UPDATED: Sept. 5, 2020 at 12:30 a.m.

Terry Lockett became the first commit of Syracuse football’s 2021 class on March 22. Lockett, a 3-star defensive tackle from Springfield, Massachusetts, promised to recruit more prospects, using social media to add more high school juniors to Syracuse. 

“I’m just thankful to start the process at Syracuse, and hopefully other people will come along and join the family, because this is something special that Syracuse is building,” Lockett said.

Seventeen more commits have since followed Lockett. Many have communicated with SU coaches via videoconference and have taken virtual campus tours due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

As of Aug. 7, Syracuse’s 2021 recruiting class is 14th out of 14 ACC schools, per 247 Sports. Here’s an overview of each of the Orange’s verbal commits: 

Duce Chestnut, 5-foot-11, 180-pound defensive back, 4-star

Chestnut became the first 4-star commit of the class and Syracuse’s highest-rated commit since Trill Williams in 2018, choosing Syracuse over finalists Michigan State, Rutgers, Louisville and Miami. As a junior last year, Chestnut — who also plays quarterback and returns kicks for Camden (NJ) High School — was all-state, all-South Jersey and all-conference after recording 47 tackles and five interceptions.

Nick Monroe, SU’s safeties and nickelbacks coach, was the primary recruiter for Chestnut, who’s ranked the 23rd-best cornerback in his class and sixth-best in New Jersey.

Enrique Cruz, 6-foot-5, 202 pound offensive tackle, 4-star

Cruz became the Orange’s second 4-star commit for 2021 after picking the Orange over West Virginia, Arizona and Oklahoma State, among others. The Illinois native was recruited by SU coaches Mike Lynch and Mike Cavanaugh.

Terry Lockett, 6-foot-1, 255-pound defensive tackle, 3-star

Lockett weighed offers from Michigan, Buffalo and UMass before choosing SU. At Springfield Central (Mass.), he’s coming off two straight Division III state championships. 

Hayden Nelson, 6-foot-4, 248-pound defensive end, 3-star

Nelson, a Wisconsin native, was mainly recruited by new defensive coordinator Tony White and defensive line coach Vinson Reynolds. Nelson never visited Syracuse’s campus in-person and committed after taking virtual tours.

Malcolm Folk, 6-foot-1, 191-pound safety, 3-star

Folk, SU’s second commit, may play the “rover” position in White’s 3-3-5 defensive scheme. 247 Sports ranks him as the 56th best safety in the class and the 22nd recruit in his home state of Pennsylvania. 

Kendall Long, 6-foot-3, 215-pound wide receiver, 3-star

Long, the 19th best class of 2021 recruits in South Carolina, committed to Syracuse on May 5. He was mainly recruited by assistant head coach Justin Lustig and linebackers coach Chris Achuff. 

Josh Hough, 6-foot-2, 235-pound running back, 3-star

Hough became the first skill position player in the class when he committed on April 20. The Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania native is 247 Sports’ 117th best running back in the class. 

Landon Morris, 6-foot-5, 210-pound tight end, 3-star

Morris committed to Syracuse on May 12, becoming the eighth member of the class and sixth three-star commit. Morris plays at Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park, Illinois. In the highlights of his announcement video, he displays an impressive catch radius and leaping ability. Morris is the 35th best prospect in Illinois, according to 247 Sports.

Malik Matthew, 6-foot-3, 210-pound linebacker, 3-star

As the No. 6 overall prospect in New York, per 247 Sports, Matthew is the second highly touted in-state commit for the Syracuse class. 247Sports also ranks him the 89th outside linebacker of the cycle. Matthew attends Herbert H. Lehman High School in the Bronx and chose Syracuse over Rutgers and Boston College. Matthew was primarily recruited by Nick Monroe, Syracuse’s secondary coach.

