Class of 2025 WR Darien Williams (NY: CBA) COMMITTED TO SYRACUSE (3/16/24)

[A Clockwork Orange]

This is a very foreign question for us Syracuse fans to consider. We just don’t historically get many 4 star players.

But in 2024, according to 247 composite rankings, we got 4. Super unusual. If memory serves, Tremble was Dino’s, but Fran got the other 3. It was an historic class.

But let’s look at how the other ACC schools did recruiting 4 stars in 2024.

FSU 16
Miami 11
Clemson 11
UNC 6
NC State 5
Syracuse 4
(Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech also got 4)

2024 Recruit ACC Football Team Rankings

In order to create the most comprehensive Team Recruiting Ranking without any notion of bias, 247Sports Team Recruiting Ranking is solely based on the 247Sports Composite Rating.

247sports.com

Strange is a composite 4 star already. Darius Williams is close right now and I think it is likely he is going to have a great senior season and also end up a 4 star. Lawrence only has an offer from us, comes from a school without a lot of visibility and is probably going to end up a 3 star.

This is probably going to be a medium sized class. Maybe 15-20 players? I expect we will take at least 5 guys from the portal (and continued attrition in this new age of college football). So there won’t be that many opportunities to get big numbers here.

My guess is we end up taking 16 players and half of them, yes half of them end up being 4 stars. So I am setting the over/under for 4 stars at 8.

That said, I am an optimist. That might be high. But I wouldn’t underestimate what Coach Brown and his staff are capable of.

Let’s see what happens. Others are welcome to chime in with their opinions.

Syracuse 2025 Football Commits

Syracuse

247sports.com

The chart I created below details the number of four-star recruits who committed to SU over ten years before 2024. All the numbers come from 247.

I included high schoolers, transfers, and then transfers who were 4-star or higher in high school. I excluded anyone from that list who was re-ranked as a four-star as a portal recruit.

As Tom details above, this year, we recruited four four-star recruits: two high schoolers and two transfers. Between 2018 and 2023, we recruited four four-star recruits in total. So Fran Brown equaled our four-star recruits from the past five years in just one recruiting cycle.

The table below provides other insights, including the number of four-star recruits that didn't actually pan out here.

This year's recruiting class is certainly an outlier, which we already knew. It will be interesting to see if that continues in 2025. With one four-star in the fold and a second recruit who will probably be graded as a four-star when all is said and done, I'm hopeful it will.

Recruiting Class​	High School​	Transfers​	Transfer (4-star in HS)​
2024​	2 (Tremble, Edwards)​	2 (Diggs, McCord)​	2 (Hastings, Haynes)​
2023​	0​	0​	1 (Ingraham)​
2022​	0​	0​	2 (Clark, Del-Rio Wilson)​
2021​	1 (Enrique Cruz)​	0​	1 (Garrett Shrader)​
2020​	0​	0​	0​
2019​	1 (Neil Nunn Jr.)​	0​	0​
2018​	2 (Qadir White, Trill Williams)​	-​	-​
2017​	1 (Tommy Devito)​	-​	-​
2016​	0​	-​	-​

2015​	1 (Dontae Strickland)​	-​	-​
2014​	1 (K.J. Williams)​	-​	-​

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[upperdeck]

It would be nice if the 4 stars actually came in and dominated as well. While we have gotten some glimpses of nice play from ours, I wouldn't say we got much more than the 3 stars we normally get.

 

[Cuse181]

It’s NYS HS FB

Still, i feel like NYS FB should be better considering the skill in jersey, Mass, Connecticut, and Penn

 

[721Comstock]

The chart I created below details the number of four-star recruits who committed to SU over ten years before 2024. All the numbers come from 247.

I included high schoolers, transfers, and then transfers who were 4-star or higher in high school. I excluded anyone from that list who was re-ranked as a four-star as a portal recruit.

As Tom details above, this year, we recruited four four-star recruits: two high schoolers and two transfers. Between 2018 and 2023, we recruited four four-star recruits in total. So Fran Brown equaled our four-star recruits from the past five years in just one recruiting cycle.

The table below provides other insights, including the number of four-star recruits that didn't actually pan out here.

This year's recruiting class is certainly an outlier, which we already knew. It will be interesting to see if that continues in 2025. With one four-star in the fold and a second recruit who will probably be graded as a four-star when all is said and done, I'm hopeful it will.

Recruiting Class​	High School​	Transfers​	Transfer (4-star in HS)​
2024​	2 (Tremble, Edwards)​	2 (Diggs, McCord)​	2 (Hastings, Haynes)​
2023​	0​	0​	1 (Ingraham)​
2022​	0​	0​	2 (Clark, Del-Rio Wilson)​
2021​	1 (Enrique Cruz)​	0​	1 (Garrett Shrader)​
2020​	0​	0​	0​
2019​	1 (Neil Nunn Jr.)​	0​	0​
2018​	2 (Qadir White, Trill Williams)​	-​	-​
2017​	1 (Tommy Devito)​	-​	-​
2016​	0​	-​	-​

2015​	1 (Dontae Strickland)​	-​	-​
2014​	1 (K.J. Williams)​	-​	-​

Shouldn’t this first class under Fran have SIX 4* guys?

