're recruiting these days aren't old enough to remember a time when Syracuse was mentioned as one of the preseason favorites every year the way ND, Duke, UVA or even UMD are these days. I agree that the list the player starts out with is rarely going to be changed in a fundamental way by the pitch or the recruiting process in general (in this sport), so if thats the case, the onfield success is really the only way to alter those perceptions. I have a hard time thinking that NIL money is going to make the difference with alot of these kids, especially the ones in the prep ranks who's parents are spending thousands each summer to have them on the best travel teams in addition to the college tuition sized boarding fees they already pay, but it also cant hurt at the same time. When you are recruiting against the weather, certain academic and economic misperceptions of the university and area, having your biggest drawing card of "22 straight FF appearances, 11 National Titles, x number of All Americans" stops landing the same way it used to the farther away from consistent tournament success they get. Last May felt like a throwback in a way, the week leading up to MD weekend, and that's sad because im sure most of us remember a time when that was just something you planned for like a yearly vacation. I really hope and pray that the seniors/upper classmen can get them over the hump finally so the spotlight can be back on the program for the right reasons, and some of those negative recruiting pitches and misperceptions can start to change for the better. Great discussion regardless though.

 

[nyclax]

Thank you for the insight, it's much appreciated. The March stuff is interesting. When the coaching change happened a few years ago, I think it was pretty universal that we wanted March to stay as the OC. I've never met the guy and can't speak to how he is on the sidelines (the Cornell fiasco two years ago probably didn't help his rep). That said, he did coach English and Stevens at Princeton - or at least recruited them - and they choose to come to Syracuse when they probably could have gone anywhere. If they had a problem with him at Princeton, I doubt they would have chosen to follow him to Syracuse. Not saying I agree or disagree with your assessment, but just adding a data point.

Also they have been able to recruit midfielders pretty well. Eight four star middies (five ranked top 100) in the last three cycles, and that's not including Kittelberger, Sweeney and Quillard who are four stars and ranked in the top 100 but predicted to play SSDM. It's just the attack position is ... lacking to say the least and I don't know why. When the 2027 class gets on campus, they will have Anderson, O'Farrell, Myer, Peck and maybe Kraftson (I don't really think Bucktooth or Banks Jr will see meaningful minutes). That's not a lot of guys! And right now they have three guys for three classes if you count Kruger. Notre Dame are bringing in nine over the span of three classes (not to mention most are five stars). Again, not that mad we can't get the five star players, but why aren't they bringing in anybody?

So what is the plan here? I remember last year watching as the "Big Board" withered away with four star recruits committing elsewhere. Seems we are having a replay of that this year as there are only seven uncommitted four star attackmen according to IL. I think it's perfectly reasonable not to expect a hoard of five star attackmen lining up to play for SU, but to seemingly not bring anyone in is something I can't fully grasp. Are they counting on the transfer portal? That seems really risky given you don't know who will be available, and also the other big schools will be in on those players as well, because, of course. There are really good players who weren't five stars, or ranked or whatever. This strategy, or whatever you want to call it doesn't really seem sustainable.

Last point, but I do worry if the staff is focusing on some players who aren't attainable for whatever reason. It's easy to play Monday morning quarterback, but should they have put more effort into grabbing any of the top 100 attackmen Penn State grabbed, or the like, instead of going after some of these five stars? If a kid is looking at any Ivy League like Woods, should you move on? It sounds like Stankavage has serious roots at UNC, Matthews had his brother at Penn State. I just can't help but think they missed out on other targets further down the list by going after some of these five star players. Again, hindsight is 20/20.

one thought which you hit on a bit with your last paragraph is that any recruiting issues you may have are going to be magnified when youre talking about the top attack recruits because they are who attract the most attention from rivals and get offered the most money...it may not be that cuse has an "attack problem" but more so that theres a more general recruiting difficulty and where that shows up the most is at the most highly coveted position...

the counterpoint to that is...what i mentioned earlier about the OC. the stuff with joey that nearly led to him transferring. if i knew about it then recruits and their families do too...i also dont really think from a recruiting perspective that the Gait name means much to today's 16 year olds outside of a small subset of canadians/..

 

[100%Right]

How tf do we not recruit a spallina

 

[Hawknate144]

How tf do we not recruit a spallina

because he's the cousin who's 4 years younger than the rest of them, also can't really blame a guy for going to an Ivy.

 

[Hawknate144]

Rocco to Penn btw

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Wharton ain't no joke...

 

[Cuse On 3]

LOL

 

[Hawknate144]

I do love Joeys comment of "Congrats Ya Nerd"

 

[Cuse On 3]

You guys can spin it anyway you want, this class was a disappointment, & a spallina committing to penn over us is just the cherry on top. I’m very excited about getting a 5* goalie and I’m really excited about kruger and our SSDM. That’s kind of where it ends. No high end middies or attacks or poles is absolutely a disappointment.

 

[JeremyCuse]

You guys can spin it anyway you want, this class was a disappointment, & a spallina committing to penn over us is just the cherry on top. I’m very excited about getting a 5* goalie and I’m really excited about kruger and our SSDM. That’s kind of where it ends. No high end middies or attacks or poles is absolutely a disappointment.

