Syracuse Brings in 15 New Recruits on the Early National Signing Day

By Jonathon Hoppe

As expected, the first day of the early signing period was a busy one for Syracuse football. There weren’t too many surprises, but there were several moves that could have a significant impact on the team’s 2018 recruiting class.

Most things went as planned, but there were a couple of surprising announcements.

Quarterback Chance Amie Flips from Houston to Syracuse

This is likely the best announcement for Dino Babers and the Orange today. Amie, a three-star quarterback from Texas, decided to decommit from Houston after the Cougars’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson left for Florida. This doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, as Amie visited Syracuse this past weekend. The dual-threat signal caller joins a talented group of quarterbacks led by senior Eric Dungey and redshirt-freshman Tommy DeVito.

Tyrone Sampson Decommits from Syracuse

For the past several months, fans have dreamed about the tandem of Samson and Qadir White causing havoc for SU on the offensive line. As of right now, only White is set to join the Orange. Sampson, a four-star center, announced today that he is reopening his recruitment. The Michigan native made it clear Syracuse is still an option, but that he wanted to take advantage of his four remaining official visits. Other teams interested in Sampson include Michigan, Michigan State and Indiana.

Still a successful day for Babers and the Orange

The loss of Sampson is big, but there’s still a chance he could sign with Syracuse. Right now, the Orange’s 2018 recruiting class ranks 44th in the nation, per 247 Sports. Not only is the number a fitting one, but it shows the team is headed in the right direction in terms of recruiting. SU ranked 54th last year.

When Babers took to the podium this afternoon to discuss the day, the optimism surrounding the 2018 class was clear.

“Obviously (we’re) extremely excited about the class we just signed,” Babers said. “We feel that it’s a class that’s really going to give us a foundation based off the last two classes that we put in here.”

This is the first year of the NCAA’s new early signing period. Previously, recruits were not allowed to officially sign with a program until February. Now, programs like Syracuse get the opportunity to add players to its roster earlier. Babers mentioned that he thinks the Orange may have struggled to keep some of the players that signed today until February. Missing a bowl game was a disappointment, but it allowed SU to focus on recruits while other programs are still prepping for games.

Syracuse locked up two-thirds of its 2018 recruiting class today, and plans to sign the remaining third of its class in February.

Full list of players officially signed:

Taj Harris – Wide Receiver

Willem Froumy – Offensive Tackle

Cam Jonas – Safety

Andre Cisco – Safety

Trill Williams – Athlete

Tre Allison – Linebacker

Juan Wallace – Linebacker,

Carlos Vettorello – Guard

Anthony Queeley – Wide Receiver

Copper Lutz – Wide Receiver

Ed Hendrix – Wide Receiver

Qadir White – Offensive Tackle

Gabe Horan – Tight End

Lakiem Williams – Linebacker

Chance Amie – Quarterback