Syracuse Football: 5 Freshmen that will make an impact in 2019

This last one was tough for me to choose. Defensive back is a loaded position group for Syracuse. The DBs are led by Nick Monroe and return all five starters in the Orange’s 4-2-5 defensive scheme. Chris Fredrick, Trill Williams, Evan Foster, and ACC defensive rookie of the year, Andre Cisco combined for 13 interceptions last season. While rising senior Scoop Bradshaw played solid coverage.

In addition, the Orange return two other players that saw significant action; Allen Stritzinger and Ifeatu Melifonwu. Allen Stritzinger, a nickel back saw significant playing time in the Camping World Bowl with Trill Williams’ injury. He had a key interception late in the game. Melifonwu had a great game against North Carolina, relieving an injured Chris Fredrick.

There is a ton of talent and depth in the Orange secondary. So much so that it is considered a top two defensive backfield in the ACC.

With that being said, Cornelius “Neil” Nunn is the next great DB to come through Syracuse. He committed to the Orange early in the 2019 cycle but later backed out after receiving an offer from his hometown Miami Hurricanes.

Ultimately, the Orange were able to get Nunn back on campus. After the firing of Mark Richt, Nunn pledged to Syracuse once again.

The sunshine state DB is simply going to be too talented to keep off the field. He had offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Miami, and Georgia.

He earned a four-star ranking from 247sports and is considered one of the best recruits of the Babers era.

If there is one question mark, Nunn is slightly undersized at 6-foot and 170-pounds. He is the only guy that I mentioned that did not enroll early at Syracuse and isn’t on campus yet. But that doesn’t mean he won’t fit in right away and see time.

I think you can see him play safety, corner, or nickel back. He is talented enough to do any of those. If there are injuries he will see the field, but there is no question he will be a special teams contributor.

A guy with that much talent and accolades will need playing time in some capacity. Check out my analysis of his film here.