SWC75
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DEFENSIVE LINE
Seniors: #4 Caleb Okechukwu 6-4 276
Juniors: #0 Kevon Darton 5-11 271, #52 Braylen Ingraham 6-4 301
Sophomores: #99 Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff 6-4 279 (was 267), #94 Kevin Jobity 6-4 263, (was 247), #90 Terry Lockett 6-3 280 (was 270), #30 Chase Simmons 6-4 245 (was 257)
Freshmen: #97 Belizaire Bassette 6-0 262, #93 Ty Gordon 6-1 273, #58 Denis Jaquez Jr. 6-4 254 (was 240), #95 Francois Nolton 6-4 236 (was 252), #92 Rashard Perry 6-3 278, #91 Jalil Smith 6-5 266, #96 Elijah Wright 6-3 281, (was 270)
One good thing about the 3-3-5 defense is that, with three spots, it’s easier for a school like Syracuse to fill out three positions with depth than the 4-3-4 or the 4-2-5.
Caleb Okechukwu, as described, is the last survivor in the Syracuse program of the 2018 class. He actually remembers both of our last two winning seasons. He’s played in 37 games, with 13 starts, which tells you of the climbing he had to do to get into the position he’s in now. In interviews, he sounds like someone who knows what it takes and will be a good leader for this young defensive line. He “has 83 tackles, 14.0 TFLs, 9.0 sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles and a touchdown in his career” (Syracuse.com). Seven of those sacks and 10 of those TFLs came last year, so he’s turned himself into quite a player. Caleb came out of Washington DC and was rated 3 stars, (of course!) and the #38 ‘SDE’ which means he was the end that lines up across from the tight end and takes the brunt of the running game.
Kevon Darton has also come a long way. Coming out of high school, he was totally ignored – no rating at all from 247. He wasn’t even a preferred walk on – just a regular ol’ walk on. He’s played 31 games here, including 11 starts after Terry Lockett went down last year, at nose tackle, where his low center of gravity and his fierce work ethic gave him an advantage. Last year he had 54 tackles, including 4TFL and not including 3 QB hurries, which are hard to get from the “working in the mine” nose tackle position.
The upside of the transfer portal for a mid-range school like SU is that we can offer spots to guys who went to the football factories but couldn’t win the position battles there and wind up with a higher rated player than the ones we recruited. For example, Braylen Ingraham from Fort Lauderdale who went to Alabama and played in 5 games in three years. He was a 4 star and #11 SDE coming out of high school. And now he’s at Syracuse, where he could give Caleb or Kevon a run for their positions. At least, he’ll be part of the rotation. “On the field, I’m going to be a real big disrupter,” Ingraham said. “Stopping the run, rushing the passer, I want to make a big impact. Off the field, I’ll be a role model, doing the right things, using the things I learned at Alabama. Being a positive impactful person.” (Nunes)
Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff has appeared in 13 games in two years with 2 starts, making 16 tackles. He’s a 3 star out of the Bronx, the #174 DL recruit. He’ll be a veteran in the rotation.
Kevin Jobity came out of Buffalo, a 3 start #184 DL. Talent and injuries gave him some opportunities as a true freshman and he responded with 13 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and had two sacks on the season in 8 games. (Cuse.com). With some injured players returning and transfers coming in, what’s his status now? At least we know he can play if we need him.
Terry Lockett was a 3 star, the #155 DL, out of Springfield, Massachusetts. He had taken over the nose tackle position and was coming on strong when he was hurt against Virginia. Nunes: “Assuming Lockett is healthy, he should slot right back into the two-deep at the very minimum. If he’s fully recovered, it’s hard to argue against him joining the starting lineup full time. His big frame is exactly what Syracuse needs to draw attention away from the linebackers.”
Chase Simmons has the perfect name for a defensive player. He’s a 3 star out of Myrtle Beach, the #206 DL. He’s appeared in 5 games in two years and was also cut down by an injury after only three games last year. He had no stats in those games. But Nunes says he “could see ample reps on the field this season…he’s got the potential to be a valuable rotation player on the defensive line.”
Belizaire Bassette is a 3 star from Florida, the #139 DL. With all the injuries last year, he got into 4 games as a true freshman and made two tackles. He’ll supply depth this year and might emerge as a key player after that.
Ty Gordon is a 3 star from Virginia, the #187 DL. We flipped him from Old Dominion. Welcome to the scout team, Ty.
Denis Jaquez Jr. is a 3 star from New Jersey, the #72 edge in the country. Where he ranks among the DLs or the SDEs or the WDEs or the LBs, I don’t know but ‘edge’ means he’s supposed to be messing things up in the other team’s backfield. He was another true freshman who got to play, joining the rotation immediately. Then he got hurt, too. He wound up playing in 5 games and had 3 tackles and joined in on a sack. We flipped him from Northwestern “I had an ex-teammate that is currently on the Syracuse roster (Duce Chestnut). He told me to come out and explore my options. So I did and I loved it.” Duce also explored his options.
Francois Nolton is a 3 star from Miami rated the #85 DL in the country. He played 2 games and made two tackles, on for a loss. Nunes: “Nolton has all the potential in the world given the schools that offered a roster spot (see below). He moves off the line fast and can get to the pocket in a flash. He has the upside to at least be a starting-caliber edge rusher.” (Better than Jaquez?) The schools they refer to are Tennessee, TCU, South Carolina, Penn State, LSU, Alabama, Pitt, and Florida State. That’s better than flipping a guy from ODU.
The advance publicity for Rashard Perry reminds me a lot of the excitement everyone had about Paul Harris for the basketball team 17 (ugh) years ago. Both were from Buffalo and both were described as ‘beasts’ with impressive muscular development and a huge impact on the games they played. Harris was actually a pretty good player for us but was unable to live up to the hype. He was a bit short to play forward for us and had no guard skills. He had dominated high school opposition with his raw physical ability but that wasn’t enough at this level and he wasn’t missed when he left after three years and was replaced by a basketball-sized player with basketball skills named Wes Johnson and we had one of our greatest teams. Our computers have been full of images of Rashard Perry looking like King Kong and sneering at our future opponents, who were presumably looking for someplace to hide. Perry is certainly the right size to play in the defensive line for us, (6-3 278) and he may become a dominant force for us in his career here. Despite the pictures, he was another 3 star per 247, the #103 defensive lineman. His numbers last year were amazing: 93 tackles, including 21 for loss, and had 13 sacks this season. (Cuse.com) We’ll take it. But that was against high school kids. Amazingly, his only other Division 1 offer was from Temple, perhaps due to an early commitment to SU. But it might be that there are some skills he still needs to learn to get past his teammates into the starting line-up and get at those cowering opponents. CNS fans, (my alma-mater) will take less to convince than most: Perry’s school, Bennett, has beaten our team, 0-38 and 7-34 in the last two state semi-finals. At last in this sport, he doesn’t have to make jump shots.
Jalil Smith is a 3 star from Brooklyn, the #156 ‘edge’ in the country. He had 40 tackles, 17 TFLs and 11 sacks in his senior season. Nunes: “Given his size and speed on the line, he could be a great long-term development piece for the Orange as he adjusts to the college game. The tools from high school clearly showed, and his work ethic has been well documented.”
Elijah Wright is a PWO from Solvay who has yet to spear in a game in three years. With all the 3-stars on the roster at DL positions, he might not even make the scout team. Babers is experimenting with using Elijah as an Elmore-like fullback. His nickname is ‘Bubba’. A football team needs its Bubbas.
I count one 4 star and eleven 3 stars for three positions plus Mr. Darton. We can actually go four-deep with guys who are supposed to have the talent to play at this level. (I assume 3 stars means they could potentially start for a Power 5 team, 4 stars indicates a potential all-conference player and 5 stars a potential All-American.) Dino may have assigned Brady Denaburg and Jack Stonehouse to take turns kicking him in the butt as penance for not getting Jared Verse to come here but I think we'll be just fine in the D-line anyway.
