Class of 2017 An Early Look at the Best Players in the Class of 2017 for New York State

[Josh Mack]

Syracuse shouldn't be offering a number of mid-major level recruits just because they're from New York state. SU is an ACC program that must compete annually with the likes of Florida State and Clemson.

SU always offers the few stud recruits that come out of the state, but unfortunately they usually choose to go elsewhere. That's what Babers and his staff needs to change.

Babers needs to land the NYS recruits with offers from Notre Dame and Penn State. Not take in the NYS recruits whose only offers are from Maine and Colgate.

I get what you are trying to say but Big Time offers don't always amount to top college players. E. Edwards was also offered to UB and a few others mid-major, Mack offered to UTEP, SU (Pref WO) and a few other mid-majors, chose UMaine after an interesting conversation with the new OC & RB Coach for UTEP who stated that, although they felt he was a better RB, they are committed to student-athletes from Texas. You gotta respect their loyalty, win or loose! Top players who are under-valued typically do better at the next level.

Look...I have been a fan of SU since the early 1980s. Reality Check- SU will never get the across-the-board level of recruits that Florida State, Clemson or Alabama gets. High turnover in head coaches is one major problem. Location, location, location is another. Nick Saban has been at Bama for 9 seasons. That does not mean SU cannot be competitive, and even successful with the athletes SU lands. In the last 13 seasons SU has had only 3 seasons above 500, despite having good head coaches. And very few NY recruits. At the end of the day, players win football games! This says a lot about the kind of out of state athletes that chose SU. Hopefully Babers can change all that in the next 2-3 seasons, if he's still around. Babers has been at 15 different programs, spent all of 3 seasons at UCLA. Nothing wrong with that for that is the life of coaching. I just hope that he put some priorities and protocols in place that will have a lasting impact NYS football. Build long-term in-roads for our student-athletes. His wealth of experience should be extremely beneficial to this effort. At the end of the day let's just make sure the staff at SU make NY a priority recruiting area for Top NY kids.

 

[Tobias Funke]

I get what you are trying to say but Big Time offers don't always amount to top college players. E. Edwards was also offered to UB and a few others mid-major, Mack offered to UTEP, SU (Pref WO) and a few other mid-majors, chose UMaine after an interesting conversation with the new OC & RB Coach for UTEP who stated that, although they felt he was a better RB, they are committed to student-athletes from Texas. You gotta respect their loyalty, win or loose! Top players who are under-valued typically do better at the next level.

Look...I have been a fan of SU since the early 1980s. Reality Check- SU will never get the across-the-board level of recruits that Florida State, Clemson or Alabama gets. High turnover in head coaches is one major problem. Location, location, location is another. Nick Saban has been at Bama for 9 seasons. That does not mean SU cannot be competitive, and even successful with the athletes SU lands. In the last 13 seasons SU has had only 3 seasons above 500, despite having good head coaches. And very few NY recruits. At the end of the day, players win football games! This says a lot about the kind of out of state athletes that chose SU. Hopefully Babers can change all that in the next 2-3 seasons, if he's still around. Babers has been at 15 different programs, spent all of 3 seasons at UCLA. Nothing wrong with that for that is the life of coaching. I just hope that he put some priorities and protocols in place that will have a lasting impact NYS football. Build long-term in-roads for our student-athletes. His wealth of experience should be extremely beneficial to this effort. At the end of the day let's just make sure the staff at SU make NY a priority recruiting area for Top NY kids.

I disagree that we have had good head coaches. One good one two not so good, makes a big difference. As for NY kids if they are good enough they will be recruited. Period end of story. Some will get missed while others will be overrated. I thin I think the importance in recruiting in the northeast is there, but you will never build a team on it. You need to go outside to gather talent. And for UTEP I don't respect their loyalty. If I am a fan I don't want a coach to pass up on talent so they can check a box with how many in state kids they get. Best talent to fit the system wins games. Win games you start to be in the conversation for better recruits, so on and so forth.

 

[TheCusian]

I get what you are trying to say but Big Time offers don't always amount to top college players. E. Edwards was also offered to UB and a few others mid-major, Mack offered to UTEP, SU (Pref WO) and a few other mid-majors, chose UMaine after an interesting conversation with the new OC & RB Coach for UTEP who stated that, although they felt he was a better RB, they are committed to student-athletes from Texas. You gotta respect their loyalty, win or loose! Top players who are under-valued typically do better at the next level. Look...I have been a fan of SU since the early 1980s. Reality Check- SU will never get the across-the-board level of recruits that Florida State, Clemson or Alabama gets. High turnover in head coaches is one major problem. Location, location, location is another. Nick Saban has been at Bama for 9 seasons. That does not mean SU cannot be competitive, and even successful with the athletes SU lands. In the last 13 seasons SU has had only 3 seasons above 500, despite having good head coaches. And very few NY recruits. At the end of the day, players win football games! This says a lot about the kind of out of state athletes that chose SU. Hopefully Babers can change all that in the next 2-3 seasons, if he's still around. Babers has been at 15 different programs, spent all of 3 seasons at UCLA. Nothing wrong with that for that is the life of coaching. I just hope that he put some priorities and protocols in place that will have a lasting impact NYS football. Build long-term in-roads for our student-athletes. His wealth of experience should be extremely beneficial to this effort. At the end of the day let's just make sure the staff at SU make NY a priority recruiting area for Top NY kids.

Sometimes it takes faith. That's what Babers keeps saying

 

[money3189]

I disagree that we have had good head coaches. One good one two not so good, makes a big difference. As for NY kids if they are good enough they will be recruited. Period end of story. Some will get missed while others will be overrated. I thin I think the importance in recruiting in the northeast is there, but you will never build a team on it. You need to go outside to gather talent. And for UTEP I don't respect their loyalty. If I am a fan I don't want a coach to pass up on talent so they can check a box with how many in state kids they get. Best talent to fit the system wins games. Win games you start to be in the conversation for better recruits, so on and so forth.

I agree with this. You find the best players that fit your scheme, no matter where they are from. In a perfect world, I would like them to be NY kids but it doesn't always work out that way.

 

[money3189]

I get what you are trying to say but Big Time offers don't always amount to top college players. E. Edwards was also offered to UB and a few others mid-major, Mack offered to UTEP, SU (Pref WO) and a few other mid-majors, chose UMaine after an interesting conversation with the new OC & RB Coach for UTEP who stated that, although they felt he was a better RB, they are committed to student-athletes from Texas. You gotta respect their loyalty, win or loose! Top players who are under-valued typically do better at the next level.

Look...I have been a fan of SU since the early 1980s. Reality Check- SU will never get the across-the-board level of recruits that Florida State, Clemson or Alabama gets. High turnover in head coaches is one major problem. Location, location, location is another. Nick Saban has been at Bama for 9 seasons. That does not mean SU cannot be competitive, and even successful with the athletes SU lands. In the last 13 seasons SU has had only 3 seasons above 500, despite having good head coaches. And very few NY recruits. At the end of the day, players win football games! This says a lot about the kind of out of state athletes that chose SU. Hopefully Babers can change all that in the next 2-3 seasons, if he's still around. Babers has been at 15 different programs, spent all of 3 seasons at UCLA. Nothing wrong with that for that is the life of coaching. I just hope that he put some priorities and protocols in place that will have a lasting impact NYS football. Build long-term in-roads for our student-athletes. His wealth of experience should be extremely beneficial to this effort. At the end of the day let's just make sure the staff at SU make NY a priority recruiting area for Top NY kids.

Greg Robinson did more damage to one school more than other school that I can remember. That set us back a decade. Marrone was the only good coach we had during this period. It took a total face lift just to get the program back to minor bowl game status.

 

[orangenirvana]

I get what you are trying to say but Big Time offers don't always amount to top college players. E. Edwards was also offered to UB and a few others mid-major, Mack offered to UTEP, SU (Pref WO) and a few other mid-majors, chose UMaine after an interesting conversation with the new OC & RB Coach for UTEP who stated that, although they felt he was a better RB, they are committed to student-athletes from Texas. You gotta respect their loyalty, win or loose! Top players who are under-valued typically do better at the next level.

