As Syracuse’s season is set to begin Friday night, this past week in recruiting was one of the wildest since late July.

News broke on Sunday afternoon that four-star running back Robert Washington had decommitted from Syracuse due to trust issues with the SU coaching staff, according to multiple reports.

Washington told running backs coach DeAndre Smith, his primary recruiter, to stop contacting his father, Robert Washington Sr., but Smith continued to do so anyway, per Syracuse.com.

The East Gaston (North Carolina) High School product would have been just the fourth four-star running back the Orange has snatched in the past decade. He was previously the only four-star commit in SU’s 2016 class according to Scout.com. Washington originally chose SU over offers from Alabama, Michigan, Florida, North Carolina, Texas Christian and about 40 other schools.

After Washington announced his pledge to the Orange in April, he openly discussed his desire to help recruit other players to Syracuse. He visited SU last fall with 2016 hybrid Moe Neal, a close friend, and 2017 cornerback Aapri Washington, a cousin of his.

• Neal, who committed to Syracuse on Aug. 1, said Washington’s decommitment would have no effect on his pledge to SU in a text message to The Daily Orange.

Washington was told by Orange coaches that he would be the only running back taken in the 2016 class. Neal, however, had a spot because he was recruited to play Tim Lester’s new hybrid position.

• Aapri Washington also said Washington’s decommitment would have no effect on his decision. He said he likely won’t verbal until next summer and has offers from Mississippi, TCU and West Virginia. He plays at Mount Island Charter (North Carolina) School, where Robert Washington Sr. is an assistant coach and DeAndre Smith is his primary recruiter.

• Three-star Class of 2016 defensive back Cycoby Burch pushed his announcement back until after he takes some official visits. He was originally going to commit to one of his top four schools — Syracuse, WVU, Indiana or South Florida — on Aug. 28.

Published on September 2, 2015 at 5:53 pm

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