Syracuse Football Recruiting Is Now Better Than Alabama’s?

The Syracuse football team appears to be on the right track with Dino Babers. So much so that their recruiting class ranks better than Alabama?

The Syracuse football team picked up a big commitment from class of 2018 linebacker, Juan Wallace.

Wallace is the second linebacker to pledge Orange in the last 3 days, joining Jaqurius Smith. Wallace is listed at about 6-foot 1 inch, his height varies depending on which recruiting service.

The D.C. native is weighs in around 215 pounds and is considered to be an inside linebacker by the Syracuse coaching staff, according to CuseNation.com’s Mike McAllister.

The D.C native announced his commitment via twitter Thursday night:

The linebacker is rated three stars by 247 and Scout recruiting services. He is now the sixth commit for Syracuse in the class of 2018. According to 247sports, Syracuse’s 2018 class is better than Alabama’s!!!!! Wallace’s other offers included Maryland, Pitt, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Let’s break down the LB’s tape:

The first play I want to look at occurs at the 1:23 mark of the highlight tape. We see Wallace tells his linemen where they need to be positioned, then he gets back into his stance. He explodes and is immediately using his great vision to track the runner.

While at the 2:32 mark, Wallace shows off his quickness and tackling ability in the open field. Wallace drops back in coverage and the quarterback takes off, after being flushed out of the pocket. While Wallace tracks him down using his foot speed and makes a good fundamental tackle in the open field to limit the yardage gained.

While at the 4:21 mark, Wallace displays his coverage skills in an unlikely way. He’s lined up on the line of scrimmage and is coming on a blitz. The other team has a perfect counter play called, with a swing pass to the running back out of the backfield. Wallace again reads this play call, beats the running back to the spot and forces the quarterback to throw it away. While the middle linebacker in the Tampa-2 defense needs to be able to cover running backs, tight ends, and slot receivers. Wallace shows that ability impressively on that play.

Finally Wallace displays his motor and relentless pursuit of the ball at the 8:15 mark. The linebacker comes on a blitz, which gets picked up nicely by the other team. But Wallace recognizing the run play, bounces off a blocker and tracks the running back down to make the tackle for a very short gain.

Next: Syracuse Football Conversation With Jay Bromley (Post 2017 NFL Draft)

While overall, it looks like Syracuse is getting a very active and high energy middle linebacker. Wallace is adept at stopping the run. Juan possess the qualities needed to cover the slot, running back, and tight end position.

Welcome to Syracuse Juan!