Monday Musings: Syracuse Football Pursuing Committed Target

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There is less than a month until the early signing period begins, and it is sure to be full of drama across the recruiting landscape. There are always unpredictable flips, commitments, signings, decommitments, etc. How will this impact Syracuse? Let's take a look.

Coaching Changes

We have already seen some movement in the coaching carousel. Luke Fickell is expected to leave Cincinnati for the Wisconsin job. How does this impact Syracuse? The Orange had been in pursuit of Garden State offensive lineman Nick Oliveira. He was offered in May but committed to Cincinnati a month later without visiting the Orange. With the Fickell movement, Syracuse has gotten back involved as Oliveira announced Syracuse reoffered. I spoke briefly with Nick and he indicated Fickell leaving Cincinnati makes Syracuse a realistic option. He is not sure if he will visit yet but the Orange will definitely push for one. Other schools also pushing to get back involved include Penn State, Duke, Rutgers and Pittsburgh.

Situations like Oliveira could continue to occur as coaches move. That is something to watch from a Syracuse perspective over the next few weeks.

Flip Season

As it gets closer to National Signing Day, flips become more and more prevalent. For those unfamiliar, a flip is when a player committed to one school switches his commitment to another. Or signs with a school he was not committed to. It happens every cycle to almost every program. Syracuse is no different. That means there will likely be additions to the Orange's 2023 class that are committed to other schools and there could be one or two players currently committed to Syracuse that could sign elsewhere.

Who are some of the prime candidates? In Syracuse's 2023 class, quarterback LaNorris Sellers had a monster senior season showing he fully recovered from the injury that cost him his junior season. That led to in-state SEC school South Carolina extending an offer and continuing to pursue. He is solid with Syracuse and I do not think there is anything to worry about as of now, but recruiting is unpredictable so you never know. It is worth monitoring.

Who could Syracuse look to flip from other schools? We know they have continued to recruit offensive lineman Naquil Betrand since his pledge to Texas A&M and Florida commit Will Norman took a visit earlier this season. I think both stick with their SEC commitments, but they are worth monitoring. Other such targets will likely reveal themselves over the next few weeks.