SU remains close to base

SYRACUSE — Doug Marrone didn't have to go far to find the 24 players who signed their National Letters of Intent to play for Syracuse University on Wednesday.

Of the 24 signees and seven transfers who enrolled at Syracuse in January, 19 come from connecting states.

"My main goal was to regain the foundation that has made this school so great in the sport of football," coach Marrone said. "That is our nucleus for what we try and recruit."

Marrone picked up nine from New York, four from Pennsylvania and three from New Jersey and Ohio. He also added five from Florida, two from California and one each from Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Virginia and Texas.

Syracuse's recruiting coordinator Greg Adkins said it is a very diverse class with one commonality.

"This is a class that has great athleticism," he said. "We needed help in all of our areas and we met that need in terms of offensive and defensive line, linebackers, every position that you can fill on a football team, we signed somebody today."

Marrone cited the cornerback position as the only one in which he didn't get the desired number of recruits. He signed three defensive backs — Olando Fisher, Keon Lyn and Jeremi Wilkes.

"It probably takes three recruiting classes to be right on those numbers," he said. "We try to stay one step ahead of (graduating players) as we go through. That's why you can get into some difficult situations."

The 2010 recruiting class focused mostly on non-marquee positions, including six linebackers, four offensive and defensive linemen and three tight ends.

"(Linebackers) probably have a chance to get on the field the quickest," Marrone said. "But it's no different than a lot of our players. Once you create competition, the best players play."

The most likely impact linebacker signed is Marquis Spruill. He's the best Syracuse recruit, according to recruiting Web site Rivals.com. Spruill is a four-star talent from the Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia.

"We feel we have two outstanding linebackers in our program right now with Doug Hogue and Derrell Smith," Marrone said. "We're all starting from zero again and we have to earn these positions."

The Orange did pick up six wide receivers to add to a receiving corps that relied primarily on Mike Williams before he quit the team, and then turned to Alec Lemon and Marcus Sales. They accounted for four touchdown, still two shy of Williams who didn't play in the final five games.

"You don't really know (who is going to stand out)," Marrone said. "To look at a piece of paper and say who is going to better than who, we're already creating a bias. I do not want that from our coaches."

According to Rivals.com, the best of the five is Adrian Flemming. He's a 3-star recruit from Brooklyn. Marrone and the other coaches aren't looking to him as the next Williams.

"I want to coach every one of these players, as well as the players we have here, the same way, like they're all going to play for us," he said. "They might some day."

That includes a legacy of sorts for Syracuse University. In the mix at outside linebacker is Macky MacPherson, grandson of former Syracuse coach Dick MacPherson.

Overall, Syracuse did crack the top-100 recruiting class in the country. Rivals.com ranked the Orange No. 78 overall, while Scout.com game Syracuse a No. 55 ranking.

It's another fact Marrone chooses to ignore.

"You cannot define this class until you get them on a college football field," he said. "A class will be defined for us one or two years down the road."