Class of 2016 LB Taylor Riggins (NY) Verbal to UMass

[anomander]

Where did you get that information from?

It's not like this is top secret information. Most have been discussed in great detail.

 

[RoysRunts]

So it's a rumor

 

[anomander]

So it's a rumor

If you want to believe it's a rumor go right ahead

 

[OrangeinNH]

Wouldn't be surprised if Armstrong commits (just gut sense). Also Beesley and Foster are more likely than not (also former BGSU commits). Thereafter it's anyone's guess. Harrison would be quite the coup as he just visited Ohio St., and is at Michigan St coming up. Similar pedigree for Fitzpatrick, but worth the effort!

 

[PhatOrange]

So it's a rumor

not a rumor.

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Whitey23]

Hope he gets a look from Maryland or Ball state.

 

[tep624]

Best of luck to him. Glad this is finally over so that everyone involved can move on.

 

[CuseLegacy]

 

[Moontan]

Good to see that he has other options. Would've hated to have seen him without another offer.

 

[VirginiaOrange]

UMass seems to have become where SU's second tier recruits may end up.

 

[money3189]

We fought hard. Time to move on. Just hope Cuse coaches know they are missing out on a quality player and person. He went through alot to stay committed. He wanted to be Orange so he could battle for his home state. I thought those were the type of kids we wanted. Good luck getting other players from AQ. They produce D1 players yearly. They wont be happy about this.

 

[kcsu]

We fought hard. Time to move on. Just hope Cuse coaches know they are missing out on a quality player and person. He went through alot to stay committed. He wanted to be Orange and battle for his home state. I thought those were the type of kids we wanted. Good luck getting other players from AQ. They produce D1 players yearly. They wont be happy about this.

umass

 

[PhatOrange]

We fought hard. Time to move on. Just hope Cuse coaches know they are missing out on a quality player and person. He went through alot to stay committed. He wanted to be Orange so he could battle for his home state. I thought those were the type of kids we wanted. Good luck getting other players from AQ. They produce D1 players yearly. They wont be happy about this.

How's his knee?

I want NY players as much as the next guy but it's not like Aquinas does Syracuse any favors with their A List players. Zembiac is going to play for a bunch of child molesters. and the Jones brothers? Come on Money, Aquinus won't be happy is a joke. They can keep on doing what they're doing. It's not Syracuse's job to float their B kids.

It's unfortunate Riggins tore up his knee this year. I assume that's what kept recruiters away. Best of luck to him. He was my favor shafer recruit.

 

[sutomcat]

I am glad he took the high road and wasn't negative/bitter.

Sorry it didn't work out for him. Hope this doesn't damage the staff's relationship with Aquinas, or high schools in general in NY. It was an unusual situation with the new staff and a new defensive scheme being implemented.

I can't remember the last time SU took no players from New York in a given recruiting class. Riggins was the only one and I don't see any other candidates on the horizon.

It is likely the first time this has happened since SU started playing football circa 1890.

 

[OttoMets]

We fought hard. Time to move on. Just hope Cuse coaches know they are missing out on a quality player and person. He went through alot to stay committed. He wanted to be Orange so he could battle for his home state. I thought those were the type of kids we wanted. Good luck getting other players from AQ. They produce D1 players yearly. They wont be happy about this.

I don't follow recruiting very closely but I'm most disappointed about this decommit for this reason. Syracuse has to build relationships with local coaches, not burn bridges.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

I can tell you Sadiq Palmer's coach wasn't happy with the way the pulling of his scholarship was handled either, despite how it was spun in the paper.

 

[TheCusian]

I don't follow recruiting very closely but I'm most disappointed about this decommit for this reason. Syracuse has to build relationships with local coaches, not burn bridges.

If he didn't fit the system, there's not a whole lot to work out. Do you keep him, never play him - to make the local coaches happy? Seems like the kid is better off in a system that fits where he'll see the field.

If we become what we think we'll become - this one situation won't keep the kids from coming here.

I just hope the staff handled it with class behind the scenes.

 

[Statesman1]

We fought hard. Time to move on. Just hope Cuse coaches know they are missing out on a quality player and person. He went through alot to stay committed. He wanted to be Orange so he could battle for his home state. I thought those were the type of kids we wanted. Good luck getting other players from AQ. They produce D1 players yearly. They wont be happy about this.

When was Aquinas ever happy with SU?

