Monday Musings: JP Estrella, Elijah Gertrude, Mike Williams, Naquil Betrand

The latest on Syracuse basketball and football recruiting.

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1. JP Estrella

Estrella visited Iowa over the weekend and it went very well. Iowa made an impression and I think he would feel comfortable choosing the Hawkeyes. However, he did not commit nor is there any buzz that Iowa is now in the driver's seat. That is all good news for Syracuse. Now is it up to the Orange to seal the deal on the official this coming weekend, something the staff did very well last cycle. I expect the pitch to include the history and prestige of the program, the proximity to friend and family, and how Syracuse plans to use him within their system as well as how they will develop him. All of that combined with Syracuse showcasing its program culture will give the Orange a shot at landing one of the best bigs in the 2023 class. 

2. Elijah Gertrude

Gertrude took an official visit to Virginia over the weekend and continues to work towards scheduling one to Syracuse. Nothing is set yet, but the trip to UVA may put the Cavs as the Orange's top competition. Kansas is also in line to get an official, but has not had as many coaches attending Gertrude's games as Syracuse and Virginia. How much Kansas is prioritizing him remains to be seen. Either way, it is important for Syracuse to get him on campus. 

3. Mike Williams

Syracuse extended a scholarship offer to Mike Williams out of Calvert Hall in Maryland. The 6-2 point guard is a bit under the radar, but Syracuse has liked what it saw during the AAU season. Williams also has Clemson, DePaul, Houston, LSU, VCU and Maryland as high major offers. It is still in the early stages here with Williams and Syracuse, but it feels like the Orange would have a real shot if they make a big push. What this offer further signals is the prioritization of length in the backcourt this cycle. Look at the offers for Syracuse basketball at both guard spots. Mike Williams, Elijah Gertrude, Elmarko Jackson, Reid Ducharme, etc. Syracuse is certainly looking to bring in some length in 2023. 

4. Naquil Betrand

Switching over to football, if you noticed that offensive line target Naquil Betrand did not announce a decision on July 30th as previously planned, that is because he has pushed it back to August 6th. Originally the thought was this did not have any indication on where he is going. That it was likely a logistical issue or a family member's schedule conflicting with the July 30th date. However, he took a surprise official visit to Texas A&M over the weekend. Now some believe they’re the team to beat. However, Syracuse is still very involved. We will see how this plays out over the next week, but obviously the visit development is not positive for the Orange. 

5. Training Camp Begins

Syracuse football training camp begins this week with practice number one on Wednesday, August 3rd. The top things I'm curious to see is how does Garrett Shrader look as a passer and figuring out the defensive line. There are numerous other storylines including how the rotation in the secondary work out, will someone emerge as the number one receiver and how will the tight ends be utilized, but the top two are Shrader and the defensive line in my view. It is exciting to have football back.