Syracuse Football Recruiting: RB Markenzy Pierre flips from WKU to SU

All your recruits are belong to us, Western Kentucky.

The Syracuse Orange picked up a nice 2017 recruit on Saturday morning when three-star Florida running back Markenzy Pierre flipped his commitment from the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers to SU.

Pierre told Mike McAllister at Scout that "Syracuse is an up and coming program” and he likes the fast pace of Dino Babers’ system. “They run a lot of plays so that means a lot of opportunities for everyone on offense."

Syracuse RB coach Mike Hart offered Pierre earlier this week and the running back said that was a huge part of the attraction to the school.

"It made a huge difference. He is a coach that's been there and gone through the whole process. He likes what I offers and seeing that he's legit and thinks I can come in and contribute. He wouldn't just pick up anybody."

His recruitment was joint effort by OC Sean Lewis, Hart, and defensive backs coach Nick Monroe. Per Stephen Bailey, Pierre says he was told that some SU players currently listed as running backs could be moved after this season, which would in turn make it easier for him to compete for playing time. That raises some questions about what the future holds for Moe Neal and Jordan Fredericks, amongst others.

Hailing from Kissimmee, Florida, the 5’11”, 205-pounder is rated three stars by 24/7 and two stars by Scout and Rivals. He’s also the No. 103 running back in 247Sports.com's composite rankings. Last season he rushed for 1,677 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also caught 17 passes for 325 yards and four TDs.

Pierre joins Allen Stritzinger as the only two running backs in the Class of 2017, which is now up to 19 verbal commits.