To lose Rocco Spallina SU has to offer him and be actively recruiting him. I don't believe SU pursued him from what I know. SU did land two 4 star middies not sure what you mean by no high end mids. Pole and FOGO was not overly deep this class so it's not surprising SU didn't land a 5 star pole there weren't that many to go around and the ones that were, were not from schools SU normally pulls high end guys out of. I do like the two in the fold currently and the flip from Navy who looks like a crazy good get.

 

[JeremyCuse]

one thought which you hit on a bit with your last paragraph is that any recruiting issues you may have are going to be magnified when youre talking about the top attack recruits because they are who attract the most attention from rivals and get offered the most money...it may not be that cuse has an "attack problem" but more so that theres a more general recruiting difficulty and where that shows up the most is at the most highly coveted position...

the counterpoint to that is...what i mentioned earlier about the OC. the stuff with joey that nearly led to him transferring. if i knew about it then recruits and their families do too...i also dont really think from a recruiting perspective that the Gait name means much to today's 16 year olds outside of a small subset of canadians/..

100%, as I mentioned before when your recruiting the best of the best at attack your gonna struggle going up against the ACC bretheren, the top end IVY and Maryland and to a lesser extent Hop. Breschi leaves a lot to be desired as an Xs and O guy but he's always been a really good recruiter and now that Petro is there, forget about it. There not gonna lose many head to head battles for priority targets. Duke and UVA offer elite just below IVY educations and ND has really ramped up its recruiting since the Titles. Maryland is maryland and the IVY's draw in kids SU probably wins if not for the education difference.

March has done a fairly good job but SU really needs an ace recruiter on staff. It's to bad Petro didn't work out (his son nearly came here) hsi recruiting ability was already starting to show fruit and combined with last year would have been unreal.

 

[CrazyPeople]

How tf do we not recruit a spallina

There is one good Spallina, the rest are average (including the other two currently on the SU roster)

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

I'll make a slight edit - add...kids are also going to go where their parents want them to go.

Duke and ND for certain reasons, Ivy for others - considering this batch esp are prep school types, and the goals are post college as much as on the field (if not more).

This guy gets it. It's a bunch of upper middle class to upper class families from LI, Fairfield County, Metro Boston, DC, etc., sending their kids (after holding them back for a year to gain an athletic advantage) to well-connected prep schools and then on to well-connected colleges. Wall Street, private equity, hedge funds, and to a lesser extent med school or law school are the objective. It's not what you know but who you know (I'm sure these kids are plenty bright too, but Princeton rejects 1600 4.4. kids all the time - these lax recruits are somehow more qualified?).

Syracuse is not as well situated as Notre Dame, Duke, UNC, UVA, and Ivies in this regard (surprise Michigan hasnt made more of a jump). We're not losing kids to "peers." Moe Sobel wants a career in sports, and we have a good program for that. If these kids wanted to be journalist or media moguls, we'd be all over it. There is no other way we lose recruits. Syracuse lacrosse is Texas football - biggest fanbase (it's not really close); best facilities; most accomplished former players athletically. We lose recruits because of the above. Not because Gait is a "ceo type" and not because of the weather. I've heard we are very well positioned from a scholly and NIL standpoint. Unfortunately, we have the best "program" in a sport that doesnt yield highly profitable professional athletes. These kids arent going to school to play lacrosse in the same way a football recruit or basketball recruit is choosing a school.

 

[DoctahLexus]

100%, as I mentioned before when your recruiting the best of the best at attack your gonna struggle going up against the ACC bretheren, the top end IVY and Maryland and to a lesser extent Hop. Breschi leaves a lot to be desired as an Xs and O guy but he's always been a really good recruiter and now that Petro is there, forget about it. There not gonna lose many head to head battles for priority targets. Duke and UVA offer elite just below IVY educations and ND has really ramped up its recruiting since the Titles. Maryland is maryland and the IVY's draw in kids SU probably wins if not for the education difference.

March has done a fairly good job but SU really needs an ace recruiter on staff. It's to bad Petro didn't work out (his son nearly came here) hsi recruiting ability was already starting to show fruit and combined with last year would have been unreal.

Not sure I agree on Petro. There was nothing about the 23 or 24 classes that are any better than the 25-27 classes on paper. Whatever obstacles he faced recruiting here, Odierna has faced the same and has recruited defensive recruits that are as good if not better than the ones brought in under Petro. Whether he helped bring in guys on offense or not while he was here, either way there is nothing especially better about who we brought in on offense in 23-24 compared to the incoming guys in the three following classes on paper. The lack of instant impact guys in 23/24 were an issue with our team this past season. Depth after the 2022 class was one of our main issues. "Starting to show fruit" is not how I would describe his recruiting here.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Thank you for the insight, it's much appreciated. The March stuff is interesting. When the coaching change happened a few years ago, I think it was pretty universal that we wanted March to stay as the OC. I've never met the guy and can't speak to how he is on the sidelines (the Cornell fiasco two years ago probably didn't help his rep). That said, he did coach English and Stevens at Princeton - or at least recruited them - and they choose to come to Syracuse when they probably could have gone anywhere. If they had a problem with him at Princeton, I doubt they would have chosen to follow him to Syracuse. Not saying I agree or disagree with your assessment, but just adding a data point.