Regardless, Fran & crew brought in more high end talent in a few months,
than the prior 2 regimes did in a combined decade plus.

#FRANDEMONIUM.

 

[cali315phan]

The chart I created below details the number of four-star recruits who committed to SU over ten years before 2024. All the numbers come from 247.

I included high schoolers, transfers, and then transfers who were 4-star or higher in high school. I excluded anyone from that list who was re-ranked as a four-star as a portal recruit.

As Tom details above, this year, we recruited four four-star recruits: two high schoolers and two transfers. Between 2018 and 2023, we recruited four four-star recruits in total. So Fran Brown equaled our four-star recruits from the past five years in just one recruiting cycle.

The table below provides other insights, including the number of four-star recruits that didn't actually pan out here.

This year's recruiting class is certainly an outlier, which we already knew. It will be interesting to see if that continues in 2025. With one four-star in the fold and a second recruit who will probably be graded as a four-star when all is said and done, I'm hopeful it will.

Recruiting Class​	High School​	Transfers​	Transfer (4-star in HS)​
2024​	2 (Tremble, Edwards)​	2 (Diggs, McCord)​	2 (Hastings, Haynes)​
2023​	0​	0​	1 (Ingraham)​
2022​	0​	0​	2 (Clark, Del-Rio Wilson)​
2021​	1 (Enrique Cruz)​	0​	1 (Garrett Shrader)​
2020​	0​	0​	0​
2019​	1 (Neil Nunn Jr.)​	0​	0​
2018​	2 (Qadir White, Trill Williams)​	-​	-​
2017​	1 (Tommy Devito)​	-​	-​
2016​	0​	-​	-​

2015​	1 (Dontae Strickland)​	-​	-​
2014​	1 (K.J. Williams)​	-​	-​

Also for last year Willis, Barnes, Brown and Ross were all rated as a 4 star on atleast 1 of the 4 main recruiting sites.

 

[oldpinepoint]

There is a cone of silence around recruiting. No leak zone.

Wiltfong is reporting about an SU commitment because the local guy, Finneral, is gone and they haven't hired a replacement yet.

patience

 

[BomberOrange]

Still, i feel like NYS FB should be better considering the skill in jersey, Mass, Connecticut, and Penn

It’s better than perceived but it’s not Jersey or PA.

 

[tep624]

I would like to see Stephen Baily replace Finneral.

Bailey is a good writer but he’s a bad fit for a recruiting site. He’s a columnist. Plus, he already was the site guy at 247 for I believe a few years and you can ask anyone that subscribed during that time - the available timely recruiting information was bleak.

Just never really appeared he had an interest in being “that” guy during his time there.

 

[CuseLegacy]

patience

Just because there is a change coming doesn't mean the access will improve.

 

[CuseLegacy]

Bailey is a good writer but he’s a bad fit for a recruiting site. He’s a columnist. Plus, he already was the site guy at 247 for I believe a few years and you can ask anyone that subscribed during that time - the available timely recruiting information was bleak.

Just never really appeared he had an interest in being “that” guy during his time there.

Don't worry, Bailey has taken another career path.

 

[tep624]

Don't worry, Bailey has taken another career path.

Best case scenario is if Mike M. goes back there. He’s the only person that’s shown any ability to maintain a steady stream of recruiting info.

 

[Jake]

When Williams said he was offered by “the hometown team”….i had a feeling we were in really good shape. That’s an anomaly…

 

[oldpinepoint]

Just because there is a change coming doesn't mean the access will improve.

This is true

 

[PhatOrange]

My guess would be there is a staff connection to this reporter. Get SU into the national recruiting news, increase national interest in SU for possible recruits.

yep that is exactly my guess to. Fran knows.

 

[MadNY3]

When Williams said he was offered by “the hometown team”….i had a feeling we were in really good shape. That’s an anomaly…

I have a feeling emphasizing “hometown” is Fran talk too.

 

[klemmer56]

Bailey is a good writer but he’s a bad fit for a recruiting site. He’s a columnist. Plus, he already was the site guy at 247 for I believe a few years and you can ask anyone that subscribed during that time - the available timely recruiting information was bleak.

Just never really appeared he had an interest in being “that” guy during his time there.

So here is the rub, and ask you (and everyone else) this...if you had both Stephen and Mike reporting on 247, would you subscribe?

Stephen for the street reporting, and Mike for recruiting.

I ask this as I have been a Irish Illustrated (247) sub for over 2 decades, and that site has more subs now than ever before, especially after the Rivals writers acquisition (3+ years ago). Right now, they have 2.5 columnists and 1, used to be 2*, recruiting insiders. *Tom Loy is the best in the biz.

