Jahide Lesaine Details Syracuse Commitment

The class of 2024 edge will enroll early with the Orange.

Jahide Lesaine was a part of the first big sweep of recruiting wins for new headman Fran Brown over the weekend. On the first round of official visits on the December 9th weekend, he secured the services of Lesaine, a 3-star EDGE prospect previously committed to Kent State, flipped former Texas A&M commit Jayden Hornsby to SU, and finished off the Garden State trifecta by flipping Rivals 4-star (and the top-ranked RB prospect in New Jersey) Yasin Willis from Pitt.

The recruiting prowess of Fran Brown has been well-documented since his arrival at Syracuse, and Lesaine was able to share a bit of Brown’s secret sauce on the recruiting trail and the personable and persuasive confidence that Brown carries himself with.

“He tells you what you need to know instead of what you want to hear," Lesaine said. "When somebody tells you want to hear, it’s like, ‘OK, I’ve heard this before.’ So, when somebody tells you what you need to know, and what you need to be your best self, that’s when it comes through as being real and thorough.”

Lesaine said that his favorite part of the visit was enjoying the hibachi dinner in the Dome, which caused a stir of social media after pictures of the setup appeared on X/Twitter, and it seems to be having the desired effect on the visitors. Outside of the Dome dining, his host for the visit of Kevin Jobity, and after meeting new DC Elijah Robinson and new EDGE Coach Nick Williams, he said he quickly built a good rapport with both coaches. 

Specifically with Williams, he was able to get a feel for the way that he would be used as an EDGE rusher, and was given advice and tips to use in working his way into consistent snaps as an underclassman. Ultimately, he said it was the closeness of the players, as well as the uniqueness of the new staff, that was the determinant in his choosing of the Orange.

“It wasn’t just Coach Fran," Lesaine said. "Just being around the team, seeing the brotherhood, being around the coaching staff, a coaching staff that’s people of color, and that was something I was looking for. Not only them being people of color, but it was easy to relate to them, not just with them being from Jersey, but also coming from a certain upbringing.”

Pitt and Kent State were the main schools in Lesaine’s recruitment, but after his weekend in Syracuse, he tells me that he has canceled all upcoming visits. Hlans to sign in the early period (December 20th-22nd) and be on campus next spring as an early enrollee. 

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