Recruiting in 2025 and Beyond Discussion

[anomander]

"George McDonald super recruiter"

Never my label. I always said he was overrated …., shockingly to negative comments saying otherwise

 

[anomander]

What is your reference to state that most teams are brining in 15-20 transfers per year? The teams at the top of the portal rankings generally are, but I did not see a list of numbers for all teams.
Are you weighting losses to the portal against the number of players bright in?

George McDonald? Seriously?

it’s not hard to search . take a look

 

[Trueblue25]

Donors/war chest are trending in the right direction. Fran’s seeking more deals with local businesses to help with that right now but all in all improving.

Sending players to the NFL draft is the next step that will help.

We need to be competitive against next years schedule.

Lets not forget how much of an uphill battle Fran’s embraced.

 

[richmondcuse03]

Cherry picking? Maybe you haven’t been paying attention but most schools have 15-20+ transfers per class these last 2 years. Minimum 10 - 15. So why wouldn’t you factor transfer rankings into the overall class ranking considering those now include 1/3 - 1/2 transfers? Nobody said anything in 2024 when our transfer haul helped us to an overall 36 ranking. I was celebrating along with everyone else.

The ironic thing is when everyone was all about pounding the portal 2-3 years ago i also had a very unpopular take saying we will always have a hard time being successful in the portal because we can’t compete financially. No matter what Fran said about recruiting high schoolers don’t you think he factored that into the equation? We’re basically doing what we have to, which runs a risk of losing the HS kids that we do develop because you’re going to be recruiting them for 3 years. I like Fran as much as anyone but it’s going to be a risk long-term. That’s not even to mention, even Clemson, who routinely had high school recruiting classes jam packed with some of best prospects in the country suddenly begin to struggle because peer schools and below started to utilize plug and play transfers. One of the best coaches and recruiters in the country for well over a decade started to get heat using that same strategy and their program is a level above ours.

Other than that it’s almost like people have amnesia or maybe selective amnesia. We’ve had our George McDonald “super” recruiters (yea i’m being sarcastic) come and go. Sure i like Fran a ton more than him but at the time everyone was beating the same exact drum on trust the staff. I hope i’m wrong more than anyone, and it will come down to player development, but even if we fully develop half our class and then hang onto them for 3-4 years, i’ll still trade you these classes full of 3 stars and i’ll go ahead and take the programs that consistently finish inside the top 25-30 with a classes close to half full of 4stars. Like everyone says, it’s easy to identify the kids who have the height, weight, speed, etc. You develop them and you have a handful or more of future pro’s.

And for the record, my 2 favorite recruits in the 2025 class are our 0 star Canadians.

You proved my point by citing George Macdonald. I personally think we’re not alive long enough to dwell in pessimism every day. To each their own. I just hope you’re donating to fix the problems you’re citing.

 

[Niastri]

Lets not forget how much of an uphill battle Fran’s embraced.

Fran knew what he was getting into, and I love the way you phrased it.

He's off to a good start!

 

[wfschrec]

it’s not hard to search . take a look

A few salient points here:

a.) not all teams are loading up in the portal:
OSU has 6 (they will have a lot of guys leaving from their core team)
Oregon has 9
Miami has 11
FSU has 9
Alabama has 9
UGA has 6
Clemson has 3

The fact is have we considered the talent volume in the portal isn't there for us to go heavy? We are losing our minds over guys that were at Central Connecticut who chose Maryland? I think Fran is being very deliberate managing cost vs what these guys are worth and comparing that to what he has on his roster. Why shell out excessive NIL when you have a player close in capability already on roster? Sorry but there is no Kyle McCord or Cam Ward in this transfer class, if that is what you are expecting then I think you will be disappointed. Fran has also stated he wants to avoid players of certain types (i.e. a 1 year that isn't a pro caliber player) and locking up a scholly he can use on extra kids out of high school he can identify and develop. IMHO those types will be easier to retain because they are a culture fit not just a plug and play rental.

