Class of 2014 RB Ish Witter (FL) Offered

[JackBauer44]

What i heard was it was going to be Rutgers, which was a last minute change in itself , so maybe he did just decide to sit back and regroup

Just becasue Mike Mc Allister says something, doesn't mean it is the gospel. He's not as connected as he implies.

 

[Van111]

Rutgers has the worst offense in America. Who would want to be a part of that? Also over the past 3 years Rutgers has not had a better program than SU. I'm not sure what the attraction to Rutgers is.

B1G? Maybe...

 

[JeremyCuse]

As I noted at this point there is no way to tell which way Ish is leaning at this point. Some signs do point to Rutgers based on this decision but I do know he was pretty torn between the two schools so he may still be having issues deciding between the two.

A couple of other random RB thoughts: Ollison is not going to Rutgers but unfortunately he isnt going to Syracuse either. Dissapointed in his recruitment to be honest not a great showing by SU. Still think were in a great spot for Phillips and while there are a lot of RB's out there its a bit concerning that we may strike out on getting any of our A level RB targets for 2 years in a row. A bit odd that this staff is locking down great players in a variety of positions but is having issues getting a RB despite the success SU has had at the position the past decade plus.

I cant speak to the B level guys we might go after if Ish goes elsewhere but I think someone mentioned Locke and I think theres a few others out there we are keeping our eyes on. At minimum I think we need Phillips and one more, its way to risky to take zero backs two years in a row. Really hope we can land Phillips if everything else goes to , I dont describe to the fact that y0u can just plug and play any RB into our system and churn out a good to great back. If you look back over the past decade at the RB's we have had here and have had success almost all of them were big time or higher end recruits ie: Reyes, Carter, Brinkley, the kid from FM, etc.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Just becasue Mike Mc Allister says something, doesn't mean it is the gospel. He's not as connected as he implies.

Pretty sure hes not going off Mcallister.

 

[Louie and Bouie]

Anomander doesnt need me to come to his aid but in recruiting nothing is 100%. Recruits can change there mind on a dime, even Jake doesnt have a 1000% Average and he is more connected then anyone.

Agreed and that is why posters shouldn't come onto the board speaking in absolutes as if they have insider information when they are really just guessing, educated guesses i admit, but guesses all the same.

Just reading through this thread will put the comment in context.

 

[cuseman404]

I've been reading these boards for over 10 yrs and the insiders have a 95+ % plus accuracy so who cares kid changed his mind...i appreciate the tidbits of info.

 

[Bonz44]

As I noted at this point there is no way to tell which way Ish is leaning at this point. Some signs do point to Rutgers based on this decision but I do know he was pretty torn between the two schools so he may still be having issues deciding between the two.

A couple of other random RB thoughts: Ollison is not going to Rutgers but unfortunately he isnt going to Syracuse either. Dissapointed in his recruitment to be honest not a great showing by SU. Still think were in a great spot for Phillips and while there are a lot of RB's out there its a bit concerning that we may strike out on getting any of our A level RB targets for 2 years in a row. A bit odd that this staff is locking down great players in a variety of positions but is having issues getting a RB despite the success SU has had at the position the past decade plus.

I cant speak to the B level guys we might go after if Ish goes elsewhere but I think someone mentioned Locke and I think theres a few others out there we are keeping our eyes on. At minimum I think we need Phillips and one more, its way to risky to take zero backs two years in a row. Really hope we can land Phillips if everything else goes to , I dont describe to the fact that y0u can just plug and play any RB into our system and churn out a good to great back. If you look back over the past decade at the RB's we have had here and have had success almost all of them were big time or higher end recruits ie: Reyes, Carter, Brinkley, the kid from FM, etc.

Jeremy who's to say we don't keep NAS at RB? I know that he is supposedly being recruited for DB but the kid is rated in the 70's for RB..Do you think we would keep him at RB?

 

[RMH44]

As I noted at this point there is no way to tell which way Ish is leaning at this point. Some signs do point to Rutgers based on this decision but I do know he was pretty torn between the two schools so he may still be having issues deciding between the two.

A couple of other random RB thoughts: Ollison is not going to Rutgers but unfortunately he isnt going to Syracuse either. Dissapointed in his recruitment to be honest not a great showing by SU. Still think were in a great spot for Phillips and while there are a lot of RB's out there its a bit concerning that we may strike out on getting any of our A level RB targets for 2 years in a row. A bit odd that this staff is locking down great players in a variety of positions but is having issues getting a RB despite the success SU has had at the position the past decade plus.

I cant speak to the B level guys we might go after if Ish goes elsewhere but I think someone mentioned Locke and I think theres a few others out there we are keeping our eyes on. At minimum I think we need Phillips and one more, its way to risky to take zero backs two years in a row. Really hope we can land Phillips if everything else goes to , I dont describe to the fact that y0u can just plug and play any RB into our system and churn out a good to great back. If you look back over the past decade at the RB's we have had here and have had success almost all of them were big time or higher end recruits ie: Reyes, Carter, Brinkley, the kid from FM, etc.

