4 recruits react to their visit for Syracuse v. Duke

Syracuse hosted more than three dozen recruits on Saturday in their ACC matchup against Duke.

Though the Orange ultimately lost, 38-3, the Syracuse coaching staff had a chance to make their pitches to the recruits in person.

Here are the reactions of four recruits who were on campus.

2027 RB Xavier Bala (NY)

One of New York State's top prospects, Bala currently holds offers from Syracuse, Connecticut, UMass and Syracuse, among others. The Melville (NY) St. Anthony's prospect said that SU is 'high' on his list, and valued his time getting to develop deeper relationships with the coaching staff.

"It was great other than the L," Bala said. "Got to spend time with a lot of the coaches."

Bala got to spend the most time with assistant running backs coach Devin Redd and head coach Fran Brown.

"We talked about life and how to be a good leader," Bala said. "We also went over run schemes and how I fit into what they do."

2028 QB Brady Quinn (FL)

Quinn visited Syracuse for Franchise Camp in summer 2024 and earned an offer from the Orange, adding to a list that includes Louisville, Kentucky, Missouri, UCF and Maryland, among many others. He returned to Central New York over the weekend.

"Trip was great," Quinn said. "I had an amazing time. Can’t wait to get back up."

While the Syracuse offense struggled on Saturday, the Naples (FL) First Baptist prospect also has seen SU's demonstrated history of high-powered offenses under offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon.

"I feel like Coach Nixon uses the QB very well, they throw the ball a lot and I really like that," Quinn said. "We all see the success that they’ve had with Mccord and Angeli and how they can put up crazy numbers."

2027 WR Austin Busso (NJ)

Busso picked up an offer from Syracuse after attending Franchise Camp in June, and this was his first trip back to Central New York.

“The trip was great,” Busso said. “I loved it. The crowd was electric.”

The Oradell (NJ) Bergen Catholic athlete said he spent the most time with quarterbacks coach Nunzio Campanile and wide receiver coach Myles White.

“Both gave me some really good advice,” Busso said.

2028 EDGE Osiris Niven (MA)

Niven’s first collegiate offer came from Syracuse in June after he competed at Franchise Camp and has continued to hear from the staff since.

"It was amazing,” Niven said. "The coaches made me feel welcomed and cared for."

Among the coaches he spoke with the most included EDGE coach Nick Williams, and Williams was open about SU’s struggles against Duke.

“(We) talked about a 'bounce back' as they had a loss and I had lost my game on Friday night,” Niven said. “We both knew we had to comeback stronger the next game."

SUPPORT THE JUICE ONLINE

Got a Syracuse recruiting tip? E-mail Recruiting Analyst Charles Kang here.