Head coach Fran Brown has completely turned around Syracuse football heading into next year. There’s one position in particular on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball standing out from the rest though, the lineman. Brown has transformed the Orange’s line on both sides of the ball by bringing in new recruits from all over the country. So, will these recruits be effective for a team that ranked outside the top 50 for sacks allowed and sacks given? Let’s look into who could make a difference next season for SU on the line.
DE-Fadil Diggs
This name should be a surprise to nobody. Arguably the biggest pickup of the season behind quarterback Kyle McCord, Diggs comes from Texas A&M with a plethora of experience. The 6-foot-5 260-pound tackle started 33 games in three seasons with the Aggies and recorded eight sacks with three forced fumbles. The New Jersey native was a leader in his time at A&M, being a two-time captain of the team. All of that experience compounded with his impactful play will make an immediate difference for SU’s defense this season. Diggs has already shown signs of success at Syracuse in the spring game. That hot start, along with the fact that he helped the Aggies rank fifth in tackles for loss in the nation last season, is promising with the season just three months away.
OT-Joshua Miller
Miller is another guy like Diggs who comes from a big SEC school that is looking to make a difference at Syracuse. The 6-foot-4 300-pound tackle out of Georgia redshirted this past season but was ranked a three-star in the transfer portal by 247 Sports. While we haven’t been able to see Miller in action just yet, he was the #14 prospect in Virginia coming out of school. There are lots of question marks surrounding the O-lineman as he still hasn’t played a down of college football, but he has plenty of potential coming from an elite UGA program.
OT-Codie Hornsby
Hornsby is a rising junior out of Grambling State, and stands at 6-foot-3, 315 pounds. In his senior season of high school, the Texas native led his team to a district championship recording 40 pancakes. Hornsby is rated as a three-star transfer by 247 sports and is another guy who could be extremely effective on the line with his frame. The offensive lineman had interest from Georgia, Oregon, NC State, Washington, Boston College, Baylor, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt. All of these guys along with new recruits that Brown is bringing in are setting up SU to be dominant on both sides of the ball this season.
