Class of 2014 Two biggest areas to watch moving forward.

[JeremyCuse]

To me the two biggest story lines that will play out over the next 6-7 months, will be who we can land at the O line and RB positions. Its funny usually the QB position is where SU is scrambling for recruiting, but with 2 solid recruits last year and Long this year we couldnt be in better shape.

As for RB and OL I have heard some rumblings/concerns from a few people, nothing to serious and certainly nothing to panic about, but some legit concern. At this point I was hoping we would have at least 1 OL commit, unfortunately we have lost out on a couple guys we were pretty high on and a few others we had high on our board. We still have a few irons in the fire but Applefield is a long shot and I wouldnt hold my breath on Mavesty either. I think we will see a lot of names pop up this fall of recruits who aren't on our radar right now. We need to bring in at least 3 lineman, JUCO maybe the way to go here.

Regarding the RB situation I would have zero concern except for the fact that we brough in zero RB recruits last year. Redshirting Morris and Macfarlane was a huge help but when you miss a year you need to double your haul the next season to ensure depth and a pipeline as players graduate. I like Ish's tape but its hard to gauge where he may end up. Erv Phillips seems like a Cuse lean but I dont like when a player stretches his recruitment out like this when he doenst have a lot of big time offers, this has all the hallmarks of him looking for either a bigger offer or a specific school. Ollison is a crapshoot as well, we are definitely in it but like Ish I think were more likely to be the bridesmaid then the bride. This situation shoudl clear itself up in the next 2-3 weeks, again will be interesting to see where the staff goes if we miss out on Ish and Ollison.

 

[SUFan44]

I think we definitely have a shot at all 3 of those RB's. Not sure if you have inside info on the recruitment of Witter and Ollison, but from everything I have seen and read we have a very good chance at landing both.

As to OL, agreed we need some horses this year. I think there are some bigger bodied kids on the roster but a lot of projects IMO (Burton, McGloster, Moore). Mavety would be a huge get for us and fill a need for two years to take the pressure off a few of these kids and allow them to develop. Not holding my breath, but am hopeful.

I think we will be pleasantly surprised by this staff's ability to seal the deal. They have done it numerous times already this summer and I have no reason to believe that they won't continue to do it. They won't get every kid, but I think we'll get at least two of the five kids you mentioned (Applefield, Mavety, Phillips, Ollison, Witter) with a decent chance to get 3 and an outside chance at 4.

 

[PhatOrange]

I don't worry about running back at all. And well Morris and McFarlene have 4 years left to play.

I'm not entirely worried about the line either but would prefer we bring in a few quality kids. This is a position a team should try and bring in 3/4 kids every year.

To me the biggest team need and one we haven't filled at all - and don't appear to be looking to fill - is at defensive end.

 

[SUFan44]

I don't worry about running back at all. And well Morris and McFarlene have 4 years left to play.

I'm not entirely worried about the line either but would prefer we bring in a few quality kids. This is a position a team should try and bring in 3/4 kids every year.

To me the biggest team need and one we haven't filled at all - and don't appear to be looking to fill - is at defensive end.

We do have up to 8 on the roster (Welsh, Robinson, Simmons, Thompson, Manley, Marona, Trejo and maybe Raymon in certain situations), and none of them are graduating following this year.

Whether the depth is quality is anybody's guess, but I wouldn't count out Ron Thompson as being an impact guy there. And you have Trejo, Marona, Manley and Raymon as guys who we have not seen yet and don't know yet what we have.

I think we are in better shape at every position now than we have been in a long, long time.

 

[jr4750]

I don't worry about running back at all. And well Morris and McFarlene have 4 years left to play.

I'm not entirely worried about the line either but would prefer we bring in a few quality kids. This is a position a team should try and bring in 3/4 kids every year.

To me the biggest team need and one we haven't filled at all - and don't appear to be looking to fill - is at defensive end.

I think this is where we hope to put Mr. Sykes

 

[javadoc]

I think this is where we hope to put Mr. Sykes

Bill Sykes? Oooo, nasty.

 

[tep624]

Well it sounds like we're in prime position to land Aaron Roberts. So that will give us at least 1 quality offensive line recruit. He's a Chicago kid with an offer from Illinois. So seems like a quality prospect.

I'd say we need at least another 3, preferably T, T, G, and if we can get a high quality C then go for that too. I wouldn't mind either if 2 of the 4 were JUCO's.

O Line is by far my biggest concern recruiting wise right now. Missing on both Shute and Brosnan really hurt.

 

[RF2044]

I'm with Phat--not remotely concerned about RB recruiting. Even if we don't land a prospect this year [which wouldn't be ideal], I'm comfortable with what we have there with McFarlane and Morris, and even AAM next season.

OL is DEFINITELY a cause for concern. But it's only July--no need to push the panic button yet.

I think DE and DT are much, much bigger priorities in this class than RB. My kingdom for a stud DE.

EO would sure have looked good in Orange this year--we could have used him...

 

[javadoc]

OL is DEFINITELY a cause for concern. But it's only July--no need to push the panic button yet.

If we do well this year, especially with a fast start, we will probably get some looks from guys who previously didn't consider us seriously, or from guys who committed elsewhere. Improving program + new facilities + solid recruiters + current on-field momentum =

 

[upperdeck]

we also have Smith coming back unless he goes early, and Broyld will have 2 more years to play some place.

if we have another good year running the ball you have to think RB's will have to start looking at that.

 

[JeremyCuse]

I'm with Phat--not remotely concerned about RB recruiting. Even if we don't land a prospect this year [which wouldn't be ideal], I'm comfortable with what we have there with McFarlane and Morris, and even AAM next season.

OL is DEFINITELY a cause for concern. But it's only July--no need to push the panic button yet.

I think DE and DT are much, much bigger priorities in this class than RB. My kingdom for a stud DE.

EO would sure have looked good in Orange this year--we could have used him...

Disagree about the rb situation, not takng at least one this year is a recipe for disaster.

 

[Whitey23]

I think this is where we hope to put Mr. Sykes

from what I've read he is being looked at as a LB.

 

[RF2044]

Disagree about the rb situation, not takng at least one this year is a recipe for disaster.

Disaster? We'll have Jerome Smith back [assuming he doesn't go pro], Morris, McFarlane, and AAM. Broyld might fit here, as well.

Ideally, we should be bringing in a prospect [or 2] at RB in every class, but I don't see it as a disaster if for some unforeseen reason we don't add one this year. Not like it would impact the depth chart for next season, or be a situation where we'd have to rely upon an incoming recruit to fill a need.

That's all I'm saying.

 

[Ernj]

Erv Phillips seems like a Cuse lean but I dont like when a player stretches his recruitment out like this when he doenst have a lot of big time offers, this has all the hallmarks of him looking for either a bigger offer or a specific school.

I have no inside info at all, but I do not feel like Phillips is dragging out his recruitment - I get the impression he is #2 in line for a specific role. What it seems like to me is SU is trying to bring in two guys - a big back and a slot/scat back type. I think Ollison would fill the big back role and the hope is Witter fills the other. To me, it looks like Phillips would have committed already but the coaches are waiting on Witter's answer - if he commits to another school Phillips will commit soon after.

 

[cuseinchina]

To me the two biggest story lines that will play out over the next 6-7 months, will be who we can land at the O line and RB positions. Its funny usually the QB position is where SU is scrambling for recruiting, but with 2 solid recruits last year and Long this year we couldnt be in better shape.

As for RB and OL I have heard some rumblings/concerns from a few people, nothing to serious and certainly nothing to panic about, but some legit concern. At this point I was hoping we would have at least 1 OL commit, unfortunately we have lost out on a couple guys we were pretty high on and a few others we had high on our board. We still have a few irons in the fire but Applefield is a long shot and I wouldnt hold my breath on Mavesty either. I think we will see a lot of names pop up this fall of recruits who aren't on our radar right now. We need to bring in at least 3 lineman, JUCO maybe the way to go here.

Regarding the RB situation I would have zero concern except for the fact that we brough in zero RB recruits last year. Redshirting Morris and Macfarlane was a huge help but when you miss a year you need to double your haul the next season to ensure depth and a pipeline as players graduate. I like Ish's tape but its hard to gauge where he may end up. Erv Phillips seems like a Cuse lean but I dont like when a player stretches his recruitment out like this when he doenst have a lot of big time offers, this has all the hallmarks of him looking for either a bigger offer or a specific school. Ollison is a crapshoot as well, we are definitely in it but like Ish I think were more likely to be the bridesmaid then the bride. This situation shoudl clear itself up in the next 2-3 weeks, again will be interesting to see where the staff goes if we miss out on Ish and Ollison.

Feel like i'm reading syracuse.com with this. Recruiting seems to be going well, multiple 'connected' people seem to be indicating we should see another rush of commits in the coming few weeks. Lets enjoy it!!

 

[JeremyCuse]

Feel like i'm reading syracuse.com with this. Recruiting seems to be going well, multiple 'connected' people seem to be indicating we should see another rush of commits in the coming few weeks. Lets enjoy it!!

You must be new here. Nothing about that post said syracuse.com

 

[SUFaninNJ]

I know Howard was recruited as a safety, but if the coaches whiff on all of their RB targets, it's possible that they could put him on offense. That being said, I don't see them completely whiffing.

 

[JeremyCuse]

I know Howard was recruited as a safety, but if the coaches whiff on all of their RB targets, it's possible that they could put him on offense. That being said, I don't see them completely whiffing.

Agreed, i like the fact we could have him play rb.