The continued predicate that you lean into about 20 years of history would only matter if this was the same staff over that time period and the fact is that it isn't. There is no McCord, Junkins, Downs, Ward or players of that caliber in this transfer class the top guys don't have their pedigree. Last year 5 teams had an average at or above 90 on their transfer class, this year its only 3. The depth isn't there so why load up on guys that you could replace with high school kids with better measurables and higher upside? Is there a potential for more downside? Sure, but to your point we have kids unranked that you are high on (Canada kids) and have a ton of upside that will surprise folks IMHO. Will every recruit be a home run? No but sometimes taking more swings means more hits, recruiting is no different. Rahtrel Perry was not on anyone's recruiting radar coming out of high school and is now a hot commodity, who is to say Fran hasn't brought in kids like that who fit well in this culture and will pay massive dividends down the road? When Instagram legend Carson Beck is the top QB in the transfer class you need to question how good it really is.

 

[PhatOrange]

IMG White team schedule.

Schedule - IMG Academy White Ascenders (Bradenton, FL) Varsity Football 24-25

View the 24-25 IMG Academy White varsity football team schedule.

www.maxpreps.com

Scouting and evaluating absolutely matters and not every evaluator is created equally. I see big differences in opinions even at the youth, HS and club levels. It's fascinating really to see who ends up right in their Eval. It's easy to evaluate a sure thing, but it's not easy when a sure thing is lazy and doesn't work hard vs a kid with lesser skill who's a grinder.

We're a couple years away from knowing how good our evaluators are.

IMO we swim in a different pool and we just have to make sure we're bringing in kids that are better than our peer group.

 

[upperdeck]

You dont always have to get better kids. But you need to get kids close enough that you max them out more consistently.

4 stars who don't play to 4 star level dont help anyone. A team of 3 stars that all play up as a team can play better than a team of 4 stars who don't all show up.

The first step is to improve your bottom line and that we are doing. Kids are bigger/stronger/faster. We need a few years to see if that plays out in results

 

[SuFTW]

it’s not hard to search . take a look

The portal giveth and the portal taketh. You can’t just look at one side of the equation.

 

[baggerbob]

Fran wants to build a developmental program with the freshman growing into starting roles as upperclassmen and picking at the transfer portal as needed.

I think people need to understand how bare the cupboard was for him to execute his developmental program and why he needed 35 freshman bodies and measurables.

Towards the end of Dino's tenure, his classes either had freshman make immediate impacts, but stagnate developmentally or had players that couldn't get to the (2) deep. Just look at the 23 and 24 classes, not a lot of clay to be molded and the (35) players in the '25 class raise the floor of the roster, especially on the lines. True grown men frames going at each other each day in practice.

One of the best OL players in recent memory was a 2 star with small arms. Pickard is a good get at this stage of the calendar. He has his end of the bargain to maintain this fall by continuing to improve and showing out on the A team.

Plus remember if the new rules go through its 105 on scholarship, that's an additional 20 players you are adding.

 

[kcsu]

Call me crazy, but I never buy the "our staff is better at evaluating talent" than yours. Fran is a great recruiter no doubt but those putting all their cards in the " the measurables are all better" and that Fran is some type of savant when it comes to evaluating talent, I am sorry I just don't buy it. He may be very good at it but so are many others on different staffs. What he is doing is hitting the right areas and offering a lot more Northeast kids and just like any other coach at Syracuse how well will he develops these kids is where the rubber will meet the road. He also took what 35 kids in this class he can afford a few more misses here

On paper anyone singing who is ecstatic with the 2025 recruiting class is just glazing Fran as my kids would say. I thought Fran would do better, I thought there would be more pop and sizzle. Sorry but the limitations at Syracuse are still there even with arguably the best recruiter in college football. The nice thing is Fran doesn't ever use it as an excuse

He has already proven he can develop talent. Name one returning player that didn't get better. Look what he accomplished with Meeks.
The Oline was much better.
Low rated Frosh stepping up on the DL and secondary.
He knows how to identify kids that fit his culture and have good measurable. Big and fast.

