Syracuse Football: Lanky 3-star DL Steven Linton spurns big offers for SU

The Syracuse football squad got some additional help on the defensive line on National Signing Day. Here’s the tale of the tape on Steven Linton.

Syracuse football has picked up more help along the defensive line. On Wednesday, National Signing Day in college football, Steven Linton announced his verbal commitment to play for the Orange.

It is their fifth defensive lineman commit, along with Cooper Dawson who could wind up on the offensive or defensive lines. Other defensive ends in the class include, Andrew Tuazama and Ishmael Goulbourne. Joe Rondi and Jason Munoz round out the defensive line haul, projecting as defensive tackles.

Linton had a slew of other good offers to choose from. In addition to Syracuse, Linton had offers from the likes of Missouri, Arizona State, USF, and Louisville.

At 6-foot-5 inches Linton has ideal size to add weight to his frame and become a terror on the defensive line. Currently, 247sports.com lists Linton at 215-pounds. They also Composite-grade Linton as the 903rd best player in the class of 2019, the 60th best Weak Side DE, and 89th best player in Georgia.

The Dublin, Georgia native officially visited the Syracuse Campus in January and has been a priority target for the Orange in this cycle.

Linton is a physical specimen. He plays basketball like many of the players on the Syracuse roster and his wing-span of 82 inches is ideal for a defensive lineman.

Let’s take a look at his highlights:

The first play that jump off the page to me occurs at the :42 second mark of the film. Linton is lined up at defensive end on the outside and the opposition is running an option play to his side of the field. Linton stays at home and doesn’t lose contain to the outside, he tracks the ball carrier bringing him down for a loss on the play. Many times defensive ends want to push up the field to try and make a tackle and get burned for doing so. In this case, Linton reads the play and shows great instincts reacting to the pitch to the running back.

Pass rushing is what has made current Syracuse defensive ends Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman so effective. At the 1:05 mark of the tape, Linton shows off his pass rushing skills getting off the ball quickly and engaging his blocker. Once he engages, Linton immediately uses a quick spin move to get to the outside of the tackle and gain leverage. He forces the opposing quarterback to step up in the pocket, where Linton and one of his teammates bring down the QB for a sack. Dwight Freeney was well-known for his quick spin move from the defensive end position, Linton shows off a really nice one on that play.

The Dublin Georgia product displays great quickness and feet on his highlight tape. At the 2:27 mark, the opposing team has a run play called and the tackle Linton is lined up over is going to pull to the inside, while the guard is responsible for blocking Linton. As soon as the ball is snapped, Linton’s first step is towards the backfield, and he beats the guard. He then uses his long arms to push-off of the guard who is still trying to throw a block on Linton, locating the ball carrier in the backfield and bringing him down for a loss.

What I think impresses me the most about the Peach State prospect, is his ability to stop the run. At the 3:32 mark of the tape, he shows this ability off again. The running back for the opposing team is looking for a hole in the middle of the offensive line. Linton’s 6-foot-5 frame allows him to recognize this, and he positions himself right in the gap. The running back, then makes a jump cut to the outside only to be met by Linton. In order to get there, Linton used his long arms to give himself separation from the blocker, and does a great job to remain physical and fight off the block.

Syracuse is getting a fairly polished end in Linton. The only thing he has to work on is getting his weight up in order to play defensive line in the ACC. However, with both Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman back in the fold for Syracuse next season, Linton certainly has time to do that.