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Syracuse football has¬†a big void to fill at linebacker this season, but one young player who could’ve help right away is Myles Davis. The Orange lost Doug Hogue and Derrell Smith to graduation, so SU is looking to freshman¬†Siriki Diabate,¬†Oliver Vigille and¬†Cameron Lynch to step in and help. Davis comes in from Milford Academy, and his former head coach there, Bill Chaplick, tells The Fizz the linebacker has the ability to come in and play right away.
“He is a strong kid with good quickness and always has an eye for the ball. He can find the ball anytime and is real tough to block. I will be surprised if he is not playing right out of the gate.”
Davis, who was supposed to be a part of the¬†2010 Syracuse draft class, went to Milford Academy (New Berlin, New York) last year as a post-grad to improve on his academics. Myles tore his ACL early in the season which sidelined him for the rest of the year. Unfortunately, it will also force him the miss this season as well. Right now, Myles is scheduled to join the Orange in January ’12, after this season is already completed. The middle linebacker was turning heads before his injury, dominant on the field with 6.5 tackles for loss in three-plus games for Milford.
Davis was ranked a three-star recruit coming out of Penn Hills High School in Pittsburgh, and had his eyes set on playing for the Orange for over two years. Coach Chaplick says through it all, he has remained faithful to the Cuse.
“Since first deciding to commit to Syracuse, he was loyal to you guys and always wanted to go there.”
Loyal is an understatement. Davis was the first verbal commitment lined up by the SU coaching staff for the ’10 class.¬†He told the Post-Standard in ’09 his reason for choosing the Orange was that it offered everything he wanted, especially a big play defense.
“I like the fact you get to run and make plays for yourself. Plus, you get the chance to knock somebody’s head off. I love blitzing, running up there and seeing if you can get past them. I love that aspect.‚Äù
Yes! A kid that wants to take someone’s head off! Syracuse needs more of that attitude defensively. Myles is a fierce player, but Chaplick says he also brings more that just hard hits to a football team.
‚ÄúHe is a leader, definitely not a follower. A quite kid, keeps his nose clean and just gets the job done all the time.”
Leadership is a trait that sometimes goes unnoticed when recruiting players, but having athletes who pick the team up and help keep everyone focused is huge for Doug Marrone. It’s also encouraging to hear Davis ‚Äúkeeps his nose clean‚Äù after the¬†fiasco surrounding another incoming player, Ashton Broyld.
Chaplick believes Myles will be fine after the surgery and is without a question a D-1 starting linebacker. It’s been a long road for Myles, but he’s been determined to fight his way through it all.
Posted: Dave Van Moffaert