 

[RF2044]

Call me crazy, but I never buy the "our staff is better at evaluating talent" than yours. Fran is a great recruiter no doubt but those putting all their cards in the " the measurables are all better" and that Fran is some type of savant when it comes to evaluating talent, I am sorry I just don't buy it. He may be very good at it but so are many others on different staffs. What he is doing is hitting the right areas and offering a lot more Northeast kids and just like any other coach at Syracuse how well will he develops these kids is where the rubber will meet the road. He also took what 35 kids in this class he can afford a few more misses here

On paper anyone singing who is ecstatic with the 2025 recruiting class is just glazing Fran as my kids would say. I thought Fran would do better, I thought there would be more pop and sizzle. Sorry but the limitations at Syracuse are still there even with arguably the best recruiter in college football. The nice thing is Fran doesn't ever use it as an excuse

Completely fair take.

We saw Fran and this new staff of recruiters come out of the gate smokin' hot, with lots of high profile transfers [predicated upon the incoming staff's relationships, as you point out, from other schools].

So from that standpoint, the 2025 class might seem like a letdown. We took lots of early commitments, from a lot of players who weren't highly rated. And we took lots of linemen on both sides of the ball -- which at a school like Syracuse, we tend to get lower rated guys compared to higher rated programs.

Will a majority of those guys pan out? Time will tell.

But I get some of the "disappointment" with the class of 2025. It doesn't mean that the "disappointment" is warranted, however. Fran has an archetype of recruits that he focuses on -- and he went and got guys that fit what he was looking for [examples -- big time speed, massive OL, etc.]. If the class pans out, then his talent identification will get validated.

It's also important to note that we needed to bolster the FOUNDATION of the program at several positions of need. Unsexy, but the type of additions that could position us for consistent success down the road / long-term.

Ultimately, we need to have sustained, consistent success. If we do, then we'll recruit better. Because success begats success.

 

[anomander]

You proved my point by citing George Macdonald. I personally think we’re not alive long enough to dwell in pessimism every day. To each their own. I just hope you’re donating to fix the problems you’re citing.

Every month. And apparently you missed the sarcasm font on George McDonald.

Not to mention, if you think I dwell on this stuff then i don’t know what to tell you? I have a family, job, and life. This is simply entertainment at the end of it. If i come on a syracuse sports forum a couple times a day to express my opinion on the one program i love that’s all that it is. Other than the 30 minutes i have to read some articles and catch up on the forum it’s left there as soon as i close the browser. Pretty bizarre to think elsewise.

 

[bnoro]

Every month. And apparently you missed the sarcasm font on George McDonald.

Not to mention, if you think I dwell on this stuff then i don’t know what to tell you? I have a family, job, and life. This is simply entertainment at the end of it. If i come on a syracuse sports forum a couple times a day to express my opinion on the one program i love that’s all that it is. Other than the 30 minutes i have to read some articles and catch up on the forum it’s left there as soon as i close the browser. Pretty bizarre to think elsewise.

It sure doesn't seem like you "love" this program.

 

[anomander]

It sure doesn't seem like you "love" this program.

I can love the program and not be a blind sheep. I'll disagree with things here and there, but the only thing i've ever disagreed with is your weird obsession that recruiting rankings don't matter, and other recruiting and NIL matters others have brought up. If i'm going to be a cheerleader i'll just wait for the season and go to the game with my pom pom's. I didn't know this was a propaganda forum where you can't make honest takes like this recruiting class was a drop off from last year.

I don't know how old you are but if any fanbase should realize the importance of recruiting and how rankings equate to on-field performance it's us. From 1987 - 2000 we brought in classes that probably would equate to 20-40 in today's system, some maybe better. Miraculously, Syracuse was consistently a program that hovered in or around the top 25. We also put numerous future all-pro's into the NFL at that time.

Since then, well we know what has happened the last 20 years. Is it a coincidence our recruiting fell off and then results on the field? The last 15 years we may have cracked the top 50 once, not counting last season where we had an all-world quarterback (Shockingly a former 5 star recruit). How many draft picks did we see over that time? It's amazing that I actually have to spell it out, but what evidence do you have that recruiting rankings don't correlate with on-field performance? Is it a coincidence the same 10 programs are the only one's fighting for a playoff spot? Other than an outlier here and there, what P4 programs are consistently in or around the top 25 with recruiting classes outside the top 50 year after year. There's an abundance of evidence that show that recruiting classes most definitely matter. The gap will even widen now with SEC/B10 and a couple handful of other programs who can now put together $15-20M rosters full of plug and play replacement transfers. Do you watch college football outside of Syracuse? Again, Fran is one hell of a recruiter, but if he can't consistently bring in the high potential recruits, it's not going to matter. I love the culture he is instilling and the improvement in practice standards, but when it's all said and done, you still need the players. I just don't buy that he's that much better of a talent evaluator than all these other coaches. Even with potentially 5-6 draft picks from last years team and one of the more manageable schedules we've seen and will see, if we didn't have an all-world QB, how many games do you think we win? 7? 6? I'm not complaining about that. He recruited McCord and brought him to Syracuse and I loved every minute of it.

I'll say whatever I feel like here, but that won't stop me for cheering just as hard as the most passionate fan come the next game. Again, I just find it strange this stand that you've been on the last 4 staffs where Syracuse is some how getting screwed with their recruiting rankings. Overall, they've unfortunately matched the results on the field. So again, show me your evidence that i'm wrong and there's this grand conspiracy against Syracuse, or even more, in general across college football.

 

[bnoro]

I can love the program and not be a blind sheep. I'll disagree with things here and there, but the only thing i've ever disagreed with is your weird obsession that recruiting rankings don't matter, and other recruiting and NIL matters others have brought up. If i'm going to be a cheerleader i'll just wait for the season and go to the game with my pom pom's. I didn't know this was a propaganda forum where you can't make honest takes like this recruiting class was a drop off from last year.

I don't know how old you are but if any fanbase should realize the importance of recruiting and how rankings equate to on-field performance it's us. From 1987 - 2000 we brought in classes that probably would equate to 20-40 in today's system, some maybe better. Miraculously, Syracuse was consistently a program that hovered in or around the top 25. We also put numerous future all-pro's into the NFL at that time.

Since then, well we know what has happened the last 20 years. Is it a coincidence our recruiting fell off and then results on the field? The last 15 years we may have cracked the top 50 once, not counting last season where we had an all-world quarterback (Shockingly a former 5 star recruit). How many draft picks did we see over that time? It's amazing that I actually have to spell it out, but what evidence do you have that recruiting rankings don't correlate with on-field performance? Is it a coincidence the same 10 programs are the only one's fighting for a playoff spot? Other than an outlier here and there, what P4 programs are consistently in or around the top 25 with recruiting classes outside the top 50 year after year. There's an abundance of evidence that show that recruiting classes most definitely matter. The gap will even widen now with SEC/B10 and a couple handful of other programs who can now put together $15-20M rosters full of plug and play replacement transfers. Do you watch college football outside of Syracuse? Again, Fran is one hell of a recruiter, but if he can't consistently bring in the high potential recruits, it's not going to matter. I love the culture he is instilling and the improvement in practice standards, but when it's all said and done, you still need the players. I just don't buy that he's that much better of a talent evaluator than all these other coaches. Even with potentially 5-6 draft picks from last years team and one of the more manageable schedules we've seen and will see, if we didn't have an all-world QB, how many games do you think we win? 7? 6? I'm not complaining about that. He recruited McCord and brought him to Syracuse and I loved every minute of it.

