Just as I finished writing yesterday about the teammates from Harrisburg, PA committing to the Orange next season, another recruit decided to join the party. Marcus Sales (6-foot-2, 185 pounds), a wide receiver from Christian Brothers Academy, announced he was staying in New York to play for Syracuse. Sales led all receivers in Section III Class AA in receptions (43) and yards (639). He is rated the 27th best wideout by Scout.com and the 42nd by Rivals.com. Sales is considered to be the second best prospect in New York State.The number one NY prospect, Averin Collier (below), has reportedly committed to the Orange as well. An official announcement will be made at a press conference later today, but according to Collier's high school coach Paul Dick, the running back will enroll in classes when the second semester begins in January. Not only is Collier the top prospect in New York, he is one of the most highly rated tailbacks in the nation. He is ranked as high as 10th by Scout and 25th by Rivals. Robinson has apparently told Averin's head coach a number of times that Collier is the biggest recruit ever landed by Syracuse under his watch.
This is a major win for Robinson, keeping the top talent from New York State. Along with Collier and Sales, Robinson has received an oral commitment from DeAndre Prester "who is definitely the best player in the Utica area," according to CBA head coach Joe Casamento. Other local talent snagged by Robinson include offensive linemen Ian Allport (Pulaski) and Nick Lepak (Auburn), tight end Chandler Jones (Endicott), and defensive end Matt Jones (Rochester).
Recruiting can be a crap shoot though, see Lobdell, Lavar. Lobdell was a four star recruit out of CBA who could have gone to Southern California. But in his time at Syracuse, he has done very little. In two years Lobdell has caught 13 passes for a total of 154 yards. But just look at the schools that some of Robinson's recruits just turned down for SU. Collier had offers from 19 schools including the likes of Alabama, Boston College, Clemson, Connecicut, Rutgers, and Virginia. Sales chose the Orange over Pittsburgh and North Carolina where former CBA quarterback Mike Paulus is a redshirt freshman. Tyrell Harris (cornerback, Pennsylvania) was being recruited by powerhouses Tennessee, Michigan, and Penn State. His teammate Mike Jones (tailback) had 40 schools to choose from, including Big East rivals West Virginia and Pittsburgh.
It is amazing to see how well GRob can recruit even after going 2-10 last season and with his job clearly riding on the 2008 season. He has three, 4-star freshmen coming to suit up for the Orange. Imagine the kind of players we could get if we won a few games.