Also they have been able to recruit midfielders pretty well. Eight four star middies (five ranked top 100) in the last three cycles, and that's not including Kittelberger, Sweeney and Quillard who are four stars and ranked in the top 100 but predicted to play SSDM. It's just the attack position is ... lacking to say the least and I don't know why. When the 2027 class gets on campus, they will have Anderson, O'Farrell, Myer, Peck and maybe Kraftson (I don't really think Bucktooth or Banks Jr will see meaningful minutes). That's not a lot of guys! And right now they have three guys for three classes if you count Kruger. Notre Dame are bringing in nine over the span of three classes (not to mention most are five stars). Again, not that mad we can't get the five star players, but why aren't they bringing in anybody?

So what is the plan here? I remember last year watching as the "Big Board" withered away with four star recruits committing elsewhere. Seems we are having a replay of that this year as there are only seven uncommitted four star attackmen according to IL. I think it's perfectly reasonable not to expect a hoard of five star attackmen lining up to play for SU, but to seemingly not bring anyone in is something I can't fully grasp. Are they counting on the transfer portal? That seems really risky given you don't know who will be available, and also the other big schools will be in on those players as well, because, of course. There are really good players who weren't five stars, or ranked or whatever. This strategy, or whatever you want to call it doesn't really seem sustainable.

Last point, but I do worry if the staff is focusing on some players who aren't attainable for whatever reason. It's easy to play Monday morning quarterback, but should they have put more effort into grabbing any of the top 100 attackmen Penn State grabbed, or the like, instead of going after some of these five stars? If a kid is looking at any Ivy League like Woods, should you move on? It sounds like Stankavage has serious roots at UNC, Matthews had his brother at Penn State. I just can't help but think they missed out on other targets further down the list by going after some of these five star players. Again, hindsight is 20/20.

No shame in shooting for the stars (literally) when recruiting opens on 9/1. However, it is odd SU hasn't pivoted to 4 stars attackmen or others once the top targets go elsewhere. Losing Rodriguez to Penn hurt as he and Peck were a nice combo. Now 26 is essentially just Peck after his RS. I do wonder now if it was SU who went after Garcia from UVA and put on a late press. I was under the impression attack was going to be a major target of this years class and to date it seems to have been pretty much a swing and miss beyond Kruger who thankfully looks like a really nice get.

Flipping someone isn't always the answer but if your Syracuse you also just can't shrug your shoulders and bring in no one. Nothing against Bucktooth or Banks but it's hard to see either ever seeing serious minutes here. Bucktooth probably has the better chance of the 2. As you noted maybe they are going to work the portal next off season or assess some flip situations once the dust settles on this class. That said they need to now at least be shifting to a Plan B at attack. Be it Cade or someone else, they need to bring them in now.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Not sure I agree on Petro. There was nothing about the 23 or 24 classes that are any better than the 25-27 classes on paper. Whatever obstacles he faced recruiting here, Odierna has faced the same and has recruited defensive recruits that are as good if not better than the ones brought in under Petro. Whether he helped bring in guys on offense or not while he was here, either way there is nothing especially better about who we brought in on offense in 23-24 compared to the incoming guys in the three following classes on paper. The lack of instant impact guys in 23/24 were an issue with our team this past season. Depth after the 2022 class was one of our main issues. "Starting to show fruit" is not how I would describe his recruiting here.

Go back and look at the 23 class and what SU put together after a 4 win or whatever it was season. Not all the guys have worked out obviously but multiple high 4 star Mids, Donny Scott who was a highly sought after D recruit, Ipp who was another high end recruit and a 5 star in Deere. Not all of those are on Petro but he certainly helped.

It's not a coincidence that UNC's recruiting ability went from really good to surreal once he got there.

 

[DoctahLexus]

Go back and look at the 23 class and what SU put together after a 4 win or whatever it was season. Not all the guys have worked out obviously but multiple high 4 star Mids, Donny Scott who was a highly sought after D recruit, Ipp who was another high end recruit and a 5 star in Deere. Not all of those are on Petro but he certainly helped.

It's not a coincidence that UNC's recruiting ability went from really good to surreal once he got there.

Not sure who the high 4 star mids were in 23 besides maybe Hottle. And then in 24 when we improved but did not make the playoffs he brings in another solid but not mind blowing group. If he was so great for us then why was this not a major recruiting class now that he got settled and we had a solid year? Shouldn't things have been clearly trending up? Then it is just a fact that our defensive recruits and recruits as a whole under Odierna have been just as good if not better. James is our first 5 star longpole in any class since 22. Sobel is our first 5 star goalie since then. Kittelberger is our first defensive minded middie to make the AA game. He came in and matched the type of guys we were getting under Petro right off the jump. I am still 100% happy with us having Odierna instead of Petro, and that isn't even touching how the actual defense looks.