Syracuse's loss of LaNorris Sellers commitment reminds Orange fans of Michael Vick's recruitment

Billy Heyen

Syracuse's loss of LaNorris Sellers commitment reminds Orange fans of Michael Vick's recruitment image

Things were nearly so different on Early Signing Day in late 2022. 

LaNorris Sellers woke up that day as a Syracuse commit. But before signing, he flipped to his home state South Carolina Gamecocks.

And since then, Sellers has grown into a quarterback projected to be taken in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, potentially as high as No. 1 overall.

It was such a close miss for SU, a school which Sellers was committed to for nine months.

No one can really blame him for staying home. It's just a reality that resurfaced on Sunday as Sellers led South Carolina to a season-opening win in what is assumed to be his final year in college.

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Sellers had won a state championship as a senior, contributing to 67 touchdowns at South Florence High School.

And his flip reminded Syracuse fans of another one, two decades earlier.

Before Michael Vick went to Virginia Tech, he too was committed to play at Syracuse.

The Orange couldn't close the deal, though.

And one of the great dual-threat QBs in football history didn't come to central New York. Instead, he went to Blacksburg, was eventually the No. 1 overall pick, and the rest is history.

Sellers may not have Vick's career, but he would've had a chance to revitalize Syracuse's program in a big way.

Instead, he's down in Columbia, S.C. doing just that for the Gamecocks.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle