Class of 2026 LB Izayia Williams (FL) Flipped to FSU

[tep624]

Honestly, I feel that may be the strategy and it makes sense with NIL limitations. That's why I've kind of stayed out of "the class of 25 should be more highly rated!" conversations.

Where I THINK Fran's heads at:
1.) Limit spend on high school recruits, save it for portal.
2.) Re-establish relationships with NY/NJ/PA/NE
3.) Mine for talented, under recruited kids, within 6 hrs of campus.
4.) Develop the hell out of those kids.
5.) Use the portal to backfill talent until those high school recruits are ready.
6.) Rinse/Repeat

I do believe there will be/is some significant spend on HS recruits but it will be situational and invested logically. I don’t see the scatter gun approach here.

These 2 FL recruits - hindsight being 20/20 - all the signs were there that they weren’t fully bought in. I think with high profile, top 100 types, we should only take the commitment this early if it’s very clear they’re all in. And you can tell the difference. If they’re out recruiting other kids, for example, even before they commit, it tells you something. Using Syracuse for marketing to get other offers really doesn’t help us at all.

 

[CA Monk]

It's supposed to be unseemly, but many ego-oriented athletes draw validation from being fussed over.

 

[JeremyCuse]

I do believe there will be/is some significant spend on HS recruits but it will be situational and invested logically. I don’t see the scatter gun approach here.

These 2 FL recruits - hindsight being 20/20 - all the signs were there that they weren’t fully bought in. I think with high profile, top 100 types, we should only take the commitment this early if it’s very clear they’re all in. And you can tell the difference. If they’re out recruiting other kids, for example, even before they commit, it tells you something. Using Syracuse for marketing to get other offers really doesn’t help us at all.

When both committed it was a nice boost for Fran and SU but I had either landing on campus at about 5% and that was being nice. Neither FL kid was ever realistically ending up here, the writing was on the wall from day 1. I am sure the staff was well aware of this as well and was zero surprise. Kids committing a class ahead almost never stay committed. The two rated this high were never leaving FL.

 

[JarHeadJim]

 

[tep624]

When both committed it was a nice boost for Fran and SU but I had either landing on campus at about 5% and that was being nice. Neither FL kid was ever realistically ending up here, the writing was on the wall from day 1. I am sure the staff was well aware of this as well and was zero surprise. Kids committing a class ahead almost never stay committed. The two rated this high were never leaving FL.

I don't disagree - I'd just like to see a different approach going forward. Getting these kids committed, there was a lot of positive pub around it, but the negative pub that you get when they flip a few months later is probably worse. The initial is - well hey Syracuse is a major player again - and then it gets followed up with, ah no they're just a pretender. You know what I mean.

I mean i guess no publicity is bad publicity, so who knows...

 

[Cuse12]

It’s a crap shoot with commits who are freshman and sophomores. We have sooo much time still I truly could care less because Fran will own jersey still and that’s our bread and butter. Yes I wish they stayed committed all the way through but these kids can’t even drive yet, they don’t know what the heck they really want yet (for the most part).

 

[skeeter223]

Plenty of fish in the sea.
Win this year and the recruits will flock to us.
I know - mixed metaphor. So sue me.

A flock of fish...I like it!!

 

[PeteCalvin]

8 years old, and listening on the radio to basketball and football broadcasts.
Lived in Liverpool then and Syracuse hosted the IRA boat races every year.
Lived on Parker Avenue, would walk down to the lake to watch.
Being local, back then most of my friends were fans.
We only had the Chiefs, Nat's and the Orangemen to root for locally.

My great uncle used to race in those. Didn’t realize it until we started digging into the family history. He was actually featured in the paper way back.

 

[PeteCalvin]

When both committed it was a nice boost for Fran and SU but I had either landing on campus at about 5% and that was being nice. Neither FL kid was ever realistically ending up here, the writing was on the wall from day 1. I am sure the staff was well aware of this as well and was zero surprise. Kids committing a class ahead almost never stay committed. The two rated this high were never leaving FL.

Not yet anyway. We’ll be re-recruiting these guys in three years.

