A little bit of everything this week in the world of Syracuse football and basketball recruiting.
Cruz commits
For the second straight year, Syracuse received a commitment from an offensive lineman whose last name is Cruz.
Enrique Cruz was one of the gems of last season’s class. This year it’s Joe Cruz out of Holbrook, NY who committed last week. He stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs 285 pounds. His only other offers are from Lafayette and Stony Brook.
Cruz, currently unranked by the recruiting services, joins recent commit WR Donovan Brown as under-the-radar finds by Dino Babers and his staff.
For sure, a portion of the fanbase will roll their eyes and think, “great, Babers can’t recruit and is now offering kids way down on his list that no one wants. When does hoops season start?”
Au contraire, Mon Fraire!
Does the name David Conner ring a bell?
He’s a Class of 2022 offensive lineman out of Deerfield Beach, FL who at 6-foot-7, 280 pounds, is very similar in size to Joe Cruz.
When Syracuse offered Conner back in June, he only had a handful of non-Power 5 offers. In July a 247Sports writer cast a Crystal Ball for Conner to commit to Florida Atlantic. And sure enough, some fans viewed Conner as an afterthought recruit.
Since then, Conner has received offers from Arizona, Liberty, Maryland, and Florida, most recently. Two days ago, Conner received two Crystal Ball predictions for Florida. As in, the Gators. SEC football. And Florida is the only school listed as “warm” on his 247 profile. Four Rivals writers have also issued FutureCasts for Conner to the Gators.
So before fans cast aside Cruz and Brown, let’s wait and see how this all plays out. And perhaps a tip of the hat to Babers and his staff for recognizing talent during a challenging 15 months on the recruiting front.
Upfront reinforcements
Besides Cruz, Syracuse is in the hunt for some other offensive linemen. The Orange brought in five OL recruits last year and they’re looking to bolster that depth with this year’s class.
Derek Osman is a 6-foot-4, 290 pound OL currently playing at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, CT. The 3-star recruit is originally from Mercer Island in Washington state. His Twitter profile says he was the No. 1-ranked center in Washington.
Isaiah Adams is a 6-foot-6, 320-pound lineman originally from Ontario. Adams currently attends Garden City Community College and is scheduled to graduate in December. He’ll have two years of eligibility.
Orange or an Eagle?
Dom Foster is a 6-foot-2, 175-pound Athlete out of Warren OH. The 3-star recruit has unofficially visited both Syracuse and Boston College. Besides the Orange and the Eagles, ACC foes Virginia and Wake Forest have also offered. Nick Monroe is Foster’s primary recruiter for the Orange. Feels like a Syracuse-BC contest for Foster’s commitment.
Turning to basketball, there have been a couple of recent developments on the hardwood as well.
» Related: Adelson says Syracuse making a bowl game is imperative for Babers’ future
Jersey turnpike to NY?
Syracuse recently offered 6-foot-9 PF Dominick Barlow. He attends St. Benedict Prep in Newark, NJ. The 3-star recruit fields a host of offers including Florida, Kansas, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rutgers, Seton Hall, and South Carolina.
Copeland to commit?
The Orange has been hot on Quadir Copeland’s trail for some time now. Presumably, he’d play point guard for Jim Boeheim’s team. He’s a 3-star recruit on 247Sports and a 4-star recruit on Rivals. He’s received one Crystal Ball and one FutureCast – both for Syracuse. Syracuse and Maryland are both listed as “warm” on his 247Sports profile.
Copeland announced a commitment date of August 10. Should he select the Orange, he’ll join Kamari Lands and Justin Taylor as Syracuse commits.
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