Follow the Syracuse Orange National Signing Day

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 30: Syracuse Orange head coach Doug Marrone yells at the referee against the Kansas State Wildcats during the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on December 30, 2010 in New York, New York. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Well, it is finally here. The Syracuse Orange have worked all offseason to this day and have garnered some major recruits along the way.

Last night kicked off the action when JUCO defensive end Markus Pierce-Brewster chose Syracuse and upped the Syracuse recruiting class to 50th in the Nation (seventh in the Big East) according to Scout.com.

If Syracuse can land Wayne Morgan, that number will surely go up. The updates will come sporadically around my class schedule but the class will be finalized by 3 p.m. today when Doug Marrone holds a presser.

Later on, Bleacher Report will have a breakdown of the Syracuse recruits and who the top five players to watch out for are.

5:21 PM ET

End of the Day Tally

syracuse.com

As reported earlier, Syracuse's recruiting class went as expected from the Wayne Morgan news as the Orange verbal commits stuck to their word.

The official National signing day roster can be found below or if you want the official bios of the newest Orangemen, head over to SUAthletics.com.

Here is the positional breakdown of the 2012 Syracuse Orange recruiting class:

Offensive line: Ben Barrett, Jason Emerich, Kyle Knapp and Orarl Palmer

Quarterback: Ashton Broyld

Running Back: George Morris

Fullback: Myles Davis

Wide Receiver: Alvin Cornelius, Ben Lewis

Tight End: Josh Parris, Ron Thompson

Defensive End: Myles Hilliard, Josh Manley, Markus Pierce-Brewster

Defensive Tackle: Marcus Coleman, Zian Jones

Linebacker: James Washington

Defensive back: Dontez Ford, Wayne Morgan and Julian Whingham

Kicker: Ryan Norton

Athlete: Devante McFarlane

11:58 AM ET

More Committed Players Make It Official

As of now, the big news out of Syracuse is that all players who verbally committed made it official.

Ron Thompson, Josh Manley, and Kyle Knapp all committed to Syracuse via letters of intent.

Knapp is a three star recruit out of Michigan who is one of the best to come out of the state this season. He was pitched on Marrone's "More than football" approach to running the team.

Josh Manley is another Georgia three star product, this time along the defensive line to add depth to the end void being left by Chandler Jones and Mikhail Marinovich. The Orange got him over their Big East rival Louisville.

FInally, Ron Thompson has officially committed to Syracuse. According to Scout.com, he is the Orange's best recruit and is a four star tight end out of Michigan. Many expect Thompson to fill the void that Nick Provo has left right away.

The big man has tremendous upside has he has only ever played two seasons of organized football.

With Wayne Morgan announcing that he will sign with the Orange, the recruiting class is pretty much set and is definitely in the top 50 of the nation, a good step forward for Marrone's program.

10:33 AM ET

Wayne Morgan to Syracuse

According to Syracuse.com, prized four star recruit Wayne Morgan will sign with Syracuse later today.

Morgan will be a huge addition to the Orange class and will more than likely be the top recruit Syracuse lands today.

The 5'11'' cornerback is versatile enough to play multiple positions, although with the Orange's lack of depth in the secondary, it is likely that he will find a home there.

Also according to Syracuse.com the Orange are waiting on six to eight more official letters of intent to round out their class for this season.

Reminder, the class will be officially announced at three pm today.

Going dark for the next hour, there will be more updates coming at 11:30 EST.

10:21 AM ET

Syracuse Picks Up a Pair of Three Stars

Via Maxpreps.com

Highlights!

I'm sure the fax machine at Manley would have a bunch of fun things to say today as it has been worked nonstop this morning.

The latest news to come off that wire are that two three star recruits are now officially Syracuse Orange.

The first hails from Schuyllkill Haven, PA. Offensive guard Jason Emerich is a three star recruit who was selected to play in the PA Big 33 All Star Game. The 26th overall prospect from PA said that he loves the coaching staff at SU and thinks they are going in the right direction.

Next up is tight end Josh Parris from Stone Mountain, Georgia. The Peach State has become a hotbed for Syracuse recruiting and the three star tight end was swayed Orage over Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

Used primarily as a blocker, Parris is a great addition to the Orange who need some depth at tight end with the loss of Nick Provo.

9:24 AM ET

Syracuse Inks Two More, Both Key Players

SU AP Database

Syracuse was able to get two more letter of intents this morning, both key players and recruits. The first is linebacker James Washington.

The linebacker from Florida was also chased after by South Carolina, Pitt, and West Virginia. He is a three star prospect and was recruited by the entire SU coaching staff.

The next is offensive lineman Ben Barrett. A local two star prospect, Barrett was only offered a scholarship from Syracuse, but he committed so early that neither Penn State nor Akron recruited him very heavily.

9:17 AM ET

Syracuse Loses One of Key Battles

SU AP Database

OrangeFizz.net is reporting that Syracuse has lost one of the key recruiting battles of the season.

Defensive end Julian Pinnix-Odrick was an initial Rutgers recruit who re-opened his search after Schiano left the school.

However, it appears as if he will not be turning Orange, even though coaches leading up to today said Marrone's squad had taken control of the race.

This is unfortunate news, however, Syracuse has stocked up on defensive lineman this class.

9:02 AM ET

DeVante McFarlane Makes It Official

via Newsday

According to John Garcia Jr. DeVante McFarlane has made an official commitment to the Syracuse Orange.

Syracuse has had McFarlane verbally committed for awhile now as Coach Marrone has made an effort to keep all New York recruits with the Orange.

The three star running back from Long Island was also recruited by Kent State and Vanderbilt but chose the Orange way back in the beginning of the football season.

Goog to know Marrone is still holding fort with the class.

8:39 AM ET

Syracuse Snags Dontez Ford

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2011/1017/rec_e_ford_600.jpg

Things already got fun this morning when Dontez Ford signed his letter of intent to play with the Orange. Ford, a three star prospect given 79 overall by Rivals for his play at safety, has had a rough life but his story and attitude are exactly what Doug Marrone wants.

Ford is a nice addition to the class and his story may remind fans of a certain Phillip Thomas... but that will remain to be seen. Safety is an area of concern for the Orange as Thomas is leaving and Shamarko Thomas will be gone after this season.