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This past week George McDonald continued his work in Florida and offered scholarships to corner back CJ Maybin from Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale and offensive tackle William Gordon from Norland High School in Miami. The SU offers were the first Division I offers for both players.
The only other interest Maybin currently has is from the University of South Florida. So why has SU offered? Maybin stands at 6’4’’, which is three inches taller than any other cornerback the Orange has on its roster. SU’s secondary is traditionally shaky and it appears that the Syracuse coaches are willing to sacrifice a little bit of raw talent for size. Last week, the Orange received a verbal commitment from 6’3’’ safety/cornerback Davante Davis. Scott Shafer clearly wants bigger defensive backs and is making it a priority to lure these players to his program.
At 6’4’’ and 318 pounds, Gordon also possesses some serious size. He is only a junior in high school but would be the fourth largest offensive lineman on Syracuse’s roster if he were to join the team tomorrow. From watching his tape, it is clear to see that Gordon excels at sealing the edge for his running backs. He creates massive spaces for rushers because of his great strength. Gordon needs to work on his speed, however. His 5.89 40-yard dash time is below average for a tackle that will need to make blocks in the open field on screen plays. This is why he has not been recruited more heavily. According to scout.com though, Gordon has worked tremendously hard to transform himself into a Division I football player.
With five Florida recruits coming to Syracuse this fall and two verbal commitments already this spring from Florida natives Devante Davis and running back Gerald Robinson, George McDonald is really improving the program. Players who come to Syracuse from the south are important because either they have offers from SEC schools or compete against players that do. The level of competition is higher than in most other regions in the US. Anytime a player from Florida is linked with Syracuse it is almost certainly good news.
Posted by: Connor Morrissette      
