Dino Babers and his staff stay hot on recruiting trail

Syracuse scored five more commitments during the month of July and the start of August

Dino Babers
Syracuse head coach Dino Babers looks on from the sidelines. Mandatory Photo Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports.

July started the same way June ended for Dino Babers and his staff; with recruiting momentum. After picking up six verbal commitments in June, highlighted by Cornelius Nunn out of Miami, Syracuse has secured five more verbals, bringing its Class of 2019 to 12 commits.

Speaking of Nunn, he recently attended Miami’s Paradise Camp. Nunn attends Miami Palmetto High School and has said that the Hurricanes are a top-three choice of his. With Miami actively recruiting the Floridian, this is one recruiting battle to keep an eye on.

The Orange mined its Canadian pipeline for mammoth offensive tackle Matthew Bergeron. Relatively unknown due to playing in Canada, Bergeron stands at 6-foot-5, 280 pounds. The 3-star recruit is the second Canadian in the class joining fellow Quebec-native Geoff Cantin.

After adding more size in Bergeron, Dino Babers and his staff closed the month of July with some speed in the form of 3-star safety Dorian Hewett. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Hewett is an under-the-radar prospect out of Houston. The speedy Texan ran a hand-timed 4.5 second 40-yard dash at Syracuse’s July camp.

August started the way July ended with two pledges on the same day.

First, Syracuse added to its defensive backfield with cornerback Garrett Williams out of Harrisburg, NC. Williams is a 3-star recruit who stands at 5-foot-10.5, 171 pounds. Williams also received offers from Maryland and West Virginia.

Shortly after Williams pledged to the Orange, weak-side defensive end Ishmael Goulbourne announced his commitment. The Palm Beach Gardens, Florida native is a former teammate of current red-shirt freshman Cam Jonas. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound recruit was also offered by Cincinnati and Western Michigan.

» More SU football: Chris Slayton — Meet the 2018 Syracuse Football team

Syracuse added to its collection of wide receivers with a commitment from 3-star recruit Nazir Burnett. Listed at six-foot-0.5 and 167 pounds, Burnett fields an impressive offer list. The Orange beat out conference foes Boston College and Pittsburgh along with Michigan State, Cincinnati, Rutgers, West Virginia, and Western Michigan. The Harrisburg product is the third player from Pennsylvania to commit to Syracuse in this class joining Courtney Jackson and Luke Benson.

Recruiting Director Vacancy

For the second straight month, Syracuse must replace its recruiting director. Dave Boller accepted the general manager position with the San Diego franchise of the newly-formed Alliance of American Football league. In June, Asil Mulbah left for a position with the Buffalo Bills. The Orange moved quickly and hired Landen Salem to fill the vacancy.

New York State of Mind?

One recruit to keep tabs on is Adisa Isaac out of the Bronx. The No. 1-rated player in New York recently released his top ten schools and the Orange made the list. But so did Tennessee, Florida, LSU, Rutgers, Boston College, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Michigan, and Penn State. Dino Babers and his staff will have their work cut out for them to keep Isaac home.

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About Steve Auger 165 Articles
Steve Auger is a freelance writer whose work has covered a variety of topics including sports, pets, parenting, healthy living, local government and human interest stories. Steve’s been a diehard Syracuse sports fan for over 25 years. To this day, the words “Smart takes the shot” still make him cringe. And according to Rutgers' fans, he's "not a take."