Empire State of Mind: Syracuse Football Recruiting Sees Uptick in In-State Commitments
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Syracuse football has done a nice job with in-state recruiting thus far in the 2023 cycle. The Orange has landed four players from New York in tight end David Clement, defensive lineman Rashard Perry, defensive lineman Jalil Smith and linebacker Zyian Moultrie-Goddard. There has been a perception that the efforts in the Empire State have been greater than in years' past. Is that perception reality? We took a look back at every recruiting class under Dino Babers to find out.
The short answer is yes. The four in-state players would be the most of a recruiting class in the Dino Babers era and the most since 2012 when the Orange signed seven New York prospects. Of the seven previous recruiting classes under Babers, Syracuse has had two or fewer New York players six times. The 2018 class, which was headlined by Trill Williams, had three Empire State products. Here is the breakdown by class.
2022: 2
2021: 2
2020: 1
2019: 0
2018: 3
2017: 2
2016: 0
Since the 2019 cycle yielded zero New York State recruits, there has been a steady uptick culminating with the 2023 results to date. It would represent double or more of six of Syracuse's last seven recruiting classes, and the cycle is not over. The Orange has offers out to other in-state prospects, including defensive back Zion Tracy (while he is attending a prep school in Connecticut, he is a New York native).
The increased efforts go beyond just commitments as well. Syracuse has seen a flurry of visitors this spring and summer, many of which were in-state recruits. With approximately five months until early signing period and seven months until the late period, there is the potential Syracuse could add to its haul before the cycle is over.
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