One of the top Syracuse football targets in the 2022 recruitment cycle is Matt Fries, Senior High Offensive Lineman at Cranford (NJ). Fries visited the Syracuse campus over the weekend to see it in person. Recruits are allowed to visit in this way as long as there is no personal contact with the coaching staff.
“It was great,” said Fries. “Went with my parents and walked around the campus and got a nice meal. I would say the best parts were the location of everything on campus. It was very central and I liked the vibe of the city and the campus.”
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Fries said there were a few things that surprised him about the visit as he walked around checking the campus.
“Yes, I would say the building’s central location surprised me,” said Fries. “It was definitely positive and practical compared to some other locations that are very common. I also loved that the stadium is right on campus. I didn’t expect that.”
During a recruitment process, it is important to impress both parents and the player. The Syracuse campus did just that for Fries’ parents.
“You really enjoyed it,” said Fries. “My father had been up there with my brother (former Penn State offensive lineman Will Fries), but this was the first time my mother and I visited the campus. They are very impressed with the network of academics and alumni as well as from the beautiful campus. “
While Fries says he was impressed with what he saw on the visit, he admitted that it was difficult to compare without seeing other locations. The next step in his recruitment is to have more visits this summer, and he hopes the NCAA will allow face-to-face visits from June. If the NCAA does so, he is hoping for another trip to Central New York.
In addition to Syracuse, Fries has offers from Arizona, the US state of Arizona, Indiana, central Florida, Wake Forest and West Virginia, among others.