Recruiting Roundup: Florida teammates Whittaker, Hawkins hold Syracuse offers

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Clemson has dominated Syracuse since it joined the ACC

What a great Thanksgiving to be a Syracuse fan. On top of the relatively mild weather in Central New York and a plate full of Turkey and stuffing, the Orange upset its old rival UConn in the Bahamas. While you’re working off your food coma, let’s move to today’s recruiting links…

Chris Whittaker, a 2017 prospect from Chaminade (Fl.) Madonna, is beginning to generate some interest. Scout.com’s Corey Bender speaks with Whittaker, who holds offers from Charlotte, Bowling Green and Syracuse. Whittaker is a 6-foot-3.5, 245-pound defensive end.

Bender also chats with Whittaker’s teammate, 2018 defensive end Davoan Hawkins. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound was nearly moved to tears upon receiving his first college offer, this one coming from Syracuse. He is also drawing interest from Charlotte.

» Related: Taurean Thompson likes Syracuse, picks up NC State offer

Middletown (N.J.) South 2016 prospect Thomas Lopez will visit Pittsburgh this weekend for the Miami Hurricanes game, writes NJ.com’s Todderick Hunt. Lopez has plenty of options to choose from, with offers from Rutgers, Syracuse, UConn, NC State, and Pitt.

Staying in New Jersey, 2017 defensive tackle Fred Hansard will be at Michigan this weekend for “The Game” against Ohio State. Hansard is the No. 2 prospect in New Jersey, and the seventh best DT prospect in the country. He holds plenty of high-major offers, including Ohio State, Michigan, Rutgers and Syracuse.

One final note for today: With Syracuse receiving one scholarship back a year over four seasons, expect the Orange to go hard after Taurean Thompson. The 2016 big man noted earlier in the week that Syracuse was among the schools contacting him the most, and that was before SU had an open scholarship to offer. Expect SU to really turn up the heat for him now.

That’s all for today. Today is Black Friday, but it’s also Buy Nothing Day, so you all have your pick of activities!

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About Wes Cheng 2907 Articles
Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also been a contributing writer for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), for SportsNet New York (SNY) as a news desk writer covering all of New York professional sports, and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a degree in journalism. Contact him at wes[at]sujuiceonline.com.