Syracuse Football: Get To Know Your Orange Man - #5 Myles Hilliard

As you may have noticed, Syracuse has a bunch of new defensive linemen coming in this year. Let's meet one of the newbies...

Name: Myles Hilliard

Number: 5

Position: Defensive End

Year: Freshman

Height: 6'5"

Weight: 250

Hometown: Oakwood Village, OH

High School: Bedford

2011 Stats: In his senior year at Bedford, Myles racked up 79 tackles, 22 sacks, forced six fumbles and recovered four fumbles.

2012 Projections: While Hilliard definitely has the measurables to play right away, and he was a beast in high school, there won't be a ton of pressure for him to step right into a lot of playing time, with JuCo players like Markus Pierce-Brewster coming in. However, if he's good enough, Marrone won't keep him off the field. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Hilliard this summer.

How'd He Get Here?: Hilliard was originally committed to Pitt, but after Todd Graham left his dream job for his other dream job, Hilliard decided to switch his allegiance as well. He was recruited by Tim Daost, and also credits Tyrone Wheatley and Marrone for recruiting him well. He held offers from West Virginia, Michigan State, Minnesota, Cincinnati and...Akron of course, among others.

Scout/Rivals Said: Double three-star action

Money Quote:

"It was bound to happen. Syracuse was actually the first letter I received. Coach Wheatley came up to [Bedford HS] about 5 or 6 times. He was very persistent, and I felt like I was part of their plan. When you know, you know. It feels great."

Links of Wonder: The Fizz did a great write-up on Hilliard after his switch to SU.

What Does Marrone Think?: Technically, this is a Hilliard quote about Marrone rather than a Marrone quote, but it's nice to see that Doug isn't afraid to bro out a bit to land a big time recruit.

"He opened his home to me. He opened up Syracuse to me. When I visited, he came up and hugged me. No handshake. I thought this guy must really care about his players, and he doesn’t even know me yet. It showed that he really cared."

Interesting Nugget O'Interest: Hilliard's high school coach was Sean Williams. There's absolutely no chance he can make a layup.

Let Us Get a Good Look Atchya:

Myles Hilliard #55 OT/DT BEDFORD HIGH SCHOOL OHIO (Anthony Hodel) (via ascsports)