Nadarius Fagan¬†is a 6-foot-2, 200 lb linebacker who committed to Syracuse on July 24. He’s largely considered the best linebacker out of Miami this cycle¬†and is a three-star recruit on all the major recruiting sites. Last week, the Fizz’s Nathan Dickinson talked to Fagan on Fizz Radio.
Orange Fizz: You had a lot of offers on the table: USC, LSU, Alabama. Why Syracuse over the other schools you had on your list?
Nadarius Fagan: Because Syracuse is very well known for academics and that’s kinda what I wanna go to school for. I don’t too much look into the football state of mind… because God forbid I¬†get hurt or something like that.
OF: You committed to Syracuse on Sunday [the 24th] but you’ve said you’re going to take other visits in the fall. You mentioned Nebraska was your No. 2 and USC was your No. 3. How open is your recruitment still, and what could change when you take those visits to the other places?
NF: My recruitment is not open. I’m 100 percent Syracuse. I’m going to just take the visits because the recruiting process is pretty fun and I want to make the most of it because I would say I deserve it.
OF: I know you personally were recruited by Nick Monroe, the defensive backs coach for the Orange. Go a little more into what your relationship with everyone at the team is like.
NF: When I first got up there, I didn’t really know anyone until I got around the team a little more and watched the workouts and got a little closer to the team. My relationship with the coaching staff ? I love ’em. I love the coaching staff… especially Monroe. He’s a handful, but he’s an exciting person to be around.
OF: You had the opportunity to play SEC football. You had the LSU offer and the Alabama offer; offers from schools that already have established football programs, while Syracuse is still in line the rebuilding stages. Once you get to school, what are your expectations for the team as far as winning football games?
NF: Wherever I go and whatever I do I always have high expectations, so when I first come in my expectations are to rebuild the team, build a family, and go to the ACC Championship.
OF: You come from an area in Dade County [Florida] that’s heavy on football talent. We’ve seen other recruits try and get other players they know to come to school with them. Are you going to try and do the same kind of thing?
NF: Yes, I’m going to try to push as much as I can, but it’s their decision to make.
OF: You’re going to be enrolling early in the winter. Why enroll early? What do you think it does for you as a player and also academically?
NF: I want to enroll early because I want to transition onto the collegiate level of academics and athletics. Sports wise, I want to build and know the system. I want to put on weight as much as I can for the position I’m going to play. Academically, I want to start off early and start off on my degree.
OF: Not many football players want to do what you want to do; you say you want to major in acting at Syracuse. What led you into acting?
NF: My personality. I’m a very interesting person. I’m a very good person to be around. I can make you smile all day. My personality’s what really drove me to become an actor because I want to see everybody smile.
Posted: Nathan Dickinson
