Syracuse Football: Get To Know Your Orange Man - #18 Siriki Diabate

We're counting down every SU football player from Chandler Jones (#99) to Phil Thomas (#1). Keep track of every player profile right here.

Next up on your Orange-Man Orientation, #18, Siriki Diabate.

Position: Linebacker

Year: Junior

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 210

Hometown: Bronx, NY

High School: Lehman

2010 Stats: Siriki is a junior college transfer so he wasn't on the team last season. However, playing for Nassau Community College, he led the league with 92 total tackles, including a conference-best 72 solo stops, 36 tackles for loss, two interceptions and three defensive touchdowns.

2011 Projections: Siriki is No. 2 on the depth chart at SLB behind Dan Vaughan, however he's recently been moved to the middle LB spot to back-up Marquis Spruill. He's got solid potential at playing time. He and Lewellyn Coker will battle it out for PT when Coker returns from injury. At the very least, I imagine we'll see a lot of him on special teams.

How'd He Get Here?: You can thank the John Anselmo Connection for this one. Anselmo was the longtime head coach at Nassau CC, where Siriki went to school before SU.

Siriki chose the Orange over offers from Eastern Kentucky, Rhode Island, Maine, Central Connecticut and Akron, obviously.

Scouts/Rivals Said:. Scout went two-star while Rivals gave him a three-star look.

Money Quote: "Syracuse is right at home...I want to stay near home."

Links of Wonder: Siriki's developed a reputation for making some really big hits in camp.

Doug Marrone Thinks: "He’s a very, very bright kid," Marrone said. "He’s able to get everybody lined up, and that’s what you need in the middle. I think it will create some competition back there when Lewellyn comes back. We want to make sure we have players in positions where they can perform well. As of right now from what we’ve seen as a staff, Siriki looks much, much more natural at that position."

Interesting Nugget O'Interest: Diabate played football as a junior and senior at Herbert H. Lehman High School in the Bronx, the same school attended by SU head coach Doug Marrone.

Let Us Get A Good Look Atchya: