Class of 2017 CB Ifeatu Melifonwu (MA) COMMITTED & SIGNED TO SYRACUSE

[orange79]

Parents do a poor job in most cases concerning loyalty ! Especially this late in the process.

Hopefully not in your case.

 

[dasher]

Parents do a poor job in most cases concerning loyalty ! Especially this late in the process.

You live on the same street your whole life? The kid is making a once in a lifetime decision. He should have no regrets. I hope the our coaches impressed him that Syracuse is the right place for him. If not, that is on us.

 

[tep624]

Tuesday Recruitin' Isn't Even Trying To Pronounce That | mgoblog

Weird guy watch


Michigan's been casting around for a fifth DB in the class and may have struck upon their guy: MA S Ifeatu Melifonwu, a Syracuse commit. Per Sam, Melifonwu is in town currently and is staying through Thursday. The vibe is that an offer will be followed by a flip.

Melifonwu is a deep cut New England recruit who is no doubt directly attributable to Don Brown's connections in the area. Specifically, Brown recruited Melifonwu's brother Obi to UConn. Ifeautu was a who-dat two star until recently, when 24/7 took a new look at his tape and bumped him into the low-to-mid three star range. (He's #874 if you want to get specific.) He's a true sleeper with a max of four articles on any of the sites, none of which scout him. Mostly they say "this person committed to Syracuse" in slightly different ways.

ESPNBoston comes in with the save:

Athleticism

Melifonwu ran a 4.58 in the 40 last year, so he has legitimate Division 1 speed. He plays even faster than that on tape. He moves well in space and he gets in and out of cuts with ease. Melifonwu is a long strider and he can accelerate quickly when running with or without the ball.

Ball Skills

Melifonwu is also a receiver, so the ball skills are evident on both sides of the ball. He can high point the ball one on one in coverage and he's strong with the ball in his hands. Melifonwu has long arms and a wide catch radius which enables him to win jump ball situations.

Bottom Line

Melifonwu has the size and the athleticism to be a productive press corner at the next level. Teams at the NFL and college level want corners with length that can jam and re-route receivers out of Cover 2. Melifonwu can do that and effectively support the run. The 40 time might not be ideal, but Melifonwu plays faster than his time and his athleticism is evident on tape. There no question that Melifonwu has the physical tools to be a multi-year starter at Syracuse.

Jeremy Clark-esque.

If Melifonwu is anything like his brother he'll be a steal. Obi redshirted and then was a four year starter at UConn, earning All AAC honors this year. He's set to get drafted, possibly very high:

Executive 2: UConn safety Obi Melifonwu

"The UConn safety is really intriguing. He's freaky athletic and he's going to put up big-time testing numbers. He'll run low 4.4s (in the 40-yard dash) and jump over 40 inches. He can play in the slot as well. Huge upside."

While everyone prefers bigger names with more proven ability, Melifonwu is deep in Don Brown's wheelhouse. I'll ride with him.

Well at least we've settled the discussion on whether the guys at MGblog are massive douchebags or not...

 

[orangefog]

So we should hear something today or tomorrow, right? I am sure that if he extends an offer, Harbaugh will press for a commitment before he leaves and then ask that he cancel his Syracuse visit. If we hear nothing, then I would feel pretty good about our chances.

 

[care taker]

kid is good as gone . No way Horribaugh went to his hoops game for nothing , some kids get lured by the brighter lights and then ride the pines

 

[JackBauer44]

Fwiw- I think he stays orange.

 

[PhatOrange]

kid is good as gone . No way Horribaugh went to his hoops game for nothing , some kids get lured by the brighter lights and then ride the pines

while i agree, he is still their BList kid and they have to wait on other kids before offering. Our only chance is for Michigan to get a couple of AList commits.

(they probably worked him out to, which is against the rules but it wouldn't surprise me).

 

[Orangejet]

Hate to say it but similar to Joshua Palmer at Tennessee, Michigan will recruit over Melifonwu and he will be playing at CCSU or a similar school in a few years. Hope this isn't the case but it looks like Ifeatu will take the bait if offered.

 

[OhioCuse]

Fwiw- I think he stays orange.

