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After a 1-10 season in 2020, Syracuse football has added 12 recruits to its Class of 2022 over the past few months.

The Orange’s last recruiting class, the Class of 2021, has 22 incoming players — all of whom are rated 3-stars or lower. They also picked up quarterback Garrett Shrader from the transfer portal. Shrader is expected to compete for the starting job with Tommy DeVito.

As of Wednesday, Syracuse’s Class of 2022 ranks 12th in the Atlantic Coast Conference out of 14 ACC schools, and 62nd nationally, per 247Sports. Here’s an overview of Syracuse’s commits:

Belizaire Bassette, defensive lineman, 3-star

Bassette, a defensive lineman from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, chose Syracuse over Illinois, Texas A&M and Appalachian State, among others. He’ll join 2022 commit Malachi Davis on the Orange defensive line. SU had four defensive linemen enter their names into the transfer portal this offseason, though they did add five players at the position from the Class of 2021. At 6-foot-1 and 270 pounds, Bassette’s highlight reel from American Heritage High School shows a quick lineman who can juke blockers.

Mekhi Mason, linebacker, 3-star

Mason committed to Syracuse after his official visit on June 4. The 104th ranked linebacker in the nation chose the Orange over Indiana, Florida State and Georgia Tech. The Opa-Locka, Florida native was recruited by safeties/nickelbacks coach Nick Monroe.

LeQuint Allen, running back, 3-star

As of early July, Allen is Syracuse’s only running back commit for the Class of 2022. He was Dino Babers’ second addition of the recruiting cycle and is among the top 100 running backs of his class. The 6-foot, 180-pound back will likely compete alongside Cooper Lutz and Sean Tucker if Jarveon Howard and Abdul Adams decide the 2021 season will be their last.

Cornell Perry, defensive back, 3-star

Perry was SU’s first commit for the Class of 2022. The defensive back also has experience playing wide receiver at Woodhaven High School (Michigan). At 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, he chose Syracuse over Bowling Green, Buffalo and Central Michigan, among others.

Malachi Davis, defensive lineman, 3-star

Davis joins Bassette on the line for the Orange after being recruited by defensive line coach Vinson Reynolds and defensive coordinator Tony White. Davis took his official visit in June after committing in March, which he said solidified that SU was a great fit.

Jeremiah Wilson, cornerback, 3-star

Wilson announced his commitment on June 30, writing in a Twitter post that he “won’t let this be the highlight of my career” and that it’s “just the beginning.” White recruited the cornerback, who is ranked No. 113 at his position in the Class of 2022.

Quan Peterson, cornerback, unranked

Peterson told 247Sports that coming to Syracuse was “a dream come true.” At 6-foot-1, he said he could potentially see himself playing both nickel and corner, which would mold well into White’s versatile defense schemes. He chose Syracuse over Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Tech, among others. “It felt just like home,” he said of his visit to SU.

Donovan Brown, wide receiver, unranked

Brown announced his commitment to Syracuse on Twitter on July 30. He’s the first wide receiver commit for the Class of 2022 and the second offensive player that the Orange have picked up from the class. While Brown dominates on the field at 6-foot-3, he is also a state champion on the track, running a 100-meter in 10.96 seconds. Brown will compete for the starting position, which is held by Taj Harris, who may choose to not use his extra year of eligibility after his senior season this year. 

Joe Cruz, offensive lineman, 3-star

Cruz is the first from his position group to commit from the Class of 2022 and the third offensive player SU has picked up from the class. At 6-foot-6, 275 pounds, the in-state star comes to Syracuse over offers from Lafayette and Stony Brook. Cruz will join a position group that ranked 113th out of 127 teams last season, according to Pro Football Focus. With its struggles, Syracuse also hired Mike Schmidt as offensive lineman coach, replacing Mike Cavanaugh who left for Arizona State in January.

Dom Foster, defensive back, 3-star

Foster is the second three-star recruit from his position to commit from the Class of 2022 — the seventh defensive player from the bunch. He received a verbal offer from the Orange during an unofficial visit to campus in June before committing on Aug. 18 in a tweet. The commit from Warren G. Harding High School will join a young core at SU’s secondary, one that’s going into its second year in the 3-3-5. Foster is the seventh three-star commit from the class.

Chad Schuster, offensive lineman, 3-star

The Franklin, Wisconsin native committed to Syracuse on Aug. 25. He becomes the second offensive lineman to join the Orange’s Class of 2022, alongside 3-star commit Joe Cruz. The 6-foot-6, 280-pound lineman chose Syracuse over Ball State, Bowling Green and Central Michigan, among others.

Q’yaeir Price, defensive lineman, 3-star

Price, the eighth member to verbally commit to SU’s Class of 2022, announced his decision in mid-July. The 6-foot-2, 255-pound defensive lineman from Wayne, New Jersey, was listed as the 95th-best defensive line prospect in his class and the 14th-best in the state. He chose Syracuse over West Virginia, Boston College, Indiana, Pittsburgh and Maryland, among others. Price joins 3-star defensive linemen Belizaire Bassette and Malachi Davis at SU.

This post will be updated with additional reporting.

Published on August 25, 2021 at 10:25 am