Class of 2017 tight end Aaron Hackett has verbally committed to Syracuse, he announced in a tweet Saturday evening. He is the 16th member of the Orange’s 2017 recruiting class.

Hackett is ranked with three stars by both 247Sports.com’s composite rankings and Scout.com. He is ranked as the 82nd best tight end in the class by 247Sports.

The Venice (Florida) High School tight end also had offers from Louisville, Wake Forest, Minnesota, Kentucky and 15 others, per Scout. Former Syracuse tight end Beckett Wales is a coach at Venice High School.

With the addition of Hackett, Syracuse’s 2017 recruiting class bumped up to the 44th best in the country, according to Scout.

Hackett, listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 225 pounds, visited Syracuse this weekend. He was reportedly choosing between the Orange and South Florida.

SU’s 2016 recruiting class did not include a tight end and Hackett is the only one in the 2017 class. On Syracuse’s current roster, all four tight ends have just one or two years of eligibility remaining.

Track the class of 2017.

Published on July 30, 2016 at 6:26 pm

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds