Syracuse Football Signee Nadarius Fagan adds Size, Speed at LB
By Andrew Carey
We continue to break down all of the 2017 Syracuse football recruits leading up to the season. Here’s our next test subject to evaluate.
One of Syracuse’s most coveted commits in the class of 2017 is Nadarius Fagan. The linebacker from the sunshine state is already enrolled at Syracuse and is looking to become familiar with the Orange’s defense.
As a junior in high school, Fagan led all of Miami-Dade county, one of the major recruiting hotbeds for high school football in tackles. In his junior campaign at Miami Southridge high, Fagan complied an astronomical 141 tackles.
As a result of Fagan’s high school production, he is one of the best recruits Syracuse has got in years.
The Orange beat out many big time schools for Fagan’s services. The 6-foot-2 205-pound linebacker had offers from Alabama, Nebraska, and USC. Fagan cited Syracuse’s drama school and overall academics as his reason for choosing Syracuse. Let’s break down his tape:
One of the first things that jumps out to you is Fagan’s downhill aggression and running. At the :15 second mark, you see him explode to the line of scrimmage. Fagan takes on an offensive lineman, sheds the block and brings down the running back for a loss of yards.
At the :53 second mark Fagan drops back into what looks to be a zone coverage. While dropping back into a zone, he does a nice job of reading the quarterback’s eyes and reacting to the throw. Fagan hustles over to where the ball is going just in time and knocks the pass down.
At the 2:21 mark, Fagan is lined up in a traditional linebacker role. He reads the running play and
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attacks the ball carrier. The opposing team’s offensive line did a nice job of opening up a hole, and Fagan came up in run support to make a much-needed tackle in open space.
The 2:32 mark starts two of Fagan’s impressive plays when he is lined up as an edge rusher. Fagan is undersized as an edge rusher, but if he hits the college weight room and adds to his 6-foot-2 frame he may have a future as a defensive end.
His quickness at the line of scrimmage is the best that I have seen out of any player in Syracuse’s class of 2017. He gets off the line of scrimmage so fast that no one has a chance to block him. When he gets in the backfield he does a nice job of breaking down, to make a nice fundamental tackle.
The final play I want to look at occurs at the :33 second mark. The other team throws a short swing pass to the running back out of the backfield. The running back drops the pass, making it a fumble. Fagan comes up with a full head of steam and just levels the running back.
Fagan projects to be a big time defender for Syracuse in the near future. His quickness and football IQ are probably his best traits he will need to put on a few more pounds to play in the ACC.
Next: Syracuse Football Recruiting Sitdown: Markenzy Pierre
Check out our other player previews on Nykiem Johnson, Cameron Jordan, Russell Thompson-Bishop, Patrick Davis, Ifeatu Melifonwu, and Kadeem Trotter.