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Name: Cameron Lynch
Position: Linebacker
Year: Junior
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 230
Hometown: Lawrenceville, Ga.
High School: Brookwood
2012 Stats: Tallied 44 tackles (including five TFLs) and a fumble recovery while playing a key backup role in Syracuse's linebacker rotation.
2013 Projections: Now a starter, Lynch is poised to have a strong season at outside linebacker. Since he's likely to move more freely at the position, he'll be very involved in the pass rush, similar to how he was last year.
How'd He Get Here?: Cam was a highly-regarded player in high school, earning Georgia AAAAA first-team all-state and all-county honors his senior year. He was also named the state high school defensive player of the year by both the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Gwinnett Daily Post. Despite all of this, he did not receive offers from the local Georgia schools, and instead chose Syracuse over Harvard, Vanderbilt and Air Force.
What'd Scout/Rivals Say?: Rivals and Scout both gave him a three-star rating, with the latter being sure to remark about his ability to make tackles in space (still very true).
Money Quote: According to assistant athletic director for athletic performance Will Hicks, Lynch could be the next #SHAMARKO Thomas in the weight room, and has already caught up with senior Marquis Spruill in that regard.
Links of Wonder: Here's Cam talking with Scout about why he chose Syracuse over those "other schools." Doug Marrone's winning mentality seemed to be the big selling point for him to ultimately sign with the Orange.
What Does Shafer Think: Nothing specific that I've seen, but see the weight room link above for staff thoughts on his weight room prowess. Shafer also makes commentary about the concern around targeting penalties, remarking that linebackers (like Lynch) won't have as many issues.
Interesting Nugget O'Interest: As most probably realized from his offers, Cam's a pretty smart character. He's majoring in mechanical and computer science at SU, which is very impressive.
Let Us Get a Good Look Atchya: I don't know about you, but I want Cam's video producer to put together my highlight reel (if I had one, that is). Check out his tape from high school below: