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On Wednesday, the Syracuse Orange football team will round out their class of 2020 with a few more players. While Dino Babers has worked hard to reshape his staff, they have also been hitting the recruiting trail finishing out the class with some scholarships remaining. What should we be watching for? We have some ideas...
Will Antwan Reed Go Orange?
Antwan Reed is a JUCO offensive tackle from Michigan, currently playing at Brooklyn’s ASA College. The 6’5” 325 lbs. lineman was originally a Western Michigan commit before enrolling at ASA, and has been recruited by Syracuse, Florida State, and Tennessee (among others). With Reed being in Syracuse’s adopted home of NYC, it seems the Orange have the home field advantage in recruiting the kid.
What does the coaching staff think of their new QBs?
Let’s be real: Going into their respective commitments, Jacobian Morgan and Dillion Markiewicz were not on anyone’s radar outside of the SU football office. The two previously unranked quarterbacks (now both 3 stars) were out-of-nowhere commits with relatively little film or information. As their stats and stories became known, it’s clear both are high upside players. While there are no guarantees about either (and far fewer givens vs. blue-chip prospects), both players are very intriguing.
More secondary help en route?
Given the pace Syracuse plays at and the issues on display from the secondary for what feels like over a decade now, we’ll always take the extra depth among defensive backs. Wednesday could add another DB in Richmond (Va.) safety Jahad Carter, a former three-star Virginia Tech commit, who’s set to announce his decision this week. Carter played at North Carolina’s Jireh Prep in 2019, and received an Orange offer this past weekend. He’s largely expected to choose between SU, Texas Tech and FAU.
More scholarships available
The four players mentioned above plus previous commit Chase Atkinson could get SU close to 85 scholarships before any other potential offseason attrition. There are 79 scholarship players on the roster following the departures of Trishton Jackson (NFL Draft) and Sam Heckel (injury), and if all five potential signees come through, that gets SU to 84.
Potential additions could still come this offseason via the JUCO ranks and/or the transfer portal. That last scholarship could also get awarded to a walk-on senior if it’s not filled by kickoff. But one would expect that Babers and his staff are glad to fill the spot if there’s interested talent that can add both current and future depth.