It's really interesting because I'm not sure Harbaugh has even been on campus during his visit (Iowa last night and Virginia Tuesday).

 

[HSPORANGE]

kid is good as gone . No way Horribaugh went to his hoops game for nothing , some kids get lured by the brighter lights and then ride the pines

I don't get this line of thinking. How do you know that he doesn't go to Michigsn and flourish? Obviously, he has a easier path to early pt at Cuse but competitors are not afraid of competition. I hope he chooses orange but can't knock the kid for looking at Michigan.

 

[retro44]

Hate to say it but similar to Joshua Palmer at Tennessee, Michigan will recruit over Melifonwu and he will be playing at CCSU or a similar school in a few years. Hope this isn't the case but it looks like Ifeatu will take the bait if offered.

love to say this,but I hope every Syracuse coach looks to recruit over the previous class. Builds depth and wins should translate. Nick Saban does this every year.

 

[rackman18]

I don't get this line of thinking. How do you know that he doesn't go to Michigsn and flourish? Obviously, he has a easier path to early pt at Cuse but competitors are not afraid of competition. I hope he chooses orange but can't knock the kid for looking at Michigan.

What's the difference if your flourish hear or flourish there.

 

[kcsu]

He goes from our 1st choice at db to a b list filler for Michigan.

 

[bnoro]

Hate to say it but similar to Joshua Palmer at Tennessee, Michigan will recruit over Melifonwu and he will be playing at CCSU or a similar school in a few years. Hope this isn't the case but it looks like Ifeatu will take the bait if offered.

So why would we recruit a kid like that to play at SU? I can't stand this. Those kids are good enough to play for SU, they're good enough to take their chance to play for Michigan.

 

[javadoc]

He goes from our 1st choice at db to a b list filler for Michigan.

Hey kid, you would look great on our scout team!

 

[PhatOrange]

I think both Palmer and Ifeatu will flourish at Tenny and Michy that's why I want them to play here.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I would go to Michigan on a heartbeat if I was this kid, can't argue with the education either. If he's good enough he will play

 

[TheCusian]

I don't get this line of thinking. How do you know that he doesn't go to Michigsn and flourish? Obviously, he has a easier path to early pt at Cuse but competitors are not afraid of competition. I hope he chooses orange but can't knock the kid for looking at Michigan.

You'll forgive us - we've seen this happen every cycle for years and years. We can name more kids who went this way than not. I guess we should add a "probably" to it.

 

[TheCusian]

So why would we recruit a kid like that to play at SU? I can't stand this. Those kids are good enough to play for SU, they're good enough to take their chance to play for Michigan.

The difference is that at Syracuse you'll get more of a shot to grow into a player. At Tenn and Michigan if you don't impress early, a 4* or 5* kid is coming to take your job next class.

EDIT: If I were a 3* kid I'd want a chance to be coached into a player AND see the field. So many of these "b-list" kids get a season of coaching, realize they need more time to develop than the other kids in the class and then discover a bigger more season-ready kid come in as freshman. Doesn't sound fun to me.

 

[djorange1989]

I think both Palmer and Ifeatu will flourish at Tenny and Michy that's why I want them to play here.

I think both would flourish at SU which is why I want them to play here. Hopefully one will stick with us.

 

[rackman18]

If he goes to UM he plays with all top level players on D and makes his job a lot easier. However coming to SU you have to work harder and I feel makes you mentally stronger.

 

[Finwad32]

Our system's built to showcase a press-corner... He could be the guy here, I think that probability drops significantly at UM.

 

[CuseLegacy]

Fwiw- I think he stays orange.

And fwiw... I wonder if this isn't just a courtesy visit out of respect to Don Brown who recruited his brother to UConn.

 

[PhatOrange]

I think both would flourish at SU which is why I want them to play here. Hopefully one will stick with us.

Ifeatu is one of my top picks in this class because it finally gets us a BIG bodied safety; 6-2 190. small safeties have been killing us. This kid is tall and rangy with a couple of years in S&C is nice.

 

[PhatOrange]

Our system's built to showcase a press-corner... He could be the guy here, I think that probability drops significantly at UM.

was he recruited as a corner?