If you want 247 to support the Cuse site, and see them invest in that site, then sub to them. Simple as that.

Or is there still a grudge when Garcia left, and Dohn was set as the recruting POC for the site?

 

[BomberOrange]

So here is the rub, and ask you (and everyone else) this...if you had both Stephen and Mike reporting on 247, would you subscribe?

Stephen for the street reporting, and Mike for recruiting.

I ask this as I have been a Irish Illustrated (247) sub for over 2 decades, and that site has more subs now than ever before, especially after the Rivals writers acquisition (3+ years ago). Right now, they have 2.5 columnists and 1, used to be 2*, recruiting insiders. *Tom Loy is the best in the biz.

If you want 247 to support the Cuse site, and see them invest in that site, then sub to them. Simple as that.

Or is there still a grudge when Garcia left, and Dohn was set as the recruting POC for the site?

Personally, I don’t care as I just wait for the info to hit this board. Eventually word leaks and it hits here.

 

[BomberOrange]

So here is the rub, and ask you (and everyone else) this...if you had both Stephen and Mike reporting on 247, would you subscribe?

Stephen for the street reporting, and Mike for recruiting.

I ask this as I have been a Irish Illustrated (247) sub for over 2 decades, and that site has more subs now than ever before, especially after the Rivals writers acquisition (3+ years ago). Right now, they have 2.5 columnists and 1, used to be 2*, recruiting insiders. *Tom Loy is the best in the biz.

If you want 247 to support the Cuse site, and see them invest in that site, then sub to them. Simple as that.

Or is there still a grudge when Garcia left, and Dohn was set as the recruting POC for the site?

Oh and F ND

 

[TheHaze315]

So here is the rub, and ask you (and everyone else) this...if you had both Stephen and Mike reporting on 247, would you subscribe?

Stephen for the street reporting, and Mike for recruiting.

I ask this as I have been a Irish Illustrated (247) sub for over 2 decades, and that site has more subs now than ever before, especially after the Rivals writers acquisition (3+ years ago). Right now, they have 2.5 columnists and 1, used to be 2*, recruiting insiders. *Tom Loy is the best in the biz.

If you want 247 to support the Cuse site, and see them invest in that site, then sub to them. Simple as that.

Or is there still a grudge when Garcia left, and Dohn was set as the recruting POC for the site?

I think that would be a great combo. Stephen is great at the reporting while Mike is a walking recruiting nugget and has all the scoops. Would get a subscription out of me.

 

[tep624]

So here is the rub, and ask you (and everyone else) this...if you had both Stephen and Mike reporting on 247, would you subscribe?

Stephen for the street reporting, and Mike for recruiting.

I ask this as I have been a Irish Illustrated (247) sub for over 2 decades, and that site has more subs now than ever before, especially after the Rivals writers acquisition (3+ years ago). Right now, they have 2.5 columnists and 1, used to be 2*, recruiting insiders. *Tom Loy is the best in the biz.

If you want 247 to support the Cuse site, and see them invest in that site, then sub to them. Simple as that.

Or is there still a grudge when Garcia left, and Dohn was set as the recruting POC for the site?

The thing is, if it’s like a canned thing (watching a practice, game, attending a press conference), Bailey does a good job because he’s a good writer. But if it requires going outside that scope and requires real long term relationship building (directly contacting recruits, looking on social media for clues, developing relationships with the staff) - at least in his time at 247 he showed little if any interest or ability to do that. I just got the impression that he wants to write 2-3 articles at the tail end of each week, take the weekend off, then post those on Monday. And that doesn’t work in the recruiting world. The recruiting articles he did write, when scoops weren’t completely missed, were consistently days behind other outlets.

So if you could combine Bailey’s writing ability with Mike’s interest/drive for recruiting information, then you’d have the perfect recruiting site writer. But for that site, I’d take Mike with his writing flaws 10/10 times over Bailey if I had to pick just one.

Garcia I thought was the best all around that site had specific to Syracuse but he was never staying there long because he was that good.

And I think as long as Dohn is in charge of recruiting there it will be difficult to get a strong SU fan base there. It’s a massive conflict of interest and the fact they blow that off is all you need to know.

 

[money3189]

Great get for Fran. More work to be done

 

[jr4750]

Was it discussed yet he may be coming in to play DB?

 

[Cuse12]

Was it discussed yet he may be coming in to play DB?

A poster mentioned in this thread Fran wants him at DB. His WR tape is very impressive too. Good to know that he can do both and let’s fit him in where he can best help. But Fran thinks that’s on the defensive side I believe.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

A poster mentioned in this thread Fran wants him at DB. His WR tape is very impressive too. Good to know that he can do both and let’s fit him in where he can best help. But Fran thinks that’s on the defensive side I believe.

From one of the articles:

While Williams could end up on the offensive side of the ball, he has an inkling he may end up playing defense.

"Right now, they're bringing me in as an athlete, but I think they're more learning towards having me as a corner," Williams said.