Syracuse had only three recruits in its class in mid-June. After two Scott Shafer-era recruits left and another preferred walk-on fullback opted to try for scholarship offers, the Orange had a three-star quarterback, a three-star outside linebacker and an unranked wide receiver. And then the coaching staff made a push.

In a nine-day flurry, SU added seven recruits to its ledger on both sides of the ball. Six of those are offensive players. First-year head coach Dino Babers has emphasized speed from both his players and offensive unit as a whole, using the hashtag #OrangeIsTheNewFast on Twitter. He’s acquired that in his most recent commits. He’s also picked up his first two New York recruits after stressing the importance of recruiting in the school’s backyard at his opening press conference. Three commits held offers from Bowling Green, Babers’ last coaching post.

Before this push, Syracuse had received commitments from New Jersey quarterback Tommy DeVito on April 16, Florida wide receiver Sharod Johnson on April 17 and Michigan linebacker Zach Morton on May 10.

You can track the entire Class of 2017 here.

Here’s a roundup of the recent recruiting activity, the Hudl.com highlight tape will be under each player’s blurb when available:

Tyrell Richards, unranked linebacker, June 18

The 6-foot-3, 218-pound Ontario native was recruited mainly by Tom Kaufman, the new Orange special teams coordinator/linebackers coach. The three-hour drive from home played a large role in the decision, he said.

Nykeim Johnson, 3-star wide receiver, June 21

The Washington, D.C. slot receiver fits the mold of Babers’ up-tempo offense. The 5-foot-9, 167-pound Johnson runs a 4.42-second 40-yard dash, according to his Hudl page. He held an offer from Bowling Green.

Joshua Palmer, 3-star wide receiver, June 22

Two days, two wideouts. One day after adding Nykeim Johnson, the Orange picked up Palmer from Florida. Though six inches taller and 23 pounds heavier than Johnson, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Palmer apparently runs the 40-yard dash just as fast. His time is 4.44 seconds, per a YouTube clip posted by his father in 2015.

Dakota Davis, 2-star offensive tackle, June 24

The 6-foot-5, 310-pound Maryland player became the first offensive lineman in Syracuse’s Class of 2017. He is quick for a lineman and runs the 40-yard dash in 5.50 seconds, according to his Hudl page. He bench presses 300 pounds and squats 435, per the site.

Eric Coley, 3-star athlete, June 25

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Coley started his junior season in Michigan but transferred to Fayetteville-Manlius (New York) High School in February. The school is roughly 10 miles from the Syracuse University campus. SU hired Vinson Reynolds, Coley’s father, as its new defensive line coach and that became the reason for the move.

Coley is slightly slower than receivers Johnson and Palmer, running the 40-yard dash at 4.57 seconds, according to his Hudl page. He also held an offer from Bowling Green.

Cameron Jordan, unranked wide receiver, June 26

The Half Hollow Hills (New York) High School West senior became the fourth wide receiver to commit to Syracuse. The 6-foot-4, 187-pound Jordan was not ranked by any major recruiting sites but held offers from Atlantic Coast Conference schools Boston College and Wake Forest. He caught 29 passes for 854 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, according to Hudl. The site also lists his 40-yard dash time as 4.51 seconds and that he has a 40-inch vertical.

Allen Stritzinger, 3-star running back, June 26

The 6-foot, 183-pound Michigan senior played both running back and corner back in high school. He was the first running back to commit to Syracuse’s Class of 2017. His primary recruiter, per Scout.com, was running backs coach Mike Hart.

He held offers from Bowling Green and Western Michigan, Hart’s prior school.

You can follow The Daily Orange football recruiting tab for more updates as they happen.

Published on June 29, 2016 at 4:33 pm

Contact Sam: sjfortie@syr.edu | @Sam4TR