West Lindor was told by Syracuse he’d be the only pass-catcher in the Class of 2015.

The Affton (Missouri) High School hybrid tight end decommitted from SU on Monday, citing a lack of contact by the Syracuse coaches as a reason he retracted his verbal.

But that wasn’t the only reason.

“They already had another tight end commit and I was told that I’d be the only tight end-hybrid-whatever to commit to the class,” Lindor said. “But they picked up another one.”

Junior college transfer Trey Dunkelberger, a Nov. 24 verbal commit, now stands as the only pass-catcher in SU’s Class of 2015. A hybrid tight end from Pierce (California) College, Dunkelberger brings two years of college experience and the versatile pass-catching abilities needed for a Syracuse team looking to make its offense more tight-end centric.

“I’ve got to pretty much take matters into my own hands,” Dunkelberger said of being the only pass-catcher in the class. “… just work to be the best at the position when I get there and hopefully have a starting job.”

Dunkelberger has previously said that SU coaches told him that a current tight end would be moving to the offensive line, so his importance at the position would be magnified.

The Orange has six tight ends on its roster, all of which have at least a year of eligibility left. Still, Pierce head coach Efrain Martinez said he too was told by SU that it was trying to fill an immediate need at the position and Dunkelberger had the body type the coaching staff wanted.

He fits the mold of a position that Syracuse offensive coordinator Tim Lester is working to incorporate into the offense more. Only two tight ends saw time for Syracuse in 2014, though, and junior Josh Parris and sophomore Kendall Moore only combined for 80 receiving yards on the season.

“His pass-catching ability lets him line up wide, line up on the line, so he can be placed in many, many different areas,” Martinez said of Dunkelberger. “… not necessarily the wideout guy, but also a slot guy that can block from there and catch passes from there.”

Another advantage that Dunkelberger has repeatedly said he has over every other recruit in the class is his experience. None of SU coaches have told Dunkelberger that his experience was the reason they stopped contacting the high school senior Lindor and instead called Dunkelberger almost every day.

He hasn’t asked that question, but if he did, he thinks he knows the answer.

“Considering how many tight ends they have on the roster, not being that many, I wouldn’t say they’re preferring me over him,” Dunkelberger said regarding Lindor. “But I guess if that was the case, that would make sense that I have more experience than he does.”

Dunkelberger will be arriving on campus in January and already has a roommate, freshman quarterback AJ Long. They’ve been talking a lot, Dunkelberger said, and looking to build the quarterback-receiver relationship that may be put to the test right away.

Although Dunkelberger is the only pass-catcher of the 22-man recruiting class, he’s ready to take on the responsibility. He thinks he has a good chance to start right away in the offense Syracuse is looking to become.

Said Dunkelberger: “I guess the coaches are going to have to rely on me more now.”

Published on December 4, 2014 at 12:15 am

Contact Matt: mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman