Ebenezer Ogundeko is the top recruit in New York state. He’s a highly touted defensive end who could see playing time as a freshman.

And he just might end up at Syracuse.

Ogundeko, from Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, will make his decision Friday during the Under Armour All-American Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla. that will air on ESPN at 5 p.m. He has offers from a wealth of schools, including Southeastern Conference powers Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. Ohio State, Oregon, Notre Dame and Miami were also among the programs that extended offers.

Ogundeko, though, cut down his list to Syracuse and Clemson.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound end could also play as an outside linebacker at the collegiate level. Scout.com rated him as a three-star prospect, while Rivals gave him four stars. According to Scout.com, he made official visits to Arizona State, Clemson, Florida and Syracuse.

Laray Smith, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound running back will also make his college decision Friday. Smith, from Xaverian High School in Brooklyn, has offers from several schools in addition to Syracuse, including Connecticut, Purdue and Tennessee, according to Scout.com.

According to Rivals, Smith ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds. Rivals also ranks him as the eighth-best prospect in New York state. Scout.com and Rivals gave him three stars.

Securing the commitments of one or both of these players would be a major accomplishment for Doug Marrone and the Orange, and would make Syracuse’s already-solid recruiting class even stronger.

Published on January 3, 2013 at 9:33 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman