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Syracuse Recruiting: Four-star running back Robert Washington decommits

By William Murphy

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Four-star running back Robert Washington has decommitted from Syracuse’s 2016 recruiting class. 

The top commitment for the Syracuse Orange is no longer part of the 2016 class after four-star running back Robert Washington (Mount Holly, N.C. Mountain Island Charter) decommitted from Syracuse, according to reports first released by CuseNation.com.

Washington, who is currently a 5’11”, 215-pound senior out of SouthLake Christian Academy in North Carolina, had verbally committed to the Orange back in April. However, he has now decided to weigh his other options. The decision is reported to be a mutual one between Washington and Syracuse.

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Washington’s commitment to Syracuse had been a bit of a surprise to a lot of people at the time of the announcement. Washington had been recruited as early as eighth grade, where he received an offer from Ole Miss. Currently the No. 12 ranked running back in the nation, according to the 247sports Composite Rankings, Washington has plenty of offers from other schools, including Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, and Florida, the last being where many thought he would commit.

Washington has had an impressive junior year with 2,233 yards on 239 carries with 27 touchdowns. All his production helped to lead SouthLake to a N.C.I.S.A.A. Division II state championship, their second in a row.

It was easy to see why Syracuse would be a surprising choice, but Washington had, and continues to have, a strong relationship with head coach Todd Shafer, despite his decommittment.

With Washington on the way out, Syracuse now only has 14 commits for the Class of 2016, and the class is currently ranked 11th among ACC teams. They’re expected to take around 17 recruits to stay under the NCAA’s scholarship cap.

Washington was their best recruit, and without him the class is sub par at best, packed with average three-star recruits led by athlete Moe Neal and quarterback Rex Culpepper. Without any higher quality players on their radar, the 2016 recruiting class isn’t looking too well for the Orange.

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