Syracuse Football: Tale of the tape on 3-star DL Jason Muñoz from Miami

The Syracuse football squad stole a talented prospect from the Miami Hurricanes. Here’s a breakdown of the tape on how he can help Orange.

The Syracuse football staff is officially on a roll. The Orange received their second flip in two days on Monday when Jason Muñoz announced that he has committed to Syracuse. This coming about 24 hours after 3-star QB David Summers announced he had flipped to the Cuse.

The 6-foot-4 275-pound Florida native boasts an impressive offer list. According to 247sports.com, Muñoz is the 843rd best prospect in the class of 2019 and the 58th best strong side defensive end. In addition to the Miami offer, he held scholarships from the likes of Boston College, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Missouri, and Pittsburgh.

The Sunshine State native comes from a powerhouse football program in St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale. He originally signed his letter of intent to play at Miami under Mark Richt. However when Richt retired Muñoz decided to seek his release from Miami.

He officially visited the Syracuse campus this past weekend and it was enough to get him to rethink his college decision. Muñoz announced his decision via twitter:

Muñoz is likely to convert to defensive tackle when he gets to the Syracuse campus given his frame. He joins the likes of defensive tackle Joe Rondi and defensive ends Andrew Tuazama and Ishmael Goulbourne.

Let’s take a look at the tape:

From the get-go you can see why there is so much hype surrounding Muñoz as a prospect. At the :09 second mark of the film, the speed and get-off the ball is incredibly impressive. On this play, the Florida prospect is lined up at interior lineman. He gets off the ball incredibly quickly and toasts the guard lined up in front of him, immediately getting into the backfield and stopping the ball carrier for a loss. If Muñoz does end up at the defensive tackle position, he will be a nightmare for interior offensive lineman due to his quick feet.

At the 2:00 mark Muñoz shows off more of his skill set. He is once again lined up on the inside of the defensive line. This time around, the opposing team has a screen pass called to try to release the ball quickly so Muñoz and his teammates can’t get to the quarterback. But Muñoz shows off his impressive motor on this play. He recognizes the screen early and allows himself to get held up in the line. He then tracks the ball carrier down from behind for a short gain. A play like this is so important. When a running back catches a screen pass they are so often in open space, and this time Muñoz does not allow that to happen.

The final play I want to look at occurs at the 3:15 mark of the film. Here, Muñoz is once again lined up at a defensive tackle position. This time he shows off his pass rushing prowess. He takes on the blocker, driving him back into the backfield. The opposing quarterback recognizes this and tries to get the ball out quickly. In the process, Muñoz sticks his left hand up and gets a deflection of the pass, nearly coming up with an interception after the deflection.

Syracuse is getting a well-developed interior defensive lineman who can effect the game in multiple different ways. To be able to get a flip from a kid who was previously committed to Miami shows that this coaching staff is making serious strides on the recruiting trail. Credit Syracuse defensive backs coach Nick Monroe, who is making noise in the sunshine state.