The Syracuse football coaching staff was able to wrangle in a talented athlete in Andrew Tuazama that can play both sides of the ball.
The Syracuse coaching staff stayed hot on the recruiting trail this weekend, picking up a commitment from Andrew Tuazama. The North Carolina native, Tuazama was originally a member of the class of 2018, but spent a year at Jireh Prep in North Carolina.
As a member of the class of 2018, Tuazama was a highly sought-after recruit. According to his 247sports.com profile, he had offers from the likes of Florida State, Miami, Maryland, and Ole Miss. This is when Tuazama was recruited to play tight end out of high school.
This year at Jireh prep, he played on both sides of the ball, and apparently will enroll at Syracuse on the defensive side of the ball. Regardless of his position, the Knightdale, North Carolina native possesses an impressive frame. He stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs roughly 235-pounds.
With a frame like that, and three years of college eligibility remaining, Tuazama could put on roughly 60 pounds and play defensive tackle, or gain just 10-15 pounds and play defensive end. After next season, Syracuse loses three contributors at defensive end with Alton Robinson, Kendall Coleman, and Brandon Berry all departing. It will be interesting to monitor where he ends up.
Beyond that, one thing is for certain, Tuazama is a strong cat:
Tuazama will join Ishmael Goulbourne and Joe Rondi as the Orange defensive line commits in the 2019 cycle. He announced his commitment via twitter:
— Drew Tuazama™ (@hoop_state15) December 16, 2018
Let’s take a look at his tape on the defensive side of the ball. It is worth noting that he does not indicate which player he is on every play, but appears to be #33:
The first play that I want to look at occurs at the :36 second mark of the film. Tuazama is lined up at the 3-technique position, similar to what current DL Josh Black plays for Syracuse. In the three technique, the defensive lineman lines up between the guard and tackle. Here, Tuazama sheds the block of the guard and makes the tackle miss, getting to the quarterback quickly. Once he is there, he uses his length to block the pass from the QB and it hits the ground for an incomplete pass. Tuazama shows off some impressive speed to break through the line of scrimmage. The Syracuse coaching staff will need to focus on keeping that speed, while also adding weight to his frame.
At the 1:29 mark, Tuazama is lined up towards the top of the screen at the defensive end position. On this play, he is taking on the block from a left tackle. The opposing team calls a run play up the middle, and the North Carolina native completely sniffs it out. Tuazama uses his hands to disengage from the tackle and shoots the gap. When he gets into the backfield, he does a great job of making a fundamental tackle, rather than going for the big hit and potentially whiffing. This is an impressive play from Tuazama, who really was not responsible for clogging that gap, but made the play nonetheless.
Tuazama is just way too quick for interior lineman to block at the prep level. At the 2:41 mark of the tape, he blows by the guard who is trying to block him and gets a free run at the quarterback. Once again, the QB just barely gets the ball off in time, but Tuazama disrupts the pass, forcing the incompletion.
Tuazama is a good-looking prospect that will fit in well at either DT or DE. Personally, with speed like that, I would rather see him on the outside as a defensive end, but either way this is a good addition to the Syracuse class. A big reason for the Orange’s success this year has been the emergence of the defensive line. They are more deep than they have been a the position in recent years, and Tuazama will only add to that.