The Syracuse football squad has delved into the transfer portal and came away with a pretty talented surprise on the defensive line.
The Syracuse University football program got more good news on Monday when Jeffrey Gunter announced his intention to transfer to the Orange.
Gunter, a defensive end from Durham, North Carolina stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 255-pounds. He has the size already to play defensive end at the ACC level. What Syracuse fans should be more excited for, is the numbers and accolades that Gunter has put up.
Last season as a sophomore at Coastal Carolina, Gunter was named first-team All-Sun Belt. He racked up 49 tackles, including 14 for a loss and five sacks. Gunter also blocked a kick and forced one fumble on the season. In 2017, as a freshman, Gunter played in all 12 games and recorded 26 tackles, 3.5 of which, came for a loss.
Gunter was rated a two-star prospect by 247sports.com, coming out of high school. But that shows how imperfect of a system recruiting rankings are. After announcing his intention to transfer, Gunter received an offer from Tulane. He also received heavy interest from North Carolina, North Carolina State, Minnesota, and Oregon.
This is a very important addition for Syracuse. Gunter will have to sit out the 2019 season but will be eligible to play in 2020 and 2021. After the 2019 campaign, Syracuse will lose their two studs at defensive end. Kendall Coleman and Alton Robinson, who both had 10 sacks last season, will be gone. In addition, Brandon Berry and Jake Pickard will both graduate after the 2019 campaign. Syracuse added three defensive ends in the 2019 recruiting cycle, in Andrew Tuazama, Ishmael Goulbourne, and Steven Linton.
Gunter does not have a highlight tape from CCU, so we will look at his high school tape:
At the :48 mark of the film, Gunter shows off his pass-rushing abilities. He is lined up at DE and shows off some really good speed on the edge. He absolutely blows by his blockers, nearly untouched, getting to the quarterback and taking him down for the sack.
The Durham native had a very quick first step in high school. At the 1:58 mark of the film, you can see him show that off. Gunter gets a great jump on the snap, quickly pushing up the field towards the ball carrier. His blocker attempts to get a piece of him to deter him from getting into the backfield, but Gunter is too powerful and makes a beeline towards the running back, bringing him down for a loss.
Gunter is well versed at stopping the run. At the 2:44 mark of the tape, he takes on the tackle trying to block him. He catches the mush larger tackle, flat-footed and pushes him about three yards into the backfield. Upon doing so, Gunter uses his hands to disengage from the tackle bringing down the running back for a loss. Gunter looks like he knows how to use his hands and long arms to make sure he does not get too close to his blocker.
This is a tremendous depth addition for Syracuse. Gunter comes in with some very impressive numbers and awards. He will only get better in the Syracuse strength and conditioning program, while he sits out.