Hold the phone college football world. There’s a new Power Five recruiting machine in the ACC and Northeast. Their names are Fran Brown and the Syracuse football coaching staff.
Brown, who is already known by college football fans as the number one recruiter in the country, is immediately gratifying Syracuse football fans with his presence to flip commits and attract top talent to come to the northeast.
Most of those flips come from the key northeast recruiting state of New Jersey, where coach Brown has strong connections to recruiting, player development, and coaches.
While these four flips haven’t even played a down yet, these players already seem like they’re buzzing with talent and want to come to the 315 to play some football.
Syracuse Football Recruiting
1. Jaylan Hornsby – 3 star (flips from Texas A&M)
D.A.R.T 100% commited @CuseFootball pic.twitter.com/82UEwyA2kE
— Jaylan Hornsby (@856_JayHorns) December 10, 2023
This was the first official commit brought into Syracuse football under the Brown coaching staff. The high-octane receiver was previously committed to play for the Texas A&M Aggies, until former Aggies interim coach, Elijah Robinson. He was hired to be Syracuse football’s new Defensive Coordinator.
Some recruiting websites have Hornsby as a high 3-star while others have him cracking the 4-star ranking. Either way, this is a great start, as he was committed to an up-and-coming SEC West Program.
At 6’3″, 185 lbs., the hard-driving athlete already brings natural speed to the receiver position. He will have to work on polishing his route running, but he can run go routes and catch in the middle of the field similar to Miami Dolphins Receiver, Tyreek Hill.
Hornsby also knows coach Robinson, so he’s not changing his coaching allegiance, he’s only changing what school he’s committing to.
2. Yasin Willis – 3 star (flips from Pittsburgh)
Congratulations @willisyasin6 and @EmanuelRoss13 for committing to Syracuse University! Keep Grinding!!@LSASPORTSAGENCY e pic.twitter.com/fPCf7k9WDi
— Latish Kinsler (@KinslerLatish) December 14, 2023
Another Jersey flip who is going to be a big piece of what Coach Brown wants to do offensively is, Yasin Willis.
Brown said in his press conference that he wants to “run the football”, and what better way to do that than by already flipping a talented running back from another ACC school in your first recruiting class as head coach?
Willis is a 6’0″, 205 lb., all-purpose back with a power running ability that has the speed to catch out of the backfield in a spread formation.
Brown wants to run the football, especially now that in college, the clock runs most of the time after a first down, so time of possession is more critical than throwing the ball around and going up-tempo.
3. Jahide Lesaine – 3 star (flips from Kent State)
A hybrid DE/TE flip also from New Jersey. At 6’3″, 234 lbs., Lesaine is tall, lean, and very quick off the line of scrimmage.
He’s a fast-twitch guy who will be able to sack the quarterback and also be effective to help stop the run which will be a big focal point of what Brown wants to do well defensively.
The versatile athlete can also catch as a tight end like an extra receiver that can block in the run game as well. Lesaine may only be ranked 3 stars, but he is much more than a star-label. He is talented, smart, and disciplined.
4. Emanuel Ross – 4 star (flips from Stanford)
This is how you give an awaking, “Welcome to the ACC”, moment for the Stanford Cardinal. Ross is rated a 4-star recruit and another Jersey commit under coach Brown.
At 6’2″, 190 lbs., Ross is a number one receiver who can run different route patterns and has great hands, and speed to go along with his polished receiving skills.
This is big for Syracuse football because Stanford is going to be an ACC foe starting this year, and we don’t want recruits like Ross going there when he can play for Coach Brown and Syracuse football.
It looks like Coach Brown and the Syracuse football staff have started their recruiting out strong. Let’s see where they go from here.
For another Syracuse story, please check out:
New Syracuse Football (HC) Fran Brown Already Hiring Young Assistant Coaches