Follow The Fizz on Twitter for the latest SU basketball news
via 247 Sports
With National Signing Day less than 24 hours away, Syracuse will look to add the final touches to a solid 2014 class. Steve Ishmael and Denzel Ward are on the radar, as both have a high probability of joining the Orange. Today, though, we look at another player who visited this past weekend.
Kayton Samuels will pick between Syracuse, Ball State and Boise State. He did mention on Twitter last week, however, that Syracuse and Ball State are his top two, after visiting Ball State two weekends ago. The 2-star DT decommitted from Georgia State last week after receiving an offer from the Orange. At 6’2”, 310 pounds, Samuels would join Chris Slayton and recently committed Jalen Harvey on the defensive line.
Although Harvey and Samuels were perhaps not Scott Shafer’s first choices for the defensive line, they will do. Many 2-star recruits have great work ethic and work with a chip on their shoulders. Harvey has already told the Post-Standard that he is out to prove that “he is better than every 5-star in [his] class.” Do not forget that Jay Bromley was an unranked recruit when he came to Syracuse—and look how he turned out.
Although the defensive line is not a strength of the 2014 class, recruits like Harvey and Samuels can use their opportunity to play football at SU to prove they are better than they seem.
As for his play, Samuels runs a 4.9 as a DT and can stop the run with his size. He also played some of his minutes on the other side of the line of scrimmage. This could be good if the defensive line is too crowded and SU has a need on the offensive line. Versatility is something that can help a player get onto the field faster than they usually would.
Shafer and company will try to lock up some last-minute recruits after a successful weekend of recruiting. A lot of the attention is on Ishmael and Ward, but Samuels could be a nice, late pick up.
Posted by: Zephan Mayell 
