Syracuse Recruiting Roundup: Purdue Game Visitors, Drew Fielder

September 19, 2022 Steve Auger Football, Recruiting
Syracuse head coach Dino Babers
Syracuse head coach Dino Babers speaks to media at the 2022 ACC Kickoff event.

So there just might be something to the strategy of inviting recruits to home games. Let’s recap the young season, shall we?

More than 40 recruits witnessed the Orange stomp a mudhole in Louisville and walk it dry as Syracuse’s defense, aka The Mob, stifled Malik Cunningham in the home opener. On the offensive side of the ball, the teachings of Robert Anae and Jason Beck showed that it is possible to win games without simply handing the rock off to Sean Tucker, as pleasing (SWIDT) as that is to watch.



After routing UConn on the road, Syracuse returned home this past weekend for a Barn (Dome) Burner against Purdue. The game lived up to the hype even though Purdue bottled up Tucker and the passing game wasn’t crisp.

But fans and recruits witnessed near miraculous heroics as Garrett Shrader Dungey McNabb marched the Orange down the field and connected with Oronde Harrison Gadsden II for the winning touchdown with just seven ticks left on the clock.

And while the electric atmosphere and comeback win should help recruiting, let’s not blame Purdue for the loss. I mean, it’s not their fault. They didn’t know! 

So, who exactly attended Saturday’s heart-stopper? For starters, there were a number of Class of 2023 commits according to SI’s Mike McAllister including Jayden Bass, David Clement, Zyian Moultrie-Goddard, and Rashard Perry. Joining the current SU verbals from the Class of 2023 was Maryland DB Ibrahim Barry.

Numerous other recruits received invites and/or attended the game according to their Twitter posts. The list includes:

» Related: The latest with Syracuse recruits Ian Jackson, Elijah Moore

Class of 2022

Jumping back to the Class of 2022, Syracuse got lucky in missing out on offensive lineman Savion Herring. Herring ended up at Tennessee but was dismissed from the team last week after getting arrested for domestic assault.

Naquil Betrand

Now, let’s discuss Naquil Betrand, who was also invited to the Purdue game.

Betrand committed to Texas A&M back in early August. Syracuse, a finalist for his services, apparently hasn’t stopped recruiting him. And he must still have some interest as Betrand attended the home opener against Louisville.

If Betrand is so set on A&M, why would the coaching staff keep inviting him to games and why would he accept the Louisville invite? This is certainly a situation worth watching.

Basketball Recruiting

In hoops news, center Drew Fielder from Southern California Academy recently picked up a Crystal Ball to Providence. 247 Sports’ Travis Branham reports that Fielder will be making his decision later today.

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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."
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