Syracuse Football: Andre Cisco will end up a top-three ACC player in 2020
By Neil Adler
Syracuse football junior safety Andre Cisco is listed the No. 7 ACC player heading into the 2020 term by CBS Sports, but he will finish in the top three.
Assuming the Syracuse football 2020 campaign actually takes place, and star junior safety Andre Cisco suits up for every game, the current Football Bowl Subdivision leader with 12 career interceptions should have a fantastic upcoming stanza.
The 6-foot, 206-pound Cisco, a member of the 2018 Associated Press All-American third team as a true freshman, is getting a massive amount of praise as the 2020 term inches closer.
Cisco is on numerous pre-season All-American first squads, he’s on multiple watch lists for national defensive player of the year awards, and he’s getting first- and second-round buzz for the 2021 NFL Draft.
CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson has published his rankings of the top-10 players in the Atlantic Coast Conference ahead of the 2020 campaign, and he has Cisco at No. 7.
"Here is Patterson’s write-up on the Syracuse football defensive sensation. “Cisco led the ACC in interceptions each of his first two seasons and enters the 2020 season as the FBS active leader in interceptions (12) and ranks No. 2 in passes defended per game. He was the first true freshman in Syracuse history to earn All-America honors in 2018 and then in 2019 ranked No. 7 nationally in interceptions despite not playing three games due to injury. Interception totals can spike as a matter of circumstance, but Cisco’s consistency proves it’s all about the player in this case.”"
In case you’re wondering, Patterson’s top 10, in order, is Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell, Clemson running back Travis Etienne, Pittsburgh defensive lineman Jaylen Twyman, Florida State defensive lineman Marvin Wilson, Miami defensive lineman Gregory Rousseau, Cisco, Miami tight end Brevin Jordan, Wake Forest wide receiver Sage Surratt, and Virginia Tech defensive back Caleb Farley.
A couple of weeks ago, College Football News placed Cisco at No. 9 in its ratings of the top-30 ACC players prior to the 2020 season commencing.
For my money, I would have Cisco at No. 3, behind Lawrence and Etienne, but perhaps that’s my homer-ism factoring into the equation.
I do feel, however, that if Cisco dominates in the secondary for Syracuse football in 2020 like many are expecting he will, Cisco can end up as a top-three player in the ACC after all is said and done.