Austin Roon, 6-foot-3, 200-pound outside linebacker, 3-star

Roon is rated as the second-best outside linebacker in Michigan and the No. 23 prospect in the state for 2021. He attends Byron Center, a school in West Michigan close to Grand Rapids, and selected Syracuse over offers including Arizona State, Ohio and Buffalo. Roon was mainly recruited by White and defensive line coach Vince Reynolds.

“Syracuse made me feel like a family,” Roon told The Daily Orange. “From the tour to the conversations with coaches, I knew it would be a good fit.”

Austyn Kauhi, 6-foot-5, 260-pound offensive tackle, 3-star

Kauhi is rated as the 140th best tackle in the class of 2021. The Honolulu native was recruited by eight schools, including Central Michigan, Hawaii, San Diego State and Fresno State. Kauhi received all eight offers beginning in April.

Wes Hoeh, 6-foot-4, 250 pound offensive lineman, 3-star

Hoeh, from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, chose Syracuse over Central Michigan, Bowling Green and Air Force. O-line coach Mike Cavanuagh was the primary recruiter for Hoeh, who alongside Kauhi is the second offensive lineman to commit to Syracuse in the past week. Hoeh told 247 Sports that SU’s esteemed business and management programs were also important factors in his decision.

Jatius Geer, 6-foot-5, 240 pound defensive end, 3-star

Geer, from Honea Path, South Carolina, plays strong-side defensive end, which means he typically lines up opposite the tight end. In his tape, Geer displayed an impressive top speed, converting turnovers into scores by outrunning opposing offenses. He also showed an array of inside and outside moves to get to the quarterback and blow up running plays.

Justin Lamson, 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback, 3-star

Lamson became SU’s 14th commitment on July 3 and is the first notable quarterback signing since Tommy DeVito in April 2017. From El Dorado Hills, Calif., Lamson is a dual-threat quarterback who threw for 3,114 yards and totaled 29 touchdowns in his junior year at Oak Ridge High School. He chose the Orange over ACC rival Louisville and multiple Mountain West schools, including Boise State.

Kalan Ellis, 6-foot-5, 350-pound guard, 3-star

Ellis is from Honolulu and plays offensive guard. He received offers from Hawaii, UCLA, Virginia and San Diego State. The offensive lineman’s athleticism allowed him to dominate most of his opponents in high school, impressing in both the run game and pass protection for St. Louis (Hawaii) School.

Tyler Magnuson 6-foot-5, 260-pound tackle, 3-star

Magnuson, an offensive tackle, committed to Syracuse on Aug. 7. The Minneapolis native is listed as a 3-star, according to 247 Sports. Magnuson, who offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh and safeties coach Nick Monroe recruited, also received offers from Arizona, Duke and Buffalo.

Elijah Fuentes, 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive tackle, 3-star

Ranked as the No. 5 prospect in New York, Fuentes is the sixth defensive lineman in the class to commit to Syracuse. The Bronx native plays at Cardinal Hayes and chose SU over Boston College, Rutgers and Wake Forest, among others.

Umari Hatcher, 6-foot-3, 175-pound wide receiver, 3-star

Hatcher — who is ranked the No. 146 receiver in his class and No. 19 in the state of Virginia, according to 247 Sports — committed to Syracuse on Sept. 4 over other offers from Michigan State, Penn State, North Carolina and nine others. He was a first-team all-state selection in 2019 after catching 56 passes for 1,400 yards and 17 touchdowns.

 Jaelin Moss, 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive tackle, 0-star

Moss became the first in-state commit of the class on April 30. The Fairport, New York prospect is cousins with former Syracuse stars Chandler and Arthur Jones and told the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle that he has always wanted to play at Syracuse. 

Derek McDonald, 6-foot-4, 230-pound tight end, 0-star

McDonald plays both tight end and defensive end, making it notable that White primarily recruited him. The Atlanta native told 247 Sports he’s interested in pursuing sports journalism, so Syracuse’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications was a factor in his decision.

This list will be updated with additional reporting.

Published on July 23, 2020 at 10:10 pm

Contact Danny: dremerma@syr.edu | @DannyEmerman