Monday Musings: Assessing Syracuse's Chances With Andy Bass

Bass is down to three, but when can we expect a decision?

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Heritage Hall (OK) High athlete Andy Bass trimmed his list to three schools on Sunday: Kansas State, Oklahoma and Syracuse. The speedy athlete, who primarily plays quarterback in high school, has taken official visits to Syracuse and Oklahoma. So what are the Oranges chances with him?

First, Oklahoma is in-state and is a blue blood program. That should seem to give them a significant advantage. The Sooners are looking at him as a running back/wide receiver type given his speed and athleticism. In addition to the official, Bass took an unofficial visit recently. The caveat here is his offer may not be a full scholarship offer. There are rumblings that it could be more of a preferred walk-on offer, If that were the case, it is a game changer in terms of how one evaluates his three finalists. 

That is because Kansas State's offer is as a preferred walk-on. If Oklahoma's is as well, that gives Syracuse an advantage. This also appears to be a Syracuse/Oklahoma battle anyway, as Bass has not taken an official visit to Kansas State. 

I reached out to Bass about why Syracuse made the cut.

"The unique plan for me is what stands out to me," Bass said. 

He also indicated he is looking to make a decision sometime in the next month. That means another visit to Syracuse before a decision is unlikely, if he sticks to that timeline. I have heard, though, that is he looking at visiting Syracuse this fall potentially for the game against Clemson. 

Syracuse has a very real shot here, but Oklahoma is a significant threat. I am actually surprised he has not committed to the Sooners already, as that seemed to be where this was headed when he was offered and visited. Given that he has not yet may lend credence to the preferred walk-on situation mentioned previously. If that is correct, I like the Orange's chances. 

There is the NIL factor, however. If Oklahoma pitches an NIL package that covers the cost of tuition plus some, that essentially makes the Oklahoma offer a scholarship opportunity. But it changes his status within the team as favor is generally given to scholarship players. An interesting situation to say the least. 

Syracuse is the only one of the three schools giving him a chance to throw the ball as part of his normal role. I think that is a factor he will consider. If SU is also the only scholarship opportunity, it puts Syracuse at the forefront as well. The Orange has not stopped recruiting Bass and has been in constant communication for the last few months. 

Proximity is also a factor, as Syracuse is the furthest away of the three. That is why the Oklahoma offer is so important. If it is a scholarship offer, the Sooners are the clear favorite. If not, Syracuse has a real shot. Oklahoma is an attractive option either way for Bass, for obvious reasons, but the Orange being the only scholarship would be a feather in its cap. This will be an interesting one to follow over the next few weeks. 

As of now, I would rank Oklahoma one, Syracuse two and Kansas State a distant third. I think the gap between one and two is small, however.