Syracuse National Signing Day Profile: Bralyn Oliver

Syracuse adds its first transfer from the portal this offseason.

Player: Bralyn Oliver
Position: Defensive back
Height/Weight: 6-2, 210 pounds
School: Louisville (Transfer)
Other Notable Offers: Oregon State (out of high school, had Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma, Tennessee and many others)
Verbal Commitment Date: December 15, 2021

Commitment Quote: "Going up there, with signing day being Wednesday, it was a business trip," Oliver said. "I had a great time. They showed me a great time. But at the same time, I wasn't going up there just to have fun. I was going up there with questions. Once those questions got answered, I got the right answers to those questions. That helped me make the decision."

Evaluation: "This is a classic free safety pickup. I think we get really funky in evaluating all of these positions with the 3-3-5, 3-4, 4-3, and we try to come up with cool names like Jack, Striker, Star, all these things. Sometimes you just have to go back. For me, Bralyn is a classic free safety. What that means is he's long at 6-1, maybe 6-2 at this point going back to high school and looking at him in practice at Louisville for the 2021 season. He's big, over 200 pounds at this point. He just plays the football well. This is a centerfielder. This is someone who can come off the hash and defend the back end and keep a lid on the secondary. What I really like about Oliver from high school into college is he's more comfortable. He's more mature in his body, obviously practicing at an ACC school gives you some reps. He posted some practice video, about two minutes worth, and you can see a comfort with his game. 

"Is he the most athletic, fluid back peddler in the country? No. But when the ball's in the air, he knows how to react to it. He's instinctive, he can pluck it at the high point with that height and that length. Then against the run, you really see more maturity shine. He plays inside out or outside in depending on his responsibility, and can follow through with his hips. With some short area explosion and make a stop in the open field. That's such a big deal in today's game. These spread offenses that want to go five, six, seven yards at a time, it really becomes about assignment football and tackling. I think that's where Oliver can really be an aid to a defense. He's a balanced free safety in the classic sense of the position. He also has a lot of room to grow. The technique can get better. I think he can stay a little bit lower. And I think he can still add a little bit of weight to what is a really classic frame at this point. I like this get. Just one year removed from high school with four years of eligibility remaining. So it's really like grabbing a high school recruit with a little bit of college experience." 

--John Garcia Jr.