Look...I have been a fan of SU since the early 1980s. Reality Check- SU will never get the across-the-board level of recruits that Florida State, Clemson or Alabama gets. High turnover in head coaches is one major problem. Location, location, location is another. Nick Saban has been at Bama for 9 seasons. That does not mean SU cannot be competitive, and even successful with the athletes SU lands. In the last 13 seasons SU has had only 3 seasons above 500, despite having good head coaches. And very few NY recruits. At the end of the day, players win football games! This says a lot about the kind of out of state athletes that chose SU. Hopefully Babers can change all that in the next 2-3 seasons, if he's still around. Babers has been at 15 different programs, spent all of 3 seasons at UCLA. Nothing wrong with that for that is the life of coaching. I just hope that he put some priorities and protocols in place that will have a lasting impact NYS football. Build long-term in-roads for our student-athletes. His wealth of experience should be extremely beneficial to this effort. At the end of the day let's just make sure the staff at SU make NY a priority recruiting area for Top NY kids.

Loyalty? You just said that your son "never wanted to attend SU" - and it's the only Power 5 program located practically right down the road from him.

That's the problem and it's been the problem for a long time: most Upstate NY football recruits aren't bred to have a loyalty to the Power 5 football program that represents Upstate New York.

And it's easy for UTEP to be "loyal" to in-state recruits. That state is chock full of them. Like you said, "location, location, location." SU's location for trying to compete in college football is not ideal, to say the least. Therefore, they have to reach outside of the state - especially when the very few local recruits with talent worthy of a Power 5 scholarship offer "never wanted to attend SU."

 

[qdawgg]

Top players who are under-valued typically do better at the next level.

I think in theory this sounds great and we would want to believe this. I don't think you could prove this is true though and a lot of what you're saying is just coming off as being upset and having an agenda.

 

[GoCuse14]

Once again, I'm in no situation!. This is not about me and my son...this is about SU and NYS! Coaches come and coaches go, but the memories left behind for the institution lasts forever. I just hope that these "new prospects" are not just window dressing and given serious opportunities at SU. This is a major institution and NYS student athletes who show promise, deserve an opportunity to attend and play for the program. So stop bringing my son into the conversation. I have been a teacher in NYS for 26 years and a coach for 15. Iv'e seen how it has played out. I speak for ALL the Upstate NY athletes who don't get a look from SU and certainly deserve it. Where is your loyalty?

So what you are trying to say is that even after a kid has been evaluated by the staff, and found to either not fit the program or to simply not be good enough...because all PC aside, sometimes that's the case flat out not good enough. But because they happen to play their HS football in NYS, they should get a chance? Please provide a list of some spurn players that weren't offered a change to play and went on be successful ay other peer programs.

 

[OrangeAl]

You would think that if SU isn't signing any NYS prospects, at least "State U of NY" Buffalo would be having a field day with those "not quite" P5 guys. But even they didn't sign many kids from NY. Does this mean that after the 2 or 3 blue chippers there's a drop down to FCS level players?

 

[CIL]

I get what you are trying to say but Big Time offers don't always amount to top college players. E. Edwards was also offered to UB and a few others mid-major, Mack offered to UTEP, SU (Pref WO) and a few other mid-majors, chose UMaine after an interesting conversation with the new OC & RB Coach for UTEP who stated that, although they felt he was a better RB, they are committed to student-athletes from Texas. You gotta respect their loyalty, win or loose! Top players who are under-valued typically do better at the next level.

