Syracuse football leverages backyard connections to recruit locally
In Syracuse football’s 2025 recruiting class — its first full class under Brown — the Orange signed four Syracuse high school prospects. Joe Zhao | Senior Staff Photographer
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Syracuse football has remained committed to its recruiting connections across New York.
Maurice Jackson, a former SU wide receiver and the head coach at Rochester-based Vertus High School, can attest to it. So can Bruce Williams, a Syracuse native and former Orange wide receiver.
Offensive tackle Alijah Jones, a 2027 recruit who holds multiple Southeastern Conference offers and an SU offer, plays at James Monroe in Rochester. He is among the several locals who have developed relationships with Syracuse’s coaching staff.
Out west in Buffalo, Bennett High School head coach Steve McDuffie has sent multiple recruits to SU.
Syracuse’s recruiting efforts have taken it far and wide under head coach Fran Brown’s staff. Yet, the Orange have also continued to recruit talent in their backyard. In SU’s 2025 recruiting class — its first full class under Brown — it signed four Syracuse high school prospects. It’s a stark contrast from previous SU coaching staffs, which have not had as much success at keeping in-state talent at home.
Here is a breakdown of SU’s success in recruiting different places across upstate New York:
Buffalo connections, history
McDuffie has spent 16 years coaching at Bennett, serving as head coach for 15 of them. During his time, he has coached plenty of players who garnered Syracuse offers, as well as current SU players Rashard Perry and Ja’Meer Thomas.
In 2015, McDuffie coached his son, current Green Bay Packer Isaiah McDuffie. Under former SU head coach Scott Shafer, Isaiah verbally committed to Syracuse. But he reevaluated his decision after a coaching change that led to the hiring of Dino Babers.
Isaiah played on both ends of the ball in high school, and McDuffie said his son wanted to play defense in college. However, Babers wanted him to commit as a running back, McDuffie said. That led to Isiaiah flipping his commitment on May 25, 2016. He chose Boston College the same day, where he developed into an NFL draft pick.
Perry, a three-star class of 2023 defensive lineman, garnered offers from SU, Temple, Buffalo and UConn in his recruitment. McDuffie, who has seen several Buffalo-area players make it to the NFL, said the area is one of the most under-recruited regions of the country. In McDuffie’s opinion, Perry could have gone anywhere he wanted to. Two and a half seasons into his SU career, he’s notched 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
“He’s an excellent fit for Syracuse, but I think Rashard Perry could have been a good fit anywhere he decided to play,” McDuffie said.
Thomas, now a redshirt freshman at SU, was also a three-star out of Bennett. Like Perry, McDuffie also sees Thomas’ bright future.
“Eventually, whenever Ja’Meer (hits) the field, you’re going to see a great football player,” McDuffie said. “He’s going to take the ACC by storm. The only player that I’ve ever seen that I can compare Ja’Meer Thomas (to) is to somebody like Zay Flowers.”
McDuffie has built a relationship with Brown, as the two usually call each other about once a month.
“Fran is doing a great job with the program, and I’m happy he’s committed and he’s just not talking,” McDuffie said. “He’s really committed to taking kids out of New York.”
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Rochester connections
Jackson’s relationship with Syracuse goes back to 1997, when he began playing for the Orange. He has made several coaching stops since his playing career ended, serving as the head coach at The Aquinas Institute of Rochester before taking his role at Vertus.
At Aquinas, Jackson coached now-SU freshman Quante Gillians. The defensive lineman was the second-highest rated commit in Syracuse’s 2025 class. Jackson said SU edge coach Nick Williams developed a relationship with Gillians by coming to Rochester to visit him a couple of times. Gillians took a “close liking” to Williams, Jackson said.
As a Syracuse alum, he remains intertwined with the program. Jackson has relationships with Brown and other SU coaches, including offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon. Syracuse invited Jackson to some of the program’s meetings and he sends text messages with Brown, he said.
“They’re doing it the right way,” Jackson said. “Welcoming back the alumni, making sure that we are taken care of — as far as tickets and things like that to the games — and making sure that we feel like it’s home still.”
Syracuse connections
Similarly to Jackson, Williams played at Syracuse before becoming a local high school coach. He has spent the last eight years coaching at Christian Brothers Academy within minutes from the SU football facility.
In his tenure, Williams coached a former Orange recruit who ultimately ended up flipping their commitment. Class of 2024 three-star Syair Torrence was recruited by Babers, though he went to BC instead.
But in the next class, Syracuse rebounded by landing three CBA commits — wide receiver Darien Williams, tight end Daunte Bachieye and offensive lineman Matthew Hawn — and earning a pledge from Cicero-North Syracuse offensive lineman Kardiear Shepherd. With the commitments of Williams, Bachieye and Hawn, it marked the first time where three kids from the same school’s graduating class had gone on to play at Syracuse, Williams said.
“This is very unique in that instance, because you don’t normally get three Power Four kids to go to the same school,” Williams said. “That’s a token to coach Fran Brown’s ability to connect with each individual player and their families, and make sure they all feel like they are wanted as one and not as a group package.”
Nyquan Gilbert, a 2026 cornerback prospect, is another local talent being recruited by SU. He attends Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central, and when Brown offered him in January, he said he felt shocked and excited.
“I just started thinking about when I was younger, being a kid, and having all the gear on and watching the (Syracuse) teams play, run on the field,” Gilbert said. “That could really be me.”
He has attended several Syracuse football camps and holds offers from University of Tennessee at Martin and Fordham.
Nyquan Gilbert poses with Fran Brown. Gilbert, a 2026 cornerback prospect, attends Institute of Technology at Syracuse Central, and was offered by Syracuse in January. Courtesy of Nyquan Gilbert
What’s next for SU locally
Jackson, in his first season at Vertus, is still setting up shop with his program. He has plenty of talents who he thinks have the potential to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, even as close to home as Syracuse.
“I do have some young guys that are going to be big enough — once they become seniors — that could play at that level,” Jackson said. “But in the area here, there’s a few guys that should be on the radar.”
At Bennett, McDuffie is coaching a couple players that could be recruited by Syracuse. Class of 2028 athlete Jason Hargrove — who McDuffie said can play every position but quarterback — has an offer from Temple.
“I am waiting to see what Syracuse is going to do,” McDuffie said. “I hope they come in and offer him soon.”
McDuffie also said Dontre’ Hampton, a safety and running back at Bennett, has speed to his game and can play in the ACC “without any problem.”.
Back in Syracuse, Gilbert said two of his ITC teammates — quarterback Tyquanne Harris and defensive tackle Emari Mitchell — are being recruited by Syracuse.
