Syracuse football finalizes 2017 recruiting class

National Signing Day 2017 took place around the country on Wednesday and Syracuse was no exception.

Some refer to the day as Christmas Eve, because there is so much to look forward to and following all of the Orange's prospects signing, SU head coach Dino Babers thanked his team for the way they helped to recruit this year’s class.

“When I think about the 2017 recruiting class I think about the 2017 football team,” he said.

Babers and the Orange welcomed 24 players in this year’s class. The new members of the team are made up of five total players on the defensive line, four wide receivers, hree inside linebackers, two defensive backs, two offensive linemen, two running backs, two tight ends, two athletes, one inside linebacker and one quarterback. 

Babers and the coaching staff feel that the 2017 class is going to be, “the cornerstone of this program.”

These players come from across the country and include two from Canada. Babers said that he hopes to continue to recruit from Canada as long as he is coaching the Orange and that he’s just as excited to have recruits from the north as he is to have them from around the country.

“You can see that there’s a good base, a good foundation there,” Babers said about the incoming recruiting class.

One of the biggest Orange signees is quarterback Tommy DeVito from Cedar Grove, New Jersey.

DeVito was originally a two-star commit but rose to a four-star player by the end of his senior season, according to ESPN. Even when he was rated as two-stars, Babers said he saw something special in DeVito.

“I loved his desire, I loved his will, I loved the chip that he had on his shoulder that he was a lot better than what everyone else evaluated him out to be,” Babers said. “Hopefully we can continue that and he can be extremely special.”

Although DeVito is getting a lot of attention, when asked if he would take the starting job from incumbent Eric Dungey, Babers laughed and said, “he doesn’t even know the plays yet.”

Another notable commit in the Orange’s class is a local player, Eric Coley.

Coley, a product of Fayetteville-Manlius High School, is the third ranked player in New York State, according to ESPN. He decided to stay home and play for the Orange.

“One of the top athletes in the state of New York,” Babers said of Coley. “We’re very excited that he decided to stay home and play for Syracuse University.”

The Orange will report to spring practice before kicking off their season on September 2 against Central Connecticut at the Carrier Dome.