Syracuse is in the middle of a battle with the big boys to land a highly sought prospect from Florida. That would be Cypress Bay High School CB Deion Hallmon. The ’14 Weston, Florida product has ranked the Orange in his top 5 schools to play for. With over fifty offers, Hallmon tells The Fizz he has narrowed his decision in no particular order down to Florida State, Syracuse, Rutgers, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.
What shouldn’t surprise us is the man going hard after Mr. Hallmon: “The Mailman” himself George McDonald. GMcD has plenty of experience recruiting the Sunshine State and was spent time as a Miami assistant. Hallmon told The Fizz the new OC offered him in early May and their ties from years past has helped keep SU in the conversation:
“My connection with Coach McDonald is pretty good. We’ve been talking since he was in Miami. He’s recruited me ever since. Now that he made the move to Syracuse, it has my eye on that program.”
Syracuse has done a phenomenal job with the new staff expanding its recruiting roots, as six of the eight commits are from different states.¬†Linebackers coach Clark Lea has been huge, but don’t forget McD. A Florida product considering SU is¬†reassuring for McDonald‚Äôs strong influence¬†there. Hallmon sees Syracuse as a win-win situation if he decides SU:
“It has great academics and a nice campus. To also be able to play football and take advantage of strong academics is great.”
On the gridiron last season at Cypress Bay, Hallmon had the eye of an eagle in the defensive backfield. He recorded 7 interceptions for the Lightning. The 5’11”, 165 lb. Hallmon runs at 4.40 40 yard dash:
“I’d say I’m very aggressive, especially in man defense. I like to cover the best receiver of the opposing team. I’m also good at reading the defense in zone coverage. Either way, I’m very aggressive in the backfield on D.”
Hallmon’s aggressiveness fits McDonald’s repertoire of passion and fire on the field. McDonald is obviously an offensive guy, but he sees Hallmon as a strong asset for the defensive-minded, “hard-nosed” HC Scott Shafer. The three-star Hallmon is ranked 45th at his position and a Top 75 Florida player by Rivals. Ranking high amongst other Sunshine State players speaks volumes to his talent and ability.
Seems like no 2014 commit can be on board without speaking with the anchor AJ Long. Hallmon tells The Fizz he’s spoke with Long via text and Twitter. He even spoke very highly of the new WR commit KJ Williams, AJ’s cousin. The idea of rebuilding Syracuse football to where it once was with an already talented, poised class, that includes Long and Williams, could have Hallmon on board very soon.
Going forward, Hallmon has made it clear that he won’t be making a decision until the fall after seriously evaluating his fab five. Florida State offered Halllmon two weeks after Syracuse in May. As a Weston, FL native, Hollman informed the Orlando Sentinel that he was stoked about the Seminoles’ pitch:
“It’s real, real exciting. I’ve been working hard and waiting for a big offer like this and now I actually got one. My teammate Marquese Dudley-Gordon got FSU too. I’d say probably since my sophomore year I’ve been waiting for an FSU offer. Now after this, ‚Äòthere are probably going to be way more. A lot of schools have been looking at me, but not that much. Knowing that FSU offered me, now the recruiting is about to get crazy … all of those schools like Miami are going to be fixing to offer.”
Syracuse is battling the big boys for Hallmon, but he announced via Twitter he’s got a school currently working on his first, official visiting date: Syracuse. Come this fall, Hallmon could add yet another new piece of geography to this already dynamic, diverse 2014 recruiting class.
Posted: Brendan Glasheen
