Justin Platt of Pope John (53) applies pressure against Rich Belin of Cardinal Hayes (3) during the Battle for the Bridge football game at SHI Stadium in Piscataway on Sunday, September 18, 2022.John Jones | For NJ Advance Media
Syracuse, N.Y. — New York’s reigning Gatorade State Player of the Year Rich Belin, a quarterback at Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, verbally committed to the Syracuse football program on Thursday.
He committed at a ceremony at Cardinal Hayes where he was flanked by his parents. The ceremony was broadcast on Instagram.
“There’s a lot of change coming, good change coming,” Belin said at the ceremony. “And that’s what I want to be a part of.”
Belin is the 26th verbal commitment in Syracuse’s Class of 2025 and the ninth commitment that the Orange has received from a New York prospect.
Belin is ranked as a three-star prospect in the 247 Sports composite rankings, which label him the No. 14 prospect in New York in the Class of 2025, the No. 91 quarterback prospect nationally and the No. 1,442 prospect in the country. Among the four major recruiting websites, Belin is ranked as high as the No. 10 prospect in the state by Rivals.
Belin lists himself at 6-feet tall and 185 pounds. Verbal commitments are not binding until after a player signs a National Letter of Intent.
According to 247 Sports, Syracuse was the only Power-Four school to offer Belin during his recruitment. Other FBS programs like Old Dominion, UConn, Army and Kent State also offered during his recruitment.
Belin is the brother of former Syracuse recruit (and current Duke quarterback) Henry Belin IV. Another brother, Blake, is a three-star defensive lineman who has also been offered by Syracuse in the Class of 2025.
Belin gives Syracuse a second commitment from a quarterback in the 2025 cycle, joining three-star Texas prospect Luke Carney.
With Kyle McCord expected to start for the Orange this season and exhaust his eligibility, both quarterbacks will likely arrive in a situation where Syracuse has no proven option at quarterback returning.
According to the website MaxPreps.com, Belin threw for 3,112 yards over 14 games last season, compiling 30 touchdowns against four interceptions. He also ran for 1,351 yards. Cardinal Hayes went 12-2 last season and won the New York Class AAA state championship. His performance won him the Gatorade State Player of the Year Award in New York.
The award is among the country’s most prestigious at the high school level. The last winner in New York who went on to attend Syracuse was running back Jordan Fredericks, who won the award in 2014.
Since Fran Brown arrived seven months ago, Syracuse has raked in verbal commitments from New York prospects, landing verbal commitments from nine of the state’s Top 15.
Syracuse’s group is highlighted by Christian Brothers Academy’s Darien Williams, currently ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the state behind Penn State commit Lyrick Samuel (Erasmus Hall). No other school has more than one of the 15 best prospects in New York.
Belin’s commitment could indicate Syracuse is expecting bad news in its pursuit of four-star quarterback prospect Malik Washington. Washington lists the Orange among his four finalists.
Washington, a finalist in the prestigious Elite 11 Finals, is set to pick between Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Central Florida and Maryland, his home-state school. He is expected to announce his decision on Friday at 1 p.m.
Before Belin’s commitment on Thursday, Syracuse’s Class of 2025 was ranked No. 22 in the country in 247 Sports’ composite rankings. That placed the Orange fourth in the ACC behind Clemson, Georgia Tech and Duke.
Syracuse’s standing in those rankings is boosted by having more commitments (26) than most schools. The Orange has the second-most in the country. Only Rutgers (28) has more.
Along with Belin, Syracuse currently has one four-star commitments and 24 three-star commitments.
Contact Chris Carlson anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-382-7932
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