While Bailey, Smith and Gulley were not.

RB is a very difficult position to project because so much depends on the system and the OL. I'm with Phat on this one...simply not worried about the RB position at this point of the recruiting cycle. We'll land on our feet, we always do.

 

[RF2044]

While Bailey, Smith and Gulley were not.

RB is a very difficult position to project because so much depends on the system and the OL. I'm with Phat on this one...simply not worried about the RB position at this point of the recruiting cycle. We'll land on our feet, we always do.

Agreed. I'll also add that there are probably tons of great RB prospects out there. Just because we don't land one of the 2 or 3 who's names people are familiar with right now doesn't mean we'll "settle."

 

[JeremyCuse]

Jeremy who's to say we don't keep NAS at RB? I know that he is supposedly being recruited for DB but the kid is rated in the 70's for RB..Do you think we would keep him at RB?

I think the staff believes that Howard doesn't project as a RB at the D1 level. Obviously he has a history of playing RB in highschool and if needed due to injuries or what not could certainly play RB but I dont get the impression that the staff wants him there if at all possible.

 

[RF2044]

I think the staff believes that Howard doesn't project as a RB at the D1 level. Obviously he has a history of playing RB in highschool and if needed due to injuries or what not could certainly play RB but I dont get the impression that the staff wants him there if at all possible.

I agree with this--kid looks like a dynamite safety or corner prospect. I'm guessing that's where he'll end up here.

 

[JeremyCuse]

While Bailey, Smith and Gulley were not.

RB is a very difficult position to project because so much depends on the system and the OL. I'm with Phat on this one...simply not worried about the RB position at this point of the recruiting cycle. We'll land on our feet, we always do.

Jerome Smith was a big prospect coming out of high school, Bailey and Gulley are good players but they were never near the level of a Carter, Brinkley or Reyes. Gulley is a change of pace back who excelled at that position last year, the same for Bailey who didnt become a starter until his senior year and struggled to handle the grind of a full season. Both great players but lets not go overboard. I am not overly worried about the RB position but to say we always land our feet is simply not true. Go back to 06 when Brinkley went down and we were running out Paul Chiara and Hogue.

 

[CaliCuse]

Rutgers has the worst offense in America. Who would want to be a part of that? Also over the past 3 years Rutgers has not had a better program than SU. I'm not sure what the attraction to Rutgers is.

One factor is their location in densely populated NJ and excellent highways into PA. The other is an over blown thought that they are academically on par with Ivy League schools and that Syracuse is not.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Agreed. I'll also add that there are probably tons of great RB prospects out there. Just because we don't land one of the 2 or 3 who's names people are familiar with right now doesn't mean we'll "settle."

Not saying we will have to settle but theres a big difference between Domer, Ollison, Witter, Phillips etc versus a B level guy with MAC level offers.

 

[Upstate]

A couple of other random RB thoughts: Ollison is not going to Rutgers but unfortunately he isnt going to Syracuse either. Dissapointed in his recruitment to be honest not a great showing by SU. Still think were in a great spot for Phillips and while there are a lot of RB's out there its a bit concerning that we may strike out on getting any of our A level RB targets for 2 years in a row. A bit odd that this staff is locking down great players in a variety of positions but is having issues getting a RB despite the success SU has had at the position the past decade plus.

It sounds/looks more like Wisky for Ollison

 

[JeremyCuse]

It sounds/looks more like Wisky for Ollison

Thats my thought as well, seems inevitable at this point.

 

[tep624]

Jerome Smith was a big prospect coming out of high school, Bailey and Gulley are good players but they were never near the level of a Carter, Brinkley or Reyes. Gulley is a change of pace back who excelled at that position last year, the same for Bailey who didnt become a starter until his senior year and struggled to handle the grind of a full season. Both great players but lets not go overboard. I am not overly worried about the RB position but to say we always land our feet is simply not true. Go back to 06 when Brinkley went down and we were running out Paul Chiara and Hogue.

DC was Mr Ohio and Brinkley was a Parade AA. Jerome was not even close to that as a recruit and if I remember correctly only had offers from SU and Wisconsin. He wasn't even the Gatorade player of the year in Delaware that year.

 

[RF2044]

Not saying we will have to settle but theres a big difference between Domer, Ollison, Witter, Phillips etc versus a B level guy with MAC level offers.

But again, what makes you think we will have to settle on a guy with MAC level offers? It isn't like not landing Witter automatically translates into we have to take an inferior player. People weren't exactly doing back handsprings down Marshall Street when we landed Bailey, who wasn't a highly rated prospect, and he ended up being a terrific college back.

I trust in this staff on the recruiting trail. Let's see who they reel in before panicking about who they aren't.

 

[JeremyCuse]

DC was Mr Ohio and Brinkley was a Parade AA. Jerome was not even close to that as a recruit and if I remember correctly only had offers from SU and Wisconsin. He wasn't even the Gatorade player of the year in Delaware that year.

