Top 20 Recruits of the Recruiting Site Era

[tep624]

Per the 2-4-7 Composite, these are the current top 20 Syracuse recruits since 2000, which effectively is the recruiting site era. ESPN came a little later but Skout and Rivals appeared around that time. 17 and below are all 3 star composite rated, 16 and above are all 4 or 5 star composite rated with Morant and Howard the only 5 star composites.

Format is a little crappy but beneath each height/weight you'll see 4 numbers - overall recruit rating, national ranking, state ranking, position ranking. So in Cecil Howard's case, he was a .992, basically 9.92 on a 1-10 scale, 23rd nationally, 2nd in PA, 2nd in Dual Threat QB ranking in his class.

For the Prep/JUCO guys you'll see really high national ranking numbers - that's because they were in the prep/JUCO rankings and not the general high school rankings.

Dino owns the 14-20 spots but has yet to crack the top 10. Maybe next year is the year!

• 1
  Cecil Howard McKeesport (Mckeesport, PA) Class of 2001
  6-1 / 195
  0.9920 23 2 2 DUAL
  
  
• 2
  Johnnie Morant Parsippany Hills (Morris Plains, NJ)Class of 2000
  6-5 / 225
  0.987 130 5 1 WR
• 3
  Diamond Ferri Everett (Everett, MA)Class of 2000
  5-11 / 200
  0.9659 98 13 1 RB
• 4
  Andrey Baskin Woodrow Wilson (Camden, NJ)Class of 2006
  6-3 / 195
  0.9358 124 16 4 WR
• 5
  Averin Collier Churchville-chili Senior (Churchville, NY)Class of 2008
  5-11 / 195
  0.9101 218 13 1 ATH
• 6
  Wayne Morgan Erasmus Hall (Brooklyn, NY) Class of 2012
  5-9.5 / 184
  0.9021 304 20 3 CB
• 7
  Larry McClain Fork Union Military Academy (Fork Union, VA)Class of 2003
  5-11 / 180
  0.9000 4 1 4 CB
• 8
  Lavar Lobdell Christian Brothers Academy (Syracuse, NY)Class of 2005
  6-3 / 195
  0.9000 183 20 5 WR
• 9
  Marquis Spruill Fork Union Military Academy (Fork Union, VA)Class of 2010
  6-1 / 220
  0.9000 5 1 4 ILB
• 10
  Adam Rosner Milford Academy (New Berlin, NY)Class of 2006
  6-6 / 310
• 0.9000 13 4 3 OT
• 11
  K.J. Williams Liberty (Bethlehem, PA) Class of 2014
  6-2 / 190
  0.8967 286 27 7 ATH
• 12
  Marcus Sales Christian Brothers Academy (Albany, NY)Class of 2008
  6-2 / 185
  0.8963 277 40 2 WR
• 13
  Ronald Thompson Southfield (Southfield, MI) Class of 2012
  6-4 / 240
  0.8950 343 12 10 TE
• 14
  Atrilleon Williams Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, NY) Class of 2018
  6-2 / 190
  0.8924 356 20 3 ATH
• 15
  Tommy Devito Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, NJ) Class of 2017
  6-2 / 193
  0.8915 327 13 7 PRO
• 16
  Mikel Jones IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) Class of 2019
  6-2 / 208
  0.8904 375 19 45
• OLB
• 17
  Lee Kpogba Parkland (Winston Salem, NC) Class of 2019
  6-2 / 210
  0.8876 412 20 17 OLB
• 18
  Qadir White Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, NY) Class of 2018
  6-7 / 334
  0.8874 401 28 4 OT
• 19
  Edward Hendrix Woodson H.D. (Washington, DC) Class of 2018
  6-3 / 185
  0.8817 463 76 3 WR
• 20
  Ravian Pierce Southwest Mississippi C.C. (Summit, MS) Class of 2017
  6-4 / 225
  0.8792 21 3 7 TE

 

[721Comstock]

Per the 2-4-7 Composite, these are the current top 20 Syracuse recruits since 2000, which effectively is the recruiting site era. ESPN came a little later but Skout and Rivals appeared around that time. 17 and below are all 3 star composite rated, 16 and above are all 4 or 5 star composite rated with Morant and Howard the only 5 star composites.

Format is a little crappy but beneath each height/weight you'll see 4 numbers - overall recruit rating, national ranking, state ranking, position ranking. So in Cecil Howard's case, he was a .992, basically 9.92 on a 1-10 scale, 23rd nationally, 2nd in PA, 2nd in Dual Threat QB ranking in his class.

For the Prep/JUCO guys you'll see really high national ranking numbers - that's because they were in the prep/JUCO rankings and not the general high school rankings.

Dino owns the 14-20 spots but has yet to crack the top 10. Maybe next year is the year!

• 1
  Cecil Howard McKeesport (Mckeesport, PA) Class of 2001
  6-1 / 195
  0.9920 23 2 2 DUAL
  
  
• 2
  Johnnie Morant Parsippany Hills (Morris Plains, NJ)Class of 2000
  6-5 / 225
  0.987 130 5 1 WR
• 3
  Diamond Ferri Everett (Everett, MA)Class of 2000
  5-11 / 200
  0.9659 98 13 1 RB
• 4
  Andrey Baskin Woodrow Wilson (Camden, NJ)Class of 2006
  6-3 / 195
  0.9358 124 16 4 WR
• 5
  Averin Collier Churchville-chili Senior (Churchville, NY)Class of 2008
  5-11 / 195
  0.9101 218 13 1 ATH
• 6
  Wayne Morgan Erasmus Hall (Brooklyn, NY) Class of 2012
  5-9.5 / 184
  0.9021 304 20 3 CB
• 7
  Larry McClain Fork Union Military Academy (Fork Union, VA)Class of 2003
  5-11 / 180
  0.9000 4 1 4 CB
• 8
  Lavar Lobdell Christian Brothers Academy (Syracuse, NY)Class of 2005
  6-3 / 195
  0.9000 183 20 5 WR
• 9
  Marquis Spruill Fork Union Military Academy (Fork Union, VA)Class of 2010
  6-1 / 220
  0.9000 5 1 4 ILB
• 10
  Adam Rosner Milford Academy (New Berlin, NY)Class of 2006
  6-6 / 310
• 0.9000 13 4 3 OT
• 11
  K.J. Williams Liberty (Bethlehem, PA) Class of 2014
  6-2 / 190
  0.8967 286 27 7 ATH
• 12
  Marcus Sales Christian Brothers Academy (Albany, NY)Class of 2008
  6-2 / 185
  0.8963 277 40 2 WR
• 13
  Ronald Thompson Southfield (Southfield, MI) Class of 2012
  6-4 / 240
  0.8950 343 12 10 TE
• 14
  Atrilleon Williams Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, NY) Class of 2018
  6-2 / 190
  0.8924 356 20 3 ATH
• 15
  Tommy Devito Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, NJ) Class of 2017
  6-2 / 193
  0.8915 327 13 7 PRO
• 16
  Mikel Jones IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) Class of 2019
  6-2 / 208
  0.8904 375 19 45
• OLB
• 17
  Lee Kpogba Parkland (Winston Salem, NC) Class of 2019
  6-2 / 210
  0.8876 412 20 17 OLB
• 18
  Qadir White Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, NY) Class of 2018
  6-7 / 334
  0.8874 401 28 4 OT
• 19
  Edward Hendrix Woodson H.D. (Washington, DC) Class of 2018
  6-3 / 185
  0.8817 463 76 3 WR
• 20
  Ravian Pierce Southwest Mississippi C.C. (Summit, MS) Class of 2017
  6-4 / 225
  0.8792 21 3 7 TE

It’s amazing how little the majority of those Top 13 actually accomplished at SU, if they ever did anything at all.

 

[Trueblue25]

Really enjoyed watching Spruill.

 

[tep624]

It’s amazing how little the majority of those Top 13 actually accomplished at SU, if they ever did anything at all.

Yeah I know. Looking at the list, both of our 5 stars were major busts vs expectations. At least Morant had a decent Senior season and got drafted.

Of the top 10, Ferri, Morgan and Spruill all graduated, with Spruill getting drafted and Ferri bouncing around a bit. Ferri was a fantastic college player and Spruill had a good career here too. Morgan probably didn’t live up to the hype but was a starter.

But a lot of guys that never made it or amounted to much.

 

[Nick44]

So many of those players had issues which is why Syracuse had a shot to land them in the first place. Otherwise they would’ve been with a factory school.

Johnnie Morant was the highest rated recruit we landed in the “star system” era. The only 5 star this program has ever signed. Was decent but never had a very good QB and never was able to live up to that hype.

 

[chugg21]

Morant was the 1st football recruit I remember reading about on the internet. Rooted for him every year just because of that. Then I read about this Carmelo Anthony kid that committed.

 

[JackBauer44]

To this day, I have no idea how the hell Adam Rosner was a highly sought after recruit.

Back in my football days when I was 6’3 290, I was at a UB prospect camp with him. We were matched up numerous times. I took him to school with a couple bull rushes, and in my last rep in 1 on 1s hit him with a bull/swim combo that had the UB coaches running the session lighting into Rosner.

End of my rant.

 

[HOFCeluck]

It’s pretty insane that 35 percent of this list that’s supposed to be an all time best going back nearly 20 years is currently enrolled at Syracuse.

 

[The Ack]

This list speaks to our previous staff's talent evaluation skills vs. the current staff. Based off Cisco, Harris, Howard, Szmyt, Trill , etc, I trust Dino and crew's judgement. Actually shocked by some of these previous recruits rankings in context to the current class. Being seriously undervalued.

 

[SUFan44]

The first recruit I remember reading about was James Mungro. My grandparents lived in Binghamton and I always scanned the paper for Syracuse tidbits (amazing how the world has changed in just 20 years). Mungro was sought after by so many programs and was probably the most hyped recruit in my time following the program. He wasn't a superstar but he definitely made his mark.

 

[EastCoast2]

100% sure that Sales went to CBA Syracuse, not CBA Albany

 

[SUFaninNJ]

So many of those players had issues which is why Syracuse had a shot to land them in the first place. Otherwise they would’ve been with a factory school.

Johnnie Morant was the highest rated recruit we landed in the “star system” era. The only 5 star this program has ever signed. Was decent but never had a very good QB and never was able to live up to that hype.

Off the top of my head, I know Scott Freeney was a 5 star recruit. Not sure one way or another about any others.

 

[ClkWrkOrange]

Off the top of my head, I know Scott Freeney was a 5 star recruit. Not sure one way or another about any others.

I subscribed to Blue chips Illustrated/Prep Stars back then. They had Rob Konrad ,Frank Guifre, one of the McIntosh bros a 5 and the other a 4,I think Ian was 5 but can't remember 100%. I think Darryl Stroop might have been too.

 

[tep624]

To this day, I have no idea how the hell Adam Rosner was a highly sought after recruit.

Back in my football days when I was 6’3 290, I was at a UB prospect camp with him. We were matched up numerous times. I took him to school with a couple bull rushes, and in my last rep in 1 on 1s hit him with a bull/swim combo that had the UB coaches running the session lighting into Rosner.

End of my rant.

His was a bizarre ranking. I never understood it. Rivals had him as a 2 star recruit, 5.1 which aligns pretty well with your assessment out of high school. Somehow after a year at Milford he became a 4 star top 20 prep recruit.

Never did much of anything at Syracuse.

 

[tep624]

I subscribed to Blue chips Illustrated/Prep Stars back then they had Rob Konrad ,Frank Guifre, one of the McIntosh bros a 5 and the other a 4,I

Yeah in the 90's we had a number of 4 and 5 star guys by the various publications. It was pretty fragmented back then so you had Lemming, Prep Stars, Super Prep, Parade, and probably some others that you could reference.

 

[ClkWrkOrange]

Yeah in the 90's we had a number of 4 and 5 star guys by the various publications. It was pretty fragmented back then so you had Lemming, Prep Stars, Super Prep, Parade, and probably some others that you could reference.

Yeah ,I got all of them at one time or another,but found those to be the most reliable. Never thought much of Lemming, tbh.

 

[shu 49]

To this day, I have no idea how the hell Adam Rosner was a highly sought after recruit.

Back in my football days when I was 6’3 290, I was at a UB prospect camp with him. We were matched up numerous times. I took him to school with a couple bull rushes, and in my last rep in 1 on 1s hit him with a bull/swim combo that had the UB coaches running the session lighting into Rosner.

End of my rant.

That’s awesome lol

 

[NJCuse97]

I subscribed to Blue chips Illustrated/Prep Stars back then. They had Rob Konrad ,Frank Guifre, one of the McIntosh bros a 5 and the other a 4,I think Ian was 5 but can't remember 100%. I think Darryl Stroop might have been too.

Not questioning the ranking info, but IMO Kyle was so much better than Ian at their respective positions, and Kyle was Dave Megget small. Wildly impressive. I worried ever time the opposition threw Ian’s way. CB is a tough position judged more on failure than success, but I felt better about guys like Nash then Ian.

 

[jgeorge322]

So many of those players had issues which is why Syracuse had a shot to land them in the first place. Otherwise they would’ve been with a factory school.

Johnnie Morant was the highest rated recruit we landed in the “star system” era. The only 5 star this program has ever signed. Was decent but never had a very good QB and never was able to live up to that hype.

Wasnt that lb robinson signed pierce a 5* but had blood clotting issuss?

 

[tep624]

Wasnt that lb robinson signed pierce a 5* but had blood clotting issuss?

He was a 2 star late add out of high school, prepped a year and got bumped up to a 4 star. The prep rankings were always sketchy at Rivals because they gave 4 star rankings to the top 20 preps which is a much smaller pool of players.

He had a lot of hype around him during the prep year so the ranking may have been appropriate. But it makes you question it as that’s how Rosner became a 4 star.

 

[Finwad32]

Looking at that snapshot, to see 7 of the 20 (albeit 14-20) by Babers and 6 of those all to be underclassmen in 2019 is pretty inspiring, no?

LFGO.