Seniors: #4 Caleb Okechukwu 6-4 276
Juniors: #0 Kevon Darton 5-11 271, #52 Braylen Ingraham 6-4 301
Sophomores: #99 Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff 6-4 279 (was 267), #94 Kevin Jobity 6-4 263, (was 247), #90 Terry Lockett 6-3 280 (was 270), #30 Chase Simmons 6-4 245 (was 257)
Freshmen: #97 Belizaire Bassette 6-0 262, #93 Ty Gordon 6-1 273, #58 Denis Jaquez Jr. 6-4 254 (was 240), #95 Francois Nolton 6-4 236 (was 252), #92 Rashard Perry 6-3 278, #91 Jalil Smith 6-5 266, #96 Elijah Wright 6-3 281, (was 270)
One good thing about the 3-3-5 defense is that, with three spots, it’s easier for a school like Syracuse to fill out three positions with depth than the 4-3-4 or the 4-2-5.
Caleb Okechukwu, as described, is the last survivor in the Syracuse program of the 2018 class. He actually remembers both of our last two winning seasons. He’s played in 37 games, with 13 starts, which tells you of the climbing he had to do to get into the position he’s in now. In interviews, he sounds like someone who knows what it takes and will be a good leader for this young defensive line. He “has 83 tackles, 14.0 TFLs, 9.0 sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles and a touchdown in his career” (Syracuse.com). Seven of those sacks and 10 of those TFLs came last year, so he’s turned himself into quite a player. Caleb came out of Washington DC and was rated 3 stars, (of course!) and the #38 ‘SDE’ which means he was the end that lines up across from the tight end and takes the brunt of the running game.
Kevon Darton has also come a long way. Coming out of high school, he was totally ignored – no rating at all from 247. He wasn’t even a preferred walk on – just a regular ol’ walk on. He’s played 31 games here, including 11 starts after Terry Lockett went down last year, at nose tackle, where his low center of gravity and his fierce work ethic gave him an advantage. Last year he had 54 tackles, including 4TFL and not including 3 QB hurries, which are hard to get from the “working in the mine” nose tackle position.
The upside of the transfer portal for a mid-range school like SU is that we can offer spots to guys who went to the football factories but couldn’t win the position battles there and wind up with a higher rated player than the ones we recruited. For example, Braylen Ingraham from Fort Lauderdale who went to Alabama and played in 5 games in three years. He was a 4 star and #11 SDE coming out of high school. And now he’s at Syracuse, where he could give Caleb or Kevon a run for their positions. At least, he’ll be part of the rotation. “On the field, I’m going to be a real big disrupter,” Ingraham said. “Stopping the run, rushing the passer, I want to make a big impact. Off the field, I’ll be a role model, doing the right things, using the things I learned at Alabama. Being a positive impactful person.” (Nunes)
Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff has appeared in 13 games in two years with 2 starts, making 16 tackles. He’s a 3 star out of the Bronx, the #174 DL recruit. He’ll be a veteran in the rotation.
Kevin Jobity came out of Buffalo, a 3 start #184 DL. Talent and injuries gave him some opportunities as a true freshman and he responded with 13 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and had two sacks on the season in 8 games. (Cuse.com). With some injured players returning and transfers coming in, what’s his status now? At least we know he can play if we need him.
Terry Lockett was a 3 star, the #155 DL, out of Springfield, Massachusetts. He had taken over the nose tackle position and was coming on strong when he was hurt against Virginia. Nunes: “Assuming Lockett is healthy, he should slot right back into the two-deep at the very minimum. If he’s fully recovered, it’s hard to argue against him joining the starting lineup full time. His big frame is exactly what Syracuse needs to draw attention away from the linebackers.”
Chase Simmons has the perfect name for a defensive player. He’s a 3 star out of Myrtle Beach, the #206 DL. He’s appeared in 5 games in two years and was also cut down by an injury after only three games last year. He had no stats in those games. But Nunes says he “could see ample reps on the field this season…he’s got the potential to be a valuable rotation player on the defensive line.”
