Alec Lemon had been following all the rumors, wondering who would be his coach when he finally arrived at Syracuse. By Thursday, he was mentally prepared to spend his collegiate career playing for Skip Holtz.

So when Lemon found out Friday that Doug Marrone jettisoned to the top of the list and had taken the job, his confusion outweighed the excitement.

‘It definitely surprised me because I had heard so much talk about Holtz this week,’ said Lemon, a two-star wide receiver, according to Rivals.com. ‘But it doesn’t matter. I’m 100 percent coming to Syracuse.’

That was the general sentiment among three separate recruits – Lemon, offensive lineman Andrew Phillips and wideout Raheem Cardwell – who were all reached by telephone late Friday afternoon. Though Marrone may not be the name they were expecting, their commitments to the Orange have not changed.

Keeping the current prospects is an important first step for Marrone, who inherits a program behind in recruiting season. Syracuse has seven commitments – fewer than any other team in the Big East. Conference champion Cincinnati already has 21.

Marrone is an SU alum and has kept up his ties to the Northeast, unlike former head coach Greg Robinson, who struggled to recruit in the area during his four-year tenure. The Orange’s pipelines to New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania were drying up, with many top players choosing Rutgers and Connecticut over Syracuse.

Trying to re-establish connections with local high schools will be a top priority for Marrone, as he tries to salvage what was starting to look like a lost recruiting class. One early order of business: Marrone will be the keynote speaker at the New York State High School Coaches Association dinner this February.

‘I’m here to help those coaches in New York State and in New Jersey and all of those areas that we need to go back into and gain our recruiting edge again,’ Marrone said at his introductory press conference Friday.

Lemon said his commitment to Syracuse was solid no matter who was ultimately hired as coach. Though he hoped to play for Robinson, he knew when he gave his verbal that was unlikely to happen.

Phillips was the same way. He goes to Christian Brothers Academy here in Syracuse and grew up rooting for SU football. His commitment was to the university, not to any head coach. Both recruits said they had not yet heard from Marrone but hoped to speak to him in the coming days. Phillips spoke to linebackers coach Dan Conley Friday after Marrone had been hired and will be on campus next week to meet Marrone in person.

‘I love Syracuse as a school moreover,’ Phillips said. ‘Playing football there is totally a plus. I didn’t care much about who is the coach, but everyone knows I’m still committed there and will stay committed.’

Cardwell is still less sure. On Nov. 16, the day Robinson was fired, he told The Daily Orange he would explore his options at other schools and was not positive about SU. Since then, Cardwell said he has spoken to coaches at Tennessee, Cincinnati and East Carolina but has not had serious talks with anyone besides Syracuse.

When reached by phone, Cardwell had not yet heard Marrone had been hired and said he knew nothing about him. He hoped to speak to wide receivers coach Chris White, who has been recruiting Cardwell, in the coming days. Nevertheless, he said his No. 1 choice is still Syracuse, and he is growing increasingly comfortable with the program.

‘When Robinson got fired, I was thinking about how he was the coach I really wanted to play for and committed to,’ Cardwell said. ‘But then again, things haven’t been too good over there lately. Maybe they really needed this change.

Although none of the recruits know much about Marrone at this point, they all said they are encouraged by his success in the NFL. Currently, Marrone is the offensive coordinator with the New Orleans Saints, who have the top-ranked offense in the league.

At the very least, these recruits and Marrone will have something in common: They’re all embarking on something new.

‘Maybe it’s even better for a new coach to be in there going in as a freshman,’ Lemon said. ‘We’ll be going through everything for the first time together.’

jediamon@syr.edu

Published on December 11, 2008 at 12:00 pm