 

[JDubbin]

It's 721Comstock's boom inverted (for a decommit).

Haha I know what moob. means, I made this gif & have been posting it for every de-commitment for a bit, it’s a play on me posting the Denzel boom gif from Training Day every time we get a commitment

 

[anomander]

Honestly, I feel that may be the strategy and it makes sense with NIL limitations. That's why I've kind of stayed out of "the class of 25 should be more highly rated!" conversations.

Where I THINK Fran's heads at:
1.) Limit spend on high school recruits, save it for portal.
2.) Re-establish relationships with NY/NJ/PA/NE
3.) Mine for talented, under recruited kids, within 6 hrs of campus.
4.) Develop the hell out of those kids.
5.) Use the portal to backfill talent until those high school recruits are ready.
6.) Rinse/Repeat

Fran is a recruiter. I think he’s mostly going to build the roster from recruits, you NIL to retain the that turn into difference maker, and use the portal for kids to fill in needs. Portal is risky. Kids can be leaving for various reasons. Recently, until last year with Diggs, and McCord to a lesser extent, it’s going to be tough to beat out the big spenders for kids who entered the portal that have actually proven they can play. The HS kid with the 4stars and high ranking don’t mean much if they weren’t able to crack the field at the SEC/B10 program he was at. I think we’ve seen how those work out.

I think Fran will stick to what he’s good at. Building relationships with high schoolers and getting most of our roster that way and then filling pieces where needed from the portal. I think last year was an exception with the amount of kids he took because he was trying to flip the roster, especially for a new defense where we needed beef.

 

[anomander]

Not yet anyway. We’ll be re-recruiting these guys in three years.

What makes you say that? If they don’t crack the lineup at either school I wouldn’t want them. If they are good enough to play they will be coveted by other big time programs that can offer huge NIL deals. I don’t see that happening, unfortunately.

 

[tep624]

Fran is a recruiter. I think he’s mostly going to build the roster from recruits, you NIL to retain the that turn into difference maker, and use the portal for kids to fill in needs. Portal is risky. Kids can be leaving for various reasons. Recently, until last year with Diggs, and McCord to a lesser extent, it’s going to be tough to beat out the big spenders for kids who entered the portal that have actually proven they can play. The HS kid with the 4stars and high ranking don’t mean much if they weren’t able to crack the field at the SEC/B10 program he was at. I think we’ve seen how those work out.

I think Fran will stick to what he’s good at. Building relationships with high schoolers and getting most of our roster that way and then filling pieces where needed from the portal. I think last year was an exception with the amount of kids he took because he was trying to flip the roster, especially for a new defense where we needed beef.

I'm fairly confident that some of the HS recruits we landed were due in some part to NIL, and those are 4 year players. So it may very well be a case of the NIL we have committed long term vs what we have for short-term needs and balancing all of that.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Former 4-star Syracuse football commit Izayia Williams now plans to play for Florida State

Williams is ranked among the 100 best recruits in the country.

www.syracuse.com

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[upperdeck]

Well it could come down to how he likes the new coach . But getting these upper level florida kids is always gonna be a tough sell.

 

[Dinkyspond]

I don't disagree - I'd just like to see a different approach going forward. Getting these kids committed, there was a lot of positive pub around it, but the negative pub that you get when they flip a few months later is probably worse. The initial is - well hey Syracuse is a major player again - and then it gets followed up with, ah no they're just a pretender. You know what I mean.

I mean i guess no publicity is bad publicity, so who knows...

It's good even if they decommit, it gets our name out there in recruiting circles and we have a relationship for later on down the line for the portal. There's no downside, go for the top players always.

 

[SUforme]

What a weird decision to flip to a team who is 0-2. Guess proximity had a lot to do with it as well.

 

[CA Monk]

It ain't over. This kid is one part opportuni$t.

 

[PhatOrange]

Poor kid

 

[CbusCuse]

A flock of fish...I like it!!

 

[AngryOtto]

Let’s see where he is committed when he officially signs.

 

[baggerbob]

Let’s see where he is committed when he officially signs.

I don't think it will be here, Fran is big
on keeping your word.