UPDATED Dec. 20 5:23 p.m. — Syracuse’s self-proclaimed title as New York’s college team got a ringing endorsement Thursday afternoon when the Orange football team snagged the two highest-ranked in-state players in the 2008 recruiting class.

Four-star wide receiver Marcus Sales from Christian Brothers Academy made his verbal commitment to SU at a press conference at CBA, while four-star running back Averin Collier from Churchville-Chili told The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle that he, too, would accept SU’s scholarship offer.

Collier will officially announce his decision at a 3 p.m. press conference Friday.

Recruiting Web site Scout.com ranks Collier the 10th-best running back in the country and Sales, the 27th-best wide receiver. Collier and Sales are Orange head coach Greg Robinson’s top two recruits so far and now give the program 19 recruits for the class of 2008, according to Scout.com.

‘I feel like we can win with this recruiting class that we’ve got,’ Sales said. ‘I feel like we can definitely be a new team next year.’

The 6-foot-2 Sales, who grew up a North Carolina fan, had narrowed his choices down to Syracuse, Pittsburgh and UNC. Collier was deciding between Syracuse and Pitt, where his older brother Kevin plays tailback.

Collier, who received 19 scholarship offers, will enroll in SU classes next month, having stockpiled extra high school credits the past few years.

‘I’m raring to get going,” Collier told The Democrat & Chronicle. ‘It’s a great opportunity for me. I’m convinced I made the right decision.”

SU has only one other four-star recruit so far: defensive end Romale Tucker from New Berlin, N.Y., ranked the 10th-best prospect in the state. Tucker was a Syracuse recruit last year but prepped at Milford Academy in 2007.

Sales said he chose Syracuse because he developed an instant bond with some of the Orange’s other recruits, in particular, Collier and cornerback Tyrell Harris from Harrisburg. Sales also is familiar with three-star commitment DeAndre Preaster, having played against the Utica standout the last four years.

‘The thing really came down to where he felt he liked the kids on the team, the guys you’re going to be working with, living with,’ CBA coach Joe Casamento said. ‘Whether you play or not, you have to like where you are. That becomes a major issue, and he was smart to think about that.’

Casamento said Sales will need to hit the weight room and get stronger as he moves on to the college ranks, because Sales also was a basketball standout at CBA and couldn’t devote all his time to developing his body for football.

On the other hand, Sales already has all the necessary instincts to flourish as a wide receiver, his coach said. Casamento singled out Sales’ ability to get the ball in traffic as his biggest strength, attributing that to his vertical leap and great hands.

‘He doesn’t have to outrun people; he can go get it if they’re all over him,’ Casamento said. ‘He might be an impact sooner than people think, especially with the lifting and putting on some pounds of muscle.’

In fact, Casamento said Sales has the best hands of any receiver he’s coached with the exception of current SU safety Bruce Williams. The longtime CBA coach placed Sales above former Michigan All-American Marquis Walker in that category.

‘Marcus has great hands, but better thing he has than me, he has the leaping ability,’ said Williams, who attended the press conference. ‘Marcus can just go get the ball, so Marcus brings a whole different dynamic.’

Thursday’s developments marked a reversal of a recent trend that has seen Syracuse strike out on highly ranked recruits not only from New York state, but locally. In Sales, Collier, Tucker and Preaster, SU now boasts of four of the state’s 10 best recruits.

Last season, SU’s in-state haul consisted of linebacker Jermaine Pierce of New Berlin (fifth) and tailback Doug Hogue from the Bronx (eighth). It let four-star quarterback Mike Paulus from CBA slip through the cracks to UNC and Pierce never played for SU because he had to quit football due to a life-threatening blood clot.

The year before that, SU did not manage one single recruit among New York’s top 10 and let Pitt sign CBA defensive end McKenzie Mathews.

Casamento speculated that Syracuse’s poor record in recent years may actually have boosted its ability to recruit local standouts.

‘Competitive kids want a chance, an opportunity to play,’ Casamento said. ‘Some of these kids think that they can play now. This is a program that needs help now. Not ‘I have to go somewhere and sit for there years to be able to play for two.”

Whatever the reason, Williams is thankful for the infusion of local talent back into the Orange roster.

‘I think it’s a really great thing that he can help us bring our fans back to the Dome and fill this stadium up,’ Williams said.

Said Sales: ‘If I can be a hero in my home state and in my own little area, I think it will be really nice.’

Published on December 29, 2007 at 12:00 pm