With just over two weeks until National Signing Day, Syracuse’s 2016 recruiting class continued taking shape this weekend. The Orange’s current class sits at 13, seven of which verbally committed since head coach Dino Babers’ hiring on Dec. 5. Nine players have left the class since then.

The weekend was highlighted by Sean Riley and Devon Clarke’s commitments and Lindsey Scott’s decommitment.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s transpired recently in the world of Syracuse football recruiting.

Sean Riley

Riley, a 5-foot-9, 165-pound athlete from Narbonne (California) High School, flipped his pledge to the Orange on Sunday afternoon after previously being committed to Arizona. He took an official visit to SU this weekend along with two other Narbonne teammates Cedric Byrd and Devaughn Cooper, who are both wide receivers.

Riley is ranked with three stars and as the 22nd best “all-purpose back” in the 2016 class according to 247Sports.com’s composite rankings. He was a threat for Narbonne both as a runner and a pass-catcher, compiling 1,518 rushing yards and 424 receiving yards as a senior, according to MaxPreps.com. Riley also held offers from Utah, Wyoming and San Diego State.

Devon Clarke

Clarke committed to the Orange while on his official visit. He originally tried pledging to SU in July, but his commitment was turned down by the previous coaching staff. The Osceola (Florida) High School safety had never taken a visit to Syracuse and then-tight ends and tackles coach Jake Moreland told him he’d have to visit before committing.

As of Jan. 6, he hadn’t heard from the new staff. But then he was invited to SU and was offered a scholarship on Sunday night. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Clarke joins cornerback Carl Jones and safety Scoop Bradshaw as the third member of the secondary in the 2016 recruiting class.

Lindsey Scott

About an hour after Clarke committed to Syracuse on Sunday night, quarterback Lindsey Scott decommitted. He originally chose SU on Oct. 5 while Scott Shafer was still head coach. Despite the coaching change, Scott stayed on with the Orange, at least until Sunday. On Friday, co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Sean Lewis visited Scott.

The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Zachary (Louisiana) High School signal-caller was named Louisiana’s Gatorade Player of the Year. He is ranked with three stars and as the 28th best dual-threat quarterback in the 2016 class according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. Rex Culpepper, who is enrolled for the spring semester, is the only other quarterback currently in the 2016 class.

Scott also has offers from Tulane and Rutgers among others. On Monday, he tweeted that he’s also received an offer from Maryland, where Shafer is now the defensive coordinator. Four-star quarterback Dwayne Haskins flipped his commitment on Monday from Maryland to Ohio State, potentially opening up a spot for Scott.

Evan Foster

Safety Evan Foster received an in-home visit from Syracuse secondary coach Nick Monroe on Monday. Foster decommitted from Bowling Green following Babers’ move from the Falcons to the Orange. He is also still being recruited by BGSU and received an in-home visit from their coaches on Monday, too.

Jo-El Shaw

Three-star running back Jo-El Shaw tweeted that Syracuse is one of his top three options along with Pittsburgh and Western Michigan. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Shaw is ranked with three stars and as the 76th best running back in the 2016 class by 247Sports’ composite rankings. He received an in-home visit from Lewis and running backs coach Mike Hart.

Jawon Hamilton

Running back target Jawon Hamilton verbally committed to Central Florida on Sunday. He previously reportedly had an official visit to Syracuse set up for this upcoming weekend.

Published on January 19, 2016 at 2:45 am

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