All Syracuse

Syracuse Signee Evaluation: Elijah Fuentes

What the Orange is getting in defensive lineman Elijah Fuentes

Mike McAllister

Syracuse Signee Evaluation: Elijah Fuentes
Syracuse Signee Evaluation: Elijah Fuentes /

Player: Elijah Fuentes 

Position: Defensive Tackle

Height/Weight: 6-3, 260 lbs

School: Cardinal Hayes High (Bronx, NY)

Other Notable Offers: Boston College, Buffalo, Duke, Rutgers, Wake Forest

Evaluation:

Frame: Fuentes has the size to battle inside already and the frame to add even more. He could easily add another 30 to 40 pounds while reshaping his body in the strength and conditioning program. 

Athleticism: What you like the most about watching Fuentes on film is his ability to get out of his stance quickly. That allows him to use his supreme power to be a disruptive force in the middle of a defensive line. Fuentes is a better athlete than you would think for his size.  

Instincts: Fuentes loves the physical game inside, has a relentless motor and does a nice job of reacting to the play chasing either the quarterback or a ball carrier. 

Polish: Fuentes has a bit of Jay Bromley in his game. He is disruptive in the middle, can rush the passer, has power at the point of attack and is deceptively quick getting into the backfield. There are things that can refined such as footwork, block shedding technique, learning to split doubles, etc. But there is a lot to like about Fuentes game, and he could contribute early in his career. 

Bottom Line: If he turns out to be close to the player Bromley was at Syracuse, the Orange have a good one here. He is coming in as a defensive tackle, but his skill set could transition to end in the 3-3-5 as we

Published
Mike McAllister
MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting.  EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans.  After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years.  Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports.  Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College. 

Home/Recruiting