 

[atcar]

I don't follow recruiting very closely but I'm most disappointed about this decommit for this reason. Syracuse has to build relationships with local coaches, not burn bridges.

It is about building relationships. It takes a few years to do so and we haven't had a coach here really long enough to do that since who...Coach P? Aquinas has churned out D1 caliber players on a regular basis for a long time and I think they will continue to do so as long as Coach Battaglia is there. They also play higher caliber out-of-state teams from PA, MA, OH, to raise the bar, not to mention teams like CBA and St. Joes. That being said there are opportunities to build those relationships with Aquinas and other schools within the state and I hope the new staff starts working it after Feb 3. Winning teams drive increased media attention and ticket sales. Having a few local / regional kids on your team still helps media and sales as well, at least to a point. I know those conversations happen on this site on a regular basis but it is what it is. Who knows what conversations took place with Riggins, or any other verbal that decommited. I am not too concerned about where we get every athlete and I do understand that the staff has a team to build, but I just hope they keep working that 6 hr radius Coach Babers mentioned after he was hired. I think once they start winning more games we won't lose as many D1 caliber kids to schools like Rutgers, BC and Pitt. ND and PSU are a different story.

 

[timkay99]

I don't follow recruiting very closely but I'm most disappointed about this decommit for this reason. Syracuse has to build relationships with local coaches, not burn bridges.

As someone who is recruiting for baseball, the board significantly over-values the relationship with the HS coach.

HS coaches have a ton of value, but the good ones do not serve as an end all-be all for making decisions on their kids. Their main value is four-fold to recruiters:

1) Getting interest generated on their kids, be it through video or contacting college coaches (where Womack's coach failed him)

2) Being able to provide realistic information on the coaches doing the recruiting to players who are experiencing it for the first time
- While Riggins decommit is something to mention to other Aquinas players, it is incredibly rare for a school to eliminate a college from talking to their kids b/c the college could be the right option for someone. You just make sure the kid is informed about potential problems.

3) Providing insight into makeup and off the field behaviors
- I have found HS coaches really, really hate talking bad about their players, which presents some problems. I have had probably 4 coaches out of about 100 tell me straight up that I need to move on b/c of off the field problems or grade issues. I can guarantee there are more kids then that, from having them on campus, that we should have moved on from and having them up for a visit was a waste of time.

4) Providing insight into other players in the region
- This is the most important avenue and where a quality personal relationship matters. Can't be at every game and it is next level difficult to keep tabs on everything occurring all across the country. Always useful to have those relationships with evaluators you trust so that you can start the recruiting process on kids you don't necessarily know yet or kids who have made a jump their senior years.

HS coaches primary responsibility as it relates to recruiting is to serve their kids wants and needs on the trail. Give as much information as they can. The good ones do this (which I imagine Battaglia is). The spiteful ones (and they exist in far greater number then you think) do not and put their personal feelings (such as potential to get a D-1 coaching job themselves) and wants ahead of their kids.

 

[Cusefan78]

Am I missing something. The kid didn't fit the system. He wouldn't have played here. we release him so he can play somewhere. As far as I'm concerned you can't build a team with ny talent anymore. The kids are playing against inferior talent, and play less games and have less practices then anywhere else. more times then not the ny kids just don't stack up against other kids in the country. Lastly when was the last time aq sent us a kid that was good. Whatever if aq is upset then so be it. Dino will be in Florida and the rest of the country looking for kids that fit his system and play in a high school with far superior talent then anything up here. If anything aq and riggins should be mad at nys for watering down football.

 

[rackman18]

I agree, we have tried to build a relation ship with AQ. If I am not mistaken ,didn't we take the whole football team to their school for practice for a week. Look it, unless a kid is born with SU blood, he is going to be open to the High octane teams, The Jones boys to Notre Dame, and Zembiec to PSU. There was NOTHING the coach or coaches from AQ would or could say that would change their mines to go to SU. So I don't believe or would worry that building a good relationship, I saying just with AQ would matter. JMO

 

[TheCusian]

I agree, we have tried to build a relation ship with AQ. If I am not mistaken ,didn't we take the whole football team to their school for practice for a week. Look it, unless a kid is born with SU blood, he is going to be open to the High octane teams, The Jones boys to Notre Dame, and Zembiec to PSU. There was NOTHING the coach or coaches from AQ would or could say that would change their mines to go to SU. So I don't believe or would worry that building a good relationship, I saying just with AQ would matter. JMO

Just win. NY kids will be dying to play here.