Smith came from a highschool that had been playing football for 3 years and had an offer from Wisconsin and another from BC coming when he committed. Wisconsin doesnt offer RB's that arent big time players.

 

[anomander]

Just becasue Mike Mc Allister says something, doesn't mean it is the gospel. He's not as connected as he implies.

When did Mcallister say it was Rutgers? All I saw from him the whole time was 50/50 and he never wavered from that

 

[Frozen]

Wisconsin doesnt offer RB's that arent big time players.

The same is not true of QBs (Andrew Robinson) and WRs (Dan Sheeran).

 

[JeremyCuse]

But again, what makes you think we will have to settle on a guy with MAC level offers? It isn't like not landing Witter automatically translates into we have to take an inferior player. People weren't exactly doing back handsprings down Marshall Street when we landed Bailey, who wasn't a highly rated prospect, and he ended up being a terrific college back.

I trust in this staff on the recruiting trail. Let's see who they reel in before panicking about who they aren't.

I am certainly not panicking about the RB situation as I noted this staff has done a pretty good job recruiting players, just saying its a bit odd we have missed out on some RB targets that appeared to be good fits. Secondly I am not sure I understand your point about not having to settle on a guy. Syracuse has a hierarchy of players for each position and they have a number of guys they consider to be there A level recruits for the RB position. Domer is off the board and Ollison is a long shot so there both out. Witter is up in the air and Erv seems likely but not 100%.

Lets say for example each of those guys go elsewhere we would need to go to the next level of Rb recruits. Certainly doesnt mean we might not end up with a great player or even an outstanding RB but obviously the lower you start going in the recruiting ladder (B and C level guys) the less likely your getting a big time player as usually lower level guys have some sort of small blemish/issue that prevents them from being an A level guy ie: speed, durability, ball handling, etc.

 

[JeremyCuse]

The same is not true of QBs (Andrew Robinson) and WRs (Dan Sheeran).

In both of those players defense if not injuries (Sheeran) and a complete beatdown of hits (robinson) those careers may have ended differently. I see your point though.

 

[RF2044]

I am certainly not panicking about the RB situation as I noted this staff has done a pretty good job recruiting players, just saying its a bit odd we have missed out on some RB targets that appeared to be good fits. Secondly I am not sure I understand your point about not having to settle on a guy. Syracuse has a hierarchy of players for each position and they have a number of guys they consider to be there A level recruits for the RB position. Domer is off the board and Ollison is a long shot so there both out. Witter is up in the air and Erv seems likely but not 100%.

Lets say for example each of those guys go elsewhere we would need to go to the next level of Rb recruits. Certainly doesnt mean we might not end up with a great player or even an outstanding RB but obviously the lower you start going in the recruiting ladder (B and C level guys) the less likely your getting a big time player as usually lower level guys have some sort of small blemish/issue that prevents them from being an A level guy ie: speed, durability, ball handling, etc.

Here's the point: no poster on this forum knows what the staff's recruiting board looks like. We know of a few players listed on the recruiting sites--Witter, Ollison, etc.--that probably constitutes about 10% of the players the staff is actually actively recruiting. So I reject the notion that we'd have to settle if we lose out on a couple--largely because we're working off of incomplete info.

Your premise is based upon the assumption that if we lose out on those three, then "we would need to go to the next level of Rb recruits." I don't accept that at face value. I'm sure there are lots of guys out there nationally who are comparable to Witter and Domer. I'd prefer to land Witter, and I am not concerned about the postponement [still believe we have a solid shot], but I'm also confident in what the staff--specifically McDonald--can do on the recruiting trail.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Here's the point: no poster on this forum knows what the staff's recruiting board looks like. We know of a few players--Witter, Ollison, etc.--but we probably know about 10% of the players the staff is recruiting. So I reject the notion that we'd have to settle if we lose out on a couple--largely because we're working off of incomplete info.

Your premise is based upon the assumption that if we lose out on those three, then "we would need to go to the next level of Rb recruits." I don't accept that at face value. I'm sure there are lots of guys out there nationally who are comparable to Witter and Domer. I'd prefer to land Witter, and I am not concerned about the postponement [still believe we have a solid shot], but I'm also confident in what the staff--specifically McDonald--can do on the recruiting trail.

Based on what we know from who has commitable offers and that SU has been in contact/visited its pretty clear the top RB recruits were Domer, Ollison, Erv Phillips and Ish Witter. I dont think its very likely Syracuse is involved with a couple of other high end RB prospects that we are keeping on the down low or a mystery to the fanbase for some reason. I understand what your saying about there being a lot of players out there nationwide but I think your whistling past the graveyard here a bit in saying that if we lose out on all those guys its no big deal we can just fill it with some guys out there nationally who compare to Witter and Domer. If such players were out there we would be recruiting them along with other Div 1 teams.

There is not a plethera of three + star RB recruits out there just waiting in the wings to be recruited if we miss out on our top targets. Again plenty of time left to see how things shake out and no need to panic at all but id still prefer we land Ish/Phillips.