I'll say whatever I feel like here, but that won't stop me for cheering just as hard as the most passionate fan come the next game. Again, I just find it strange this stand that you've been on the last 4 staffs where Syracuse is some how getting screwed with their recruiting rankings. Overall, they've unfortunately matched the results on the field. So again, show me your evidence that i'm wrong and there's this grand conspiracy against Syracuse, or even more, in general across college football.

I don't understand why you think some random people know more than football coaches about watching film and evaluating prospects?

It's quite obvious that when writers are incentivized to be biased by subscription fees to specific sites, the rankings are not going to be unbiased. If you have hundreds of people paying for Syracuse news, and thousands paying for Clemson news, they're going to rank a three star going to Clemson over a three star going to Syracuse.

When it comes to the top 100 players I'm sure the rankings are pretty solid, but there's thousands of kids to rank. You can't just get all up in arms when most of our kids are going to be high/med 3s. But I'm sure our coaches have watched them play a lot more than the random people on these sites who have paid incentive.

 

[wfschrec]

I can love the program and not be a blind sheep. I'll disagree with things here and there, but the only thing i've ever disagreed with is your weird obsession that recruiting rankings don't matter, and other recruiting and NIL matters others have brought up. If i'm going to be a cheerleader i'll just wait for the season and go to the game with my pom pom's. I didn't know this was a propaganda forum where you can't make honest takes like this recruiting class was a drop off from last year.

I don't know how old you are but if any fanbase should realize the importance of recruiting and how rankings equate to on-field performance it's us. From 1987 - 2000 we brought in classes that probably would equate to 20-40 in today's system, some maybe better. Miraculously, Syracuse was consistently a program that hovered in or around the top 25. We also put numerous future all-pro's into the NFL at that time.

Since then, well we know what has happened the last 20 years. Is it a coincidence our recruiting fell off and then results on the field? The last 15 years we may have cracked the top 50 once, not counting last season where we had an all-world quarterback (Shockingly a former 5 star recruit). How many draft picks did we see over that time? It's amazing that I actually have to spell it out, but what evidence do you have that recruiting rankings don't correlate with on-field performance? Is it a coincidence the same 10 programs are the only one's fighting for a playoff spot? Other than an outlier here and there, what P4 programs are consistently in or around the top 25 with recruiting classes outside the top 50 year after year. There's an abundance of evidence that show that recruiting classes most definitely matter. The gap will even widen now with SEC/B10 and a couple handful of other programs who can now put together $15-20M rosters full of plug and play replacement transfers. Do you watch college football outside of Syracuse? Again, Fran is one hell of a recruiter, but if he can't consistently bring in the high potential recruits, it's not going to matter. I love the culture he is instilling and the improvement in practice standards, but when it's all said and done, you still need the players. I just don't buy that he's that much better of a talent evaluator than all these other coaches. Even with potentially 5-6 draft picks from last years team and one of the more manageable schedules we've seen and will see, if we didn't have an all-world QB, how many games do you think we win? 7? 6? I'm not complaining about that. He recruited McCord and brought him to Syracuse and I loved every minute of it.

I'll say whatever I feel like here, but that won't stop me for cheering just as hard as the most passionate fan come the next game. Again, I just find it strange this stand that you've been on the last 4 staffs where Syracuse is some how getting screwed with their recruiting rankings. Overall, they've unfortunately matched the results on the field. So again, show me your evidence that i'm wrong and there's this grand conspiracy against Syracuse, or even more, in general across college football.

You mean the same services that bumped McCord from a 5* guy to a 4* guy after leaving OSU to head to play for Brown who knew exactly what he was getting? Those services? BTW as far as McCord:


Look I get it ... I would love to see 4* after 4* up and down the roster from a perception perspective for the program. However, that does not mean they are going to pan out either. Did you see how many 4 and 5 star guys who didn't pan out enter the portal? I truly think Fran has a very good idea of getting freak athletes with insane size and making them football players which will translate into long term program stability. We don't have the luxury of rotating guys like an OSU or Texas who oh by the way didn't go as heavy on transfers this year after shooting their wad to win a title in 2024. There is some merit to building over time and the flexibility it offers with roster management.

