How Syracuse landed a titanic 6-foot-7 recruit

On Wednesday, Syracuse received a commitment from 2027 Old Bridge (NJ) High ATH Connor Long. It was the latest in a string of recruiting wins for the Orange, who now have eight commits, and currently have the No. 2 class in the country according to 247 Sports.

Long joined us on this week's Juice on the Cuse Podcast, presented by Bleav and On SI, to discuss his decision. One of the driving factors in making his commitment was a recent visit to Syracuse for their game against Pitt. Though the Orange ultimately lost, Long got a feel for what it would be like playing in Central New York.

Long goes in-depth into his decision to commit

“It honestly just felt like I was coming back home. The hospitality was amazing. And I got to really see what they have going on there. When I got there, I mean, right away, the coaches came up to me and all said hi to me. Coach Jared Hackmyer, my recruiter, he came up to me. Coach (Alex) Kelly came up to me. They were all greeting me and it just felt like home.”

The proximity to home was also part of the equation. Syracuse has recruited New Jersey hard during Fran Brown’s tenure with the Orange. Brown grew up in the Garden State and has been the state’s primary recruiter for stops at Georgia, Baylor, Rutgers and Temple. A quarter of the current 2027 class hails from New Jersey (with Travis Mills from Hillside (NJ) High being the other commit).

"I think Jersey is one of the best states for football. There's so much talent, so many kids that are working every day to get to the next level.”

Long will be back to Central New York soon

The 6-foot-7, 343-pound prospect has a couple of years before he arrives on campus, and said he will be back up many times before he officially enrolls at Syracuse. The goal is to become as familiar as possible with the Orange coaches, his teammates and the community by the time he arrives.

“I'm really just right now focusing on building a relationship and making it feel more like home and trying to get up there as much as I can. That's really what I'm focusing on, but I'm really excited to get up there.”

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