A quick take on Syracuse football’s first day of the 2022 Early Signing Period:
WHAT HAPPENED: The Orange added 14 new players on the first day of the early signing period. Heading into Wednesday, SU appeared in line to sign all 10 of their verbal commitments and were favored to flip Northwestern decommit Denis Jaquez. But as Wednesday unfolded, the Orange won two more recruiting battles, picking up a commitment from Louisville transfer Bralyn Oliver and 2022 linebacker Kadin Bailey, and a surprise pickup from Australian punter Max von Marburg.
| Name | Position | Height | Weight | Hometown | High School |
| LeQuint Allen | RB | 6-0 | 205 | Millville, N.J. | Millville |
| Kadin Bailey | LB | 6-1 | 210 | Jefferson, Ga. | Jefferson |
| Belizaire Bassette II | DL | 6-2 | 270 | Broward, Fla. | American Heritage |
| Donovan Brown | DL | 6-2 | 172 | Montgomery Village, Md. | Quince Orchard |
| Joe Cruz | OL | 6-6 | 280 | Holbrook, N.Y. | Sachem North |
| Dom Foster | DB | 6-1 | 175 | Warren, Ohio | Warren G. Harding |
| Denis Jaquez Jr. | DB | 6-4 | 235 | Richland, N.J. | St. Augustine Prep |
| Mekhi Mason | LB | 6-2 | 220 | Pembroke Pines, Fla. | Monsignor Pace |
| Cornell Perry | DB | 6-1 | 180 | Brownstown, Mich. | Woodhaven |
| Quan Peterson | DB | 6-1 | 175 | Chester, S.C. | South Pointe |
| Chad Schuster | OL | 6-6 | 275 | Franklin, Wisc. | Franklin |
| Maximilian Von Marburg | P | 6-0 | 192 | Wagga Wagga, South Wales | St. Mary Mackillop Colleges Wagga |
| Jeremiah Wilson | DB | 5-11 | 173 | Kissimmee, Fla. | Osceola |
| Bralyn Oliver | DB | 6-1 | 192 | Anderson, S.C. | Louisville (transfer) |
ANALYSIS:
- Oliver arrives from Louisville with four years of eligibility remaining, having not appeared in any games with the Cardinals. He had originally committed to Oregon State as a transfer back in November, but flipped over to Syracuse after visiting the Orange over the weekend. Oliver was a three-star recruit in the 2021 recruiting cycle, and initially committed to Georgia before picking Louisville. His original offer list included Arkansas, Colorado, Duke and Florida. He is also a childhood friend of current Syracuse DL Jatius Geer.
- Syracuse had to sweat out the decision for Bailey, who waited until after 4:00 p.m. to announce his decision during an in-person signing ceremony. His finalists were Syracuse and Kansas State. The 2022 linebacker, who visited the Orange earlier in December, also held offers from Tennessee and East Carolina, and is rated three stars by 247 Sports.
- Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day came around 11 a.m., as the Orange received a commitment from Australian punter Max von Marburg. He has a limited recruiting profile and does not have a rating from 247 Sports. But it is not the first time the Orange has gone internationally to find its players, as SU signed German prospect Maximilian Mang in last year’s cycle, and he went on to appear in games at tight end and full back. Both James Williams and Ian Hawkins struggled in punting duties last year, and von Marburg’s arrival will likely stir competition heading into 2022.
- As expected, Syracuse was able to flip Jaquez, a New Jersey defensive lineman. He had originally committed to Northwestern, but announced his decommitment over the weekend following his official visit to Syracuse. He has a close relationship with Syracuse freshman cornerback Deuce Chestnut and is one of the top rated DLs from New Jersey.
- Even with the additions, this isn’t a particularly strong class for Dino Babers, now entering his seventh season as SU’s head coach. Syracuse ranks 13th out of 14 teams in the ACC in average player rating, and is coming off another losing season, the sixth in Babers’ seven years as head coach. Syracuse ranks only ahead of Virginia, who is in the midst of a coaching change, and is joined by Duke (also going through a coaching change) as the only teams in the conference to not have a four-star recruit as part of its incoming class.
HERO: The crown jewel of the class is three-star running back LeQuint Allen from Millville (NJ) High. Rated 783rd nationally, and 13th in New Jersey, he was the Gatorade Player of the Year in New Jersey. With several running backs from last season in the transfer portal, Allen has an opportunity to compete for field time right away as the primary backup to Sean Tucker given the limited depth of that position group. “Can he be another Sean Tucker?” Babers said. “LeQuint, he’s coming out with a lot more stars (than Tucker) and juice and we think he’s good.”
» Related: Breaking down Syracuse football’s 2022 NLI class with 247 Sports’ Stephen Bailey
ZERO: Of course, it wasn’t all good news for the Orange on Wednesday. Syracuse was among the finalists for several players that signed with other schools including WR Chris Reed (Utah), OL Terrance McClaim (Memphis), QB Henry Belin (Duke), OL Cam East (Ole Miss), LB Garrison Madden (USC), and RB Jordaan Bailey (Pitt).
WHAT’S NEXT: This class is far from done, as the Orange will look to the transfer portal to fill its roster ahead of the February signing period. The immediate need for depth comes at the offensive and defensive lines, and SU may also look to pick up another experienced quarterback. But Babers was quick to caution that a player who’s left may not be replaced by a player of the same position. “If you get a position group that’s really young and you don’t have major players that have played at a young age,” Babers said, “then we may look for a little bit older guy to give you more experience there.” Depending on other pending decisions (Garrett Williams and Mikel Jones, to name a couple), the Orange may have another 10-15 scholarship spots to fill. “We’re halfway done,” Babers said.
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