 

[anomander]

I don't understand why you think some random people know more than football coaches about watching film and evaluating prospects?

It's quite obvious that when writers are incentivized to be biased by subscription fees to specific sites, the rankings are not going to be unbiased. If you have hundreds of people paying for Syracuse news, and thousands paying for Clemson news, they're going to rank a three star going to Clemson over a three star going to Syracuse.

When it comes to the top 100 players I'm sure the rankings are pretty solid, but there's thousands of kids to rank. You can't just get all up in arms when most of our kids are going to be high/med 3s. But I'm sure our coaches have watched them play a lot more than the random people on these sites who have paid incentive.

so no evidence to back it up? You can go ahead and take ours classes and i’ll take the ones half full of 4 stars. Then again we already know the results because we’ve witnessed them the last 20 years.

 

[bnoro]

so no evidence to back it up? You can go ahead and take ours classes and i’ll take the ones half full of 4 stars. Then again we already know the results because we’ve witnessed them the last 20 years.

The best schools have the most subscribers.

Look at Texas, Maryland, & Nebraska for prime examples of "many subscribers but actually bad recruiting".

 

[anomander]

You mean the same services that bumped McCord from a 5* guy to a 4* guy after leaving OSU to head to play for Brown who knew exactly what he was getting? Those services? BTW as far as McCord:


Look I get it ... I would love to see 4* after 4* up and down the roster from a perception perspective for the program. However, that does not mean they are going to pan out either. Did you see how many 4 and 5 star guys who didn't pan out enter the portal? I truly think Fran has a very good idea of getting freak athletes with insane size and making them football players which will translate into long term program stability. We don't have the luxury of rotating guys like an OSU or Texas who oh by the way didn't go as heavy on transfers this year after shooting their wad to win a title in 2024. There is some merit to building over time and the flexibility it offers with roster management.

That’s why i’ll take those classes half full of 4stars because if one doesn’t pan out the others will and if they do you’re looking at future pro’s. Look at the height, size, speed, agility, etc of the recruits we got from 87-00 that went on to become future NFL all pro’s. They all had high ceiling attributes. It’s really not that hard to identify kids with plus height, a frame to put on plus size, and plus speed and agility to go with it. Were we just lucky with the Freeney, Bullock, McNabb, Darius, Harrison, Carpenter, Konrad, McPherson, Graves, Hill, etc etc and so on? But then all a sudden we were unlucky when it was a great year if we had 1 guy drafted from 06-24? I don’t see what’s so hard to understand?

 

[Dcuse]

Call me crazy, but I never buy the "our staff is better at evaluating talent" than yours. Fran is a great recruiter no doubt but those putting all their cards in the " the measurables are all better" and that Fran is some type of savant when it comes to evaluating talent, I am sorry I just don't buy it. He may be very good at it but so are many others on different staffs. What he is doing is hitting the right areas and offering a lot more Northeast kids and just like any other coach at Syracuse how well will he develops these kids is where the rubber will meet the road. He also took what 35 kids in this class he can afford a few more misses here

On paper anyone singing who is ecstatic with the 2025 recruiting class is just glazing Fran as my kids would say. I thought Fran would do better, I thought there would be more pop and sizzle. Sorry but the limitations at Syracuse are still there even with arguably the best recruiter in college football. The nice thing is Fran doesn't ever use it as an excuse

You honestly don’t see the difference in the bodies of the kids he has brought in compared to the last 20 years. I don’t think my “ Fran glazing” is blocking that. Talent wise….you may be right. But I think you badly underestimate the effect of biology here.

 

[anomander]

The best schools have the most subscribers.

Look at Texas, Maryland, & Nebraska for prime examples of "many subscribers but actually bad recruiting".

Texas? Ummm. yea give me Texas every single year. They were just in the playoffs and will be even better next year.

Even more so show me the schools that recruit like us that are consistently successful.

