Have a unique system and recruit specifically to that unique system in a way that doesn't require unattainable recruits. Not all 3*'s are the same, and fit matters. Know what attributes your system accentuates and which ones you can mitigate and you can churn out awesome college football players and compete with the big ones.
Robinson, Shafer, and Marrone - at least on offense - didn't have a defined system they were recruiting for. Marrone eventually settled on one that worked, but left before he could get into a groove with it. Shafer and Robinson were literally making it up as they went.
Dino is an offense guy and has a proven and well established system and vision for what he wants to do. On defense, as much as many here hate it, he has a philosophy and is recruiting for it. It requires length in the secondary, which was in short (hehe) supply when he arrived and great pains have been taken to change that.
This isn't meant to rehash the defensive system debate, and I put forth no position here. My point is that success in recruiting at Syracuse's level revolves around having defined systems with particular attributes that can be elevated in the system.