Look...I have been a fan of SU since the early 1980s. Reality Check- SU will never get the across-the-board level of recruits that Florida State, Clemson or Alabama gets. High turnover in head coaches is one major problem. Location, location, location is another. Nick Saban has been at Bama for 9 seasons. That does not mean SU cannot be competitive, and even successful with the athletes SU lands. In the last 13 seasons SU has had only 3 seasons above 500, despite having good head coaches. And very few NY recruits. At the end of the day, players win football games! This says a lot about the kind of out of state athletes that chose SU. Hopefully Babers can change all that in the next 2-3 seasons, if he's still around. Babers has been at 15 different programs, spent all of 3 seasons at UCLA. Nothing wrong with that for that is the life of coaching. I just hope that he put some priorities and protocols in place that will have a lasting impact NYS football. Build long-term in-roads for our student-athletes. His wealth of experience should be extremely beneficial to this effort. At the end of the day let's just make sure the staff at SU make NY a priority recruiting area for Top NY kids.

If Syracuse offered all those players we'd be Maine...

 

[wfschrec]

If Syracuse offered all those players we'd be Maine...

I've explained this to him over and over again ... it is futile.

 

[OrangeAl]

I've explained this to him over and over again ... it is futile.

Suggestion: Don't get into debates with parents of recruits. What do you want them to do - surrender their passion for their kids to your dispassionate intelligence?

 

[wfschrec]

Suggestion: Don't get into debates with parents of recruits. What do you want them to do - surrender their passion for their kids to your dispassionate intelligence?

I am plenty passionate about Orange football among many other things ... I am also a realist, I don't ask them to surrender their passion its a matter of looking at the landscape of college football and the impact the fertile recruiting grounds in various southern states as well as midwest states have on how coaches operate. Its really common sense when it comes to this matter.

 

[qdawgg]

Suggestion: Don't get into debates with parents of recruits. What do you want them to do - surrender their passion for their kids to your dispassionate intelligence?

You could really look at this from the opposite side as well. Does the parent really expect all the fans on here to suddenly agree with everything he is saying? This is a fan board as well, so I'm not sure the suggestion is as well placed directed at a fan as it would be to the parent.

 

[PhatOrange]

Did you ever ask why? Their is no genetic inferiority to NYS athletes. The saturation of great players may not be as large, but regardless of the numbers, we must make every effort to keep the good ones in state. Remember, my son never wanted to attend SU. That's not the point. That was my short-term desire being a nys teacher, coach and SU fan. That was also the desire of a number of SU fans. I discovered this thread late last season and joined in the conversation. I believe that the perception of NYS athletes must change. And it can only be displayed in recruiting efforts. Quite honestly speaking, I have a hard time finding many good athletes in this area that express an interest in attending SU. That's because the culture has not been established! The same goes for basketball. One major disappointment for me was the way the SU staff treated Taylor Riggins (AQ). If its about winning consistently, then pursue those players from NY who are persistent winners! Regardless of how anyone responds, their was room for 3-4 top players from NY. But to simply bypass all NY for hopefuls from other states is not showing promise. I have also evaluated the talent recruited on the offensive side of the ball and see no great gap in talent. NY is so obsessed with the notion of the superiority of southern & mid-west athletes until many have moved their families out of NY towards the south and mid-west so that their athletes can be better recruited. In fact, I had been asked to let my son move with a relative in Florida to increase his recruitment status. I chose not to do so. Its a myth that many have chosen to take advantage of. Take a poll on the number of families from NY who have moved their children to Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida and you will be blown away. Another friend of mine moved her son from Rochester to Orlando, FL his junior year. The kid is 5'6'', 175 lbs who was getting NO looks from SU. The kid is an excellent athlete and landed a D1 scholarship out of Orlando. I just had another move her son to Savannah, Georgia. I'm curious to see where he will land his big scholarship, probably SU! IT'S ALL A GAME FOLKS!

did you say 5'6'', 175 lb ?

 

[bnoro]

did you say 5'6'', 175 lb ?

You better be the most agile and a ridiculous 40 time if you want a D1 offer at that size. Otherwise you're Jaston George or Steve Rene.

Essentially you need to be Tavon Austin.

 

[PhatOrange]

You better be the most agile and a ridiculous 40 time if you want a D1 offer at that size. Otherwise you're Jaston George or Steve Rene.

Essentially you need to be Tavon Austin.

exactly. And so I can understand why he was "getting NO looks from SU" as Mr Mack states. I'd love to hear what D1 school made the offer. UMass, ODU, Appalachian St, North Texas? smh

 

[CIL]

You better be the most agile and a ridiculous 40 time if you want a D1 offer at that size. Otherwise you're Jaston George or Steve Rene.

