Syracuse’s Dino Babers welcomed quarterback Tommy DeVito to the fold as the second-year coach continues to build the Orange in his mold.
The Orange, who finished 4-8 last season, also signed four wide receivers and two tight ends to beef up its fast-paced aerial attack but failed to land any four-star recruits. Its class was ranked 56th by 247 Sports, ahead of only Wake Forest and Boston College in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
DeVito is the centerpiece of the class and an important addition for a team that saw 13 players leave the program after last season.
Other things to know:
Top 25 Class: No.
Best in class: DeVito. The Don Bosco Prep graduate has one of the strongest arms in the country and held offers from Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Washington State. He was the first player to commit to Syracuse and kept his word.
Best of the rest: Ravian Pierce, TE. Pierce, who also had an offer from LSU, caught 50 passes for 426 yards and two touchdowns last season for Southwest Mississippi Community College.
Late addition: Ifeatu Melifonwu, DB, Grafton Memorial High School in Massachusetts.
One that got away: WR Josh Palmer of St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He de-committed in mid-January and signed with Tennessee.
How they’ll fit in: The big story for the Orange will be if junior quarterback Eric Dungey can make it through an entire season without suffering a debilitating injury. He’s missed four games in each of his first two seasons at Syracuse, compliments of a number of hard hits to the head area that caused at least one concussion. His grasp last year of Babers’ new system was impressive before he went down with an injury after a shoulder-head hit. DeVito said Wednesday he does not plan to redshirt, and with the departures of QBs Austin Murphy and Rex Culpepper and former walk-on Zack Mahoney the only other quarterback with experience running the new offense, DeVito likely will have a chance to emerge sooner than expected.
___
More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25 .
___
For the full list: https://www.cuse.com/
Please read our comment policy before commenting.