Follow The Fizz on Twitter for the latest SU football news
via Illinoishomepage.net
Once again Scott Shafer is using his ties to Illinois to help him land a talented offensive lineman. 6’5’’, 290-pound Gabe Megginson attends Jacksonville High School in Illinois and received an offer from the Orange yesterday. Megginson already has offers from Miami, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oregon and many other top Division I programs, but SU is very much in the hunt to land the talented offensive tackle.
Megginson’s current situation is almost exactly the same as incoming freshman Denzel Ward’s last year. Both players are massive offensive lineman from Illinois who received several offers from Division I powerhouses. In addition to Syracuse, Florida, Nebraska, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma and UCLA all offered Ward a football scholarship. He ended up choosing the Orange because it gives him a chance to compete for playing time right away. This likely will also be the case for Megginson if he elects to come to Syracuse.
Coach Shafer recruits the state of Illinois extremely well. Including Ward, Shafer has six recruits coming to play for him this fall from the state. Shafer coached at Northern Illinois from 1996-2003 and at Illinois in 2004. Throughout his time at both universities, Shafer spoke and evaluated talent at numerous camps and clinics in the area. He still has many connections there and it shows due to the number of players interested in Syracuse that come from the state. The fact that Megginson plays high school football in Illinois significantly betters SU’s chances of landing him.
At a glance, a Megginson commitment may seem out of reach for the Orange. That’s what many people said about 4-star receiver KJ Williams before he committed last season. Megginson is in no way a lock to come to Syracuse, but there is a definite possibility that he will be playing under the Carrier Dome roof in two years.
Posted by: Connor Morrissette