 

[wfschrec]

That’s why i’ll take those classes half full of 4stars because if one doesn’t pan out the others will and if they do you’re looking at future pro’s. Look at the height, size, speed, agility, etc of the recruits we got from 87-00 that went on to become future NFL all pro’s. They all had high ceiling attributes. It’s really not that hard to identify kids with plus height, a frame to put on plus size, and plus speed and agility to go with it. Were we just lucky with the Freeney, Bullock, McNabb, Darius, Harrison, Carpenter, Konrad, McPherson, Graves, Hill, etc etc and so on? But then all a sudden we were unlucky when it was a great year if we had 1 guy drafted from 06-24? I don’t see what’s so hard to understand?

Stop with the 20 year nonsense. We used to recruit 5’8” safeties now we are bringing in defensive linemen and offensive linemen with unprecedented size. We have a linebacker coming in that is nearly as big as Mackey McPherson coming out of high school. Quick give me a recruit in the last 20 that had a 700 pound squat before setting foot on campus.

If you can’t see the difference I don’t truly know what to tell you.

 

[AngryOtto]

Agree on long term development. He said as much on day one. It’s how you succeed here.

Plus It’s a numbers game yes. But most kids are 3 stars. Once you get past the top 500 recruits it’s a bit of a crap shoot. You want guys that fit your system and have the intangibles you like. You won’t hit on all. But you want to hit on more than you lose. It’s hard to argue we haven’t raised the floor of who we’re recruiting. As I said above, we’re starting to land a lot more of the top 500 types than we ever have.

I would completely agree we have raised the floor. I am not a big fan of the recruiting sites but they are used as the standard metric.
Yes we did not get any 5 stars or top 250 players in 25 but if you look at the overall class it’s way above our past classes. If you go back and look in most years we would be lucky to get one .87, a couple .86 and few .85 and the rest below .85. This class most of the players are .88, .87 and .86. If you want to use the star rating as the metric our the 25 class is vastly improved from past years and more in line with the middle or higher to other acc schools.
Now people may continue to criticize because we are not landing multiple 4 stars or top 250 players but the overall class is far better then past classes going back 10 years or more.

 

[721Comstock]

I would completely agree we have raised the floor. I am not a big fan of the recruiting sites but they are used as the standard metric.
Yes we did not get any 5 stars or top 250 players in 25 but if you look at the overall class it’s way above our past classes. If you go back and look in most years we would be lucky to get one .87, a couple .86 and few .85 and the rest below .85. This class most of the players are .88, .87 and .86. If you want to use the star rating as the metric our the 25 class is vastly improved from past years and more in line with the middle or higher to other acc schools.
Now people may continue to criticize because we are not landing multiple 4 stars or top 250 players but the overall class is far better then past classes going back 10 years or more.

144% agreed!!

First off - Syracuse has pretty much NEVER gotten a 5*.
There are only a very small # of those in a given year, and the overwhelming majority go to the handful of top factory schools.

Going back to FHCSMFS and then Dino, we typically only got maybe ONE 4* a year.
IF that.

And for Shafer, all of his very few 4*'s were academic and/or character reaches, who either never made it to campus, or didn't do much if they did.

I think Dino's best class had both Tommy Cutlets and Qadir White as 4*
White was, sadly, a total bust.
I remember flying back from the Camping World Bowl, and he was in the back seat of the plane, and I couldn't get over what an absolutely enormous human being he was!!! He literally had the entire back row of 3 seats to himself, and still looked like he was stuffed in there uncomfortably.
Just a massive dude in every respect.
But I digress...

Anyway - griping about this current class is absurd.

Fran and crew have earned the right to do things as they see fit, and they are all elite recruiters with the track records to prove it.
They know what they are looking for, and clearly they think the kids they have signed have it.

I mean - last year, Davien Kerr and Maraad Watson were both impactful players as Frosh, and neither one had high crootin' rankings or a ton of impressive offers.

Let Fran cook.