Syracuse Football Recruiting: QB Options for Orange in Class of 2016

Lindsey Scott de-committing from Syracuse was surprising and certainly a significant hit to the recruiting class. It was obvious however, that the new staff prioritizes Rex Culpepper over Scott. Culpepper received an immediate in-home visit upon the new staff taking over and Scott didn't hear from the new staff for almost three weeks.

Now, the Syracuse Orange must try to find a second quarterback in the 2016 cycle. First of all, its important to realize that signing two quarterbacks in one class is inherently difficult. Every QB that has ever been recruited wants to play as soon as possible. A QB recruit already has to assess the depth chart and figure out where he might fit in with the current QBs on the roster. Having another QB in the same class creates even more competition.

That being said, Syracuse's depth chart at quarterback is thin. Syracuse had a walk-on play quarterback in eight games because he was their best option after three other quarterbacks (Terrel Hunt, Eric Dungey and AJ Long) weren't healthy enough to play. For 2016, Syracuse will have Eric Dungey, Austin Wilson, Zack Mahoney, Kenterius Womack and Rex Culpepper on the roster. However, as we've seen, you just can't have enough depth at QB. This list is pure speculation, if there is known contact between the target and Syracuse, it will be noted.

Who's Out:

Devon Modster: Modster de-committed from Arizona on New Year's Eve and had a Syracuse offer by January 2. However, Modster visited UCLA this past weekend and committed on Monday.

Lindsey Scott: After de-committing from Syracuse, Scott cancelled his official visit scheduled for January 29, signaling that he is no longer even considering the Orange. Scott received offers from Rutgers and Maryland. Both schools had a verbally committed QB flip to a different school in the last week (Rutgers: Chris Russo flipped to Temple; Maryland Dwayne Haskins flipped to Ohio State). Scott also received an in-home visit from Maryland.

Graduate Transfer:

Davis Webb: Webb was a three-star QB out of Prosper Texas. He enrolled early at Texas Tech in January of 2013 and ended up playing in ten games his freshman year, starting 5 of them. Webb completed 62% of his passes while throwing for 2700 yards, twenty touchdowns and winning the Holiday Bowl MVP. His sophomore year was injury plagued as he started only 8 games and threw 24 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. This past year, redshirt freshman Patrick Mahomes won the starting job and threw for over 5,000 yards. Webb will graduate in May and will Co-Offensive Coordinator Sean Lewis did begin following Webb on Twitter after the announcement that Webb would transfer.

Class of 2016 Flips:

Matt Little: Little is a 6'4", 210 lbs. dual threat QB from Evanston, Illinois. He is currently committed to Western Michigan and is rated three stars. Syracuse obviously has a connection with Western Michigan, with two of their current staff previously being employed at WMU, but the connection goes deeper than that. Little worked with another quarterback who hails from Illinois, Jimmy Garrapalo. Garrapolo starred at Eastern Illinois under Dino Babers, ultimately resulting in Garrapolo making it to the NFL. The downside: Little has been committed to PJ Fleck and company for over 14 months and hasn't shown any signs of wandering.

Anthony Brown: Brown is a 6'2", 200 lbs. dual threat QB from St. John Vianny High School in Holmdel New Jersey. Brown committed to Boston College in May of last year and is rated three stars. Upon Coach Babers being hired at Syracuse, Brown was one of the first recruits he began following on Twitter. However, Brown hasn't shown any signs of wavering in his commitment to the Eagles. Boston College did change offensive coordinators; however the new OC Scot Loeffler is renowned for working with QBs, including Tom Brady while he was at Michigan.

De'Vante Cross: Cross is a 6'2", 195 lbs, dual threat QB from Parkland High School in Allentown Pennsylvania. Cross committed to Boston College as a cornerback in October but re-opened his recruiting December 22. The previous staff recruited Cross as well, and Cross had some reciprocal interest. Virginia is also reportedly recruiting Cross as well. Cross could be a recruit Syracuse recruits at QB with a back up plan to play cornerback if the depth at the QB position improves.

JUCO:

Anthony Ford: Ford is a 6'3", 205 lbs. pro-style QB from Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Ford was 2013 Gatorade Player of the Year in Pennsylvania. He committed to Virginia Tech and redshirted his freshman year in 2014. He subsequently transferred to Lackawanna County College in Pennsylvania, and played there this past year. He has an offer from Iowa State and visited there in November. Ford is rated the fourth best pro-style Junior College QB by 24/7.