Essentially you need to be Tavon Austin.

Tavon Austin has 2 inches on this kid...

 

[JHarris44]

Just read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Kids from down south are getting the reps to be really good and near game ready coming out of high school. NYS kids, not so much. Not saying it couldn't happen but it require a lot of organization and resources.

Wasn't Shafer upset/shocked to find out that by and large NYS Football plays only an 8 game schedule? Without universal spring practices? Seems to reason that kids who play more games and have more practice time have the advantage in playing as a fresh-soph rather than a jr - sr...and by extension being better for the program in that scenario for depth and like. Winning solves attendance; not the presence of local kids (save Gerry Mac and his buses from Scranton)

 

[Josh Mack]

exactly. And so I can understand why he was "getting NO looks from SU" as Mr Mack states. I'd love to hear what D1 school made the offer. UMass, ODU, Appalachian St, North Texas? smh

Slight correction...5'8" 170 lbs, 4.46 40, full ride to Eastern Kentucky D1 AA but very competitive division. Come on Moe Neal is 5'8" 161 lbs and runs 4.5+ 40. This kid left NY to play in Florida. I started to send my son to live with relatives as well but decided not to...probably should have...Check out the Hudl on Mike Scott who moved from Rochester to Orlando, FL, my home town. These are NY guys that SU overlooks!

 

[Josh Mack]

Wasn't Shafer upset/shocked to find out that by and large NYS Football plays only an 8 game schedule? Without universal spring practices? Seems to reason that kids who play more games and have more practice time have the advantage in playing as a fresh-soph rather than a jr - sr...and by extension being better for the program in that scenario for depth and like. Winning solves attendance; not the presence of local kids (save Gerry Mac and his buses from Scranton)

Actually we do have spring practices, 7 on 7 events, and CTC Training. Check out this video to learn more about what we do here. SU staff should be reaching out and establishing a pipeline with this program:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSe04Tl7SNg

 

[Josh Mack]

Winning solves attendance, yes. But winning with the best local kids also improves attendance numbers! I heard a sports commentator speak on the greatness of Shakka Smart Texas BBall coach. He said what makes him great is that he does not try to force players to fit into his system. Instead, he adjusts his system to the players he has and still is able to be successful. Current staff could learn a lot from this.

 

[Nahson]

Slight correction...5'8" 170 lbs, 4.46 40, full ride to Eastern Kentucky D1 AA but very competitive division. Come on Moe Neal is 5'8" 161 lbs and runs 4.5+ 40. This kid left NY to play in Florida. I started to send my son to live with relatives as well but decided not to...probably should have...Check out the Hudl on Mike Scott who moved from Rochester to Orlando, FL, my home town. These are NY guys that SU overlooks!

Moe Neal is not 5'8 lol I'm 6' even and I spent a whole half chillen with his family (who are super cool btw) and I had 2" on him. He's is 5'10-5'10.5.

The towel his mom gave me bc I showed up too late to get my own

 

[PAcuse]

I think we would all love to win with NY talent and local kids. The top local kids end up going to a 25 school. After that talent drops off quickly. How is SU supposed to win the ACC with kids that have offers from lower level D1 schools and D1AA schools? It's simply not going to happen.

 

[#FRANchise]

Slight correction...5'8" 170 lbs, 4.46 40, full ride to Eastern Kentucky D1 AA but very competitive division. Come on Moe Neal is 5'8" 161 lbs and runs 4.5+ 40. This kid left NY to play in Florida. I started to send my son to live with relatives as well but decided not to...probably should have...Check out the Hudl on Mike Scott who moved from Rochester to Orlando, FL, my home town. These are NY guys that SU overlooks!

He had 1 rush for -1 yard and 6 catches in his first season in the Ohio Valley Conference... come on, this kid couldn't play in the ACC. And the EKU website has him at 5-7, 170.. so I'm gonna assume he's closer to 5-6, not 5-8.