Football

Syracuse football freshmen: Strickland, Giudice, Adams, Duerig, Cullen

Syracuse football freshman move-in day is Sunday, and Scott Shafer welcomes a crop of 26 — including early enrollee Matt Keller — onto the team. Here’s a brief look at the second five of the group.

Reminder: Original Class of 2015 commit Brandon Ginnetti will arrive in January as part of the Class of 2016 and Trey Dunkelberger is a junior college transfer, so he won’t be included in the freshman class. All physical measurements are according to Scout.

Dontae Strickland, running back, South Brunswick (New Jersey) High School

Strickland ran for 1,200 yards on 102 carries as a senior, scoring 17 touchdowns with five 100-plus-yard games, according to Max Preps. He looks to be the most capable of the three incoming backs to have an immediate impact, and he may also factor on special teams, as he played some defensive back in high school as well.

Anthony Giudice, defensive tackle, Avon Old Farms (Connecticut)



One of eight defensive linemen in the class, Giudice brings a 6-foot-3, 265-pound frame to a somewhat decimated Syracuse defensive line. In addition to the losses of Eric Crume, Rob Welsh and Micah Robinson to graduation, SU is without potential starter Wayne Williams after he decided to leave the team.

Evan Adams, offensive tackle, Norwalk (Connecticut) High School

Adams, the No. 1 prospect at his position in the Nutmeg State, according to Scout, brings another big body to the front line. He’s 6-foot-6, weighs 300 pounds and comes from a top-heavy conference in Fairfield County, but has the size to make an impact.

Andrejas Duerig, offensive guard, Mount Carmel (Illinois) High School

It was a quirky coincidence that led Duerig to choose Syracuse, and the 6-foot-4, 272-pound lineman could make the earliest impact of any freshman lineman if he fits in at center. The Orange lost starter John Miller to graduation, and the trio of Jason Emerich, Donnie Foster and Kendall Moore has played in a total of 15 games on the offensive line, all by Emerich.

Shy Cullen, outside linebacker, Lowell (Massachusetts) High School

The top outside linebacker in his state, per Scout, Cullen likely won’t see playing time with a youthful linebacking corps already showing promise. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder runs a 4.5-second 40-yard dash and could still push competition for the third linebacker spot.





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