Belizaire Bassette is a 3 star from Florida, the #139 DL. With all the injuries last year, he got into 4 games as a true freshman and made two tackles. He’ll supply depth this year and might emerge as a key player after that.
Ty Gordon is a 3 star from Virginia, the #187 DL. We flipped him from Old Dominion. Welcome to the scout team, Ty.
Denis Jaquez Jr. is a 3 star from New Jersey, the #72 edge in the country. Where he ranks among the DLs or the SDEs or the WDEs or the LBs, I don’t know but ‘edge’ means he’s supposed to be messing things up in the other team’s backfield. He was another true freshman who got to play, joining the rotation immediately. Then he got hurt, too. He wound up playing in 5 games and had 3 tackles and joined in on a sack. We flipped him from Northwestern “I had an ex-teammate that is currently on the Syracuse roster (Duce Chestnut). He told me to come out and explore my options. So I did and I loved it.” Duce also explored his options.
Francois Nolton is a 3 star from Miami rated the #85 DL in the country. He played 2 games and made two tackles, on for a loss. Nunes: “Nolton has all the potential in the world given the schools that offered a roster spot (see below). He moves off the line fast and can get to the pocket in a flash. He has the upside to at least be a starting-caliber edge rusher.” (Better than Jaquez?) The schools they refer to are Tennessee, TCU, South Carolina, Penn State, LSU, Alabama, Pitt, and Florida State. That’s better than flipping a guy from ODU.
The advance publicity for Rashard Perry reminds me a lot of the excitement everyone had about Paul Harris for the basketball team 17 (ugh) years ago. Both were from Buffalo and both were described as ‘beasts’ with impressive muscular development and a huge impact on the games they played. Harris was actually a pretty good player for us but was unable to live up to the hype. He was a bit short to play forward for us and had no guard skills. He had dominated high school opposition with his raw physical ability but that wasn’t enough at this level and he wasn’t missed when he left after three years and was replaced by a basketball-sized player with basketball skills named Wes Johnson and we had one of our greatest teams. Our computers have been full of images of Rashard Perry looking like King Kong and sneering at our future opponents, who were presumably looking for someplace to hide. Perry is certainly the right size to play in the defensive line for us, (6-3 278) and he may become a dominant force for us in his career here. Despite the pictures, he was another 3 star per 247, the #103 defensive lineman. His numbers last year were amazing: 93 tackles, including 21 for loss, and had 13 sacks this season. (Cuse.com) We’ll take it. But that was against high school kids. Amazingly, his only other Division 1 offer was from Temple, perhaps due to an early commitment to SU. But it might be that there are some skills he still needs to learn to get past his teammates into the starting line-up and get at those cowering opponents. CNS fans, (my alma-mater) will take less to convince than most: Perry’s school, Bennett, has beaten our team, 0-38 and 7-34 in the last two state semi-finals. At last in this sport, he doesn’t have to make jump shots.
Jalil Smith is a 3 star from Brooklyn, the #156 ‘edge’ in the country. He had 40 tackles, 17 TFLs and 11 sacks in his senior season. Nunes: “Given his size and speed on the line, he could be a great long-term development piece for the Orange as he adjusts to the college game. The tools from high school clearly showed, and his work ethic has been well documented.”
Elijah Wright is a PWO from Solvay who has yet to spear in a game in three years. With all the 3-stars on the roster at DL positions, he might not even make the scout team. Babers is experimenting with using Elijah as an Elmore-like fullback. His nickname is ‘Bubba’. A football team needs its Bubbas.
I count one 4 star and eleven 3 stars for three positions plus Mr. Darton. We can actually go four-deep with guys who are supposed to have the talent to play at this level. (I assume 3 stars means they could potentially start for a Power 5 team, 4 stars indicates a potential all-conference player and 5 stars a potential All-American.) Dino may have assigned Brady Denaburg and Jack Stonehouse to take turns kicking him in the butt as penance for not getting Jared Verse to come here but I think we'll be just fine in the D-line anyway.
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