 

[cuseinchina]

You must be new here. Nothing about that post said syracuse.com

I would beg to differ which is why I said it. Cali seems to be a big doubter/naysayer as well and he liked the post. Re-reading what you wrote it does seem less negative than I gathered at first impression. Anyway sorry to be insulting, just thought the tone was pretty negative and not reflective of what seems to be shaping up to be a pretty good reality of this year's recruiting effort. Maybe the syracuse.com comparison was too harsh - those guys are horrible I spend pointless minutes on there every day trying to correct their misdeeds.

 

[JeremyCuse]

I would beg to differ which is why I said it. Cali seems to be a big doubter/naysayer as well and he liked the post. Re-reading what you wrote it does seem less negative than I gathered at first impression. Anyway sorry to be insulting, just thought the tone was pretty negative and not reflective of what seems to be shaping up to be a pretty good reality of this year's recruiting effort. Maybe the syracuse.com comparison was too harsh - those guys are horrible I spend pointless minutes on there every day trying to correct their misdeeds.

No worries, I didn take it as a personal insult just wanted to make it clear my post was nothing on the level of that cesspool at syracuse.com. Dont waste your time over there, while there ar a few fans over there who should probably find this place most are just trolls, dont waste your time or breath. Regarding my post, I certainly didnt mean for it to come off as negative or with a negative tone. Just trying to look at the situation from a more realistic side then I think some (not you) have been. I think to date we have put together a great class, we have shored up the LB for the next half decade and brought a dynamic playmaker in KJ and two high upside guys in Long and Howard. That being said we need to nail down some O line and RB recruits and to date we have lost out on a couple of kids I think that were high on our list. As I said before its no reason to panic but its also no slam dunk we end up with Ish or Ollison or Mavesty or the line prospect from Chicago. As someone noted before landing 2 out of the 5 (counting phillips) would be a nice get for SU. As I said in my original post I think we will get involved with a couple kids that are not on our radar right now but I think we need to land at least 1 top end RB and OL recruit if were going to have the kind of special class a lot of people on here feel is coming.

 

[cuseinchina]

No worries, I didn take it as a personal insult just wanted to make it clear my post was nothing on the level of that cesspool at syracuse.com. Dont waste your time over there, while there ar a few fans over there who should probably find this place most are just trolls, dont waste your time or breath. Regarding my post, I certainly didnt mean for it to come off as negative or with a negative tone. Just trying to look at the situation from a more realistic side then I think some (not you) have been. I think to date we have put together a great class, we have shored up the LB for the next half decade and brought a dynamic playmaker in KJ and two high upside guys in Long and Howard. That being said we need to nail down some O line and RB recruits and to date we have lost out on a couple of kids I think that were high on our list. As I said before its no reason to panic but its also no slam dunk we end up with Ish or Ollison or Mavesty or the line prospect from Chicago. As someone noted before landing 2 out of the 5 (counting phillips) would be a nice get for SU. As I said in my original post I think we will get involved with a couple kids that are not on our radar right now but I think we need to land at least 1 top end RB and OL recruit if were going to have the kind of special class a lot of people on here feel is coming.

Agreed on o-line, looking for something to happen there hopefully soon. That will increase the confidence level in the quality of the class. But all in all a very good start relative to past years.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Disaster? We'll have Jerome Smith back [assuming he doesn't go pro], Morris, McFarlane, and AAM. Broyld might fit here, as well.

Ideally, we should be bringing in a prospect [or 2] at RB in every class, but I don't see it as a disaster if for some unforeseen reason we don't add one this year. Not like it would impact the depth chart for next season, or be a situation where we'd have to rely upon an incoming recruit to fill a need.

That's all I'm saying.

Let me clarify, the reason I said It could be a recipe for a disaster is that without bringing in at least 1 RB recruit this year you open yourself up to being one injury away to having two healthy RB's on the roster. I dont know if Jerome will be back or not but if he goes pro you have Morris, Macfarlane and then a guy in AAM who at this point is really a power/short yardage guy. Broyld is not a RB and I think wouldnt see much time there unless it was an emergency situation. If your a BCS Div 1 school you cannot go two years without addressing a position as critical as RB, you just cant, period.

 

[tep624]

Being called a Syracuse.com poster is the slur of this board.

 

[CuseCuse]

To me the biggest team need and one we haven't filled at all - and don't appear to be looking to fill - is at defensive end.

Ive brought it up before so sorry if I begin to sound repetitive but to me this looks like we are switching to a 3-4 defense. We don't have a lot of depth at the position on the team right now and as far as I have seen we havn't really put out many offers to DE's either if any at all. Also with the fact that we are looking to bring in 4-5 LB's in one class and I think we can connect some dots.

I personally love the idea, more ways to attack the offense with different blitz packages to keep them guessing. Just my opinion of the situation however.

 

[Upstate]

I know Howard was recruited as a safety, but if the coaches whiff on all of their RB targets, it's possible that they could put him on offense. That being said, I don't see them completely whiffing.

I think the RBs will flock after SU carves out 200ypg on the ground this year.