Name: Devante McFarlane
Position: Running Back
Year: (Redshirt) Sophomore
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 197
Hometown: Wheatley Heights, N.Y.
High School: Half Hollow Hills West High School
2013 Stats: Played in all 13 games last season, running the ball 48 times for 292 yards and a touchdown. Also caught four passes for 40 yards. He made 13 tackles on special teams and returned 10 kicks as well.
2014 Projections: Devante moves up a spot on this year's depth chart (to third), though due to PTG's injury last season, he spent a good amount of time there anyway. Expect him to serve a larger overall role in the offense even without injuries. If last year was any indication, he has a great combination of speed and size that will prove pretty useful out of the backfield.
How'd He Get Here: He said 'no thank you' to Vandy, Kent State and "New York's State College Team," the Buffalo Bulls.
What'd Recruiting Sites Say: Three stars!
Money Quote: According to last year's "Get to Know..":
"Wherever they put me, to help contribute to the team, that's good for me."
Links Of Wonder: Scott Shafer and George McDonald were both very impressed by him last spring. You'd have to assume that'll continue to be the case given his production in year one.
Twitterfeed: His Twitter profile stays pretty active over at @DevanteM2
Tweets Of Wonder: I don't really listen to the radio, but I'd also think Devante's request here seems pretty fair:
Can we get a hip hop station up here at Syracuse or what?
— Handsome_AndWealthyy (@DevanteM2) May 20, 2014
What Does Shafer Think Of Him: "I wanted to see what George and Devante could do because at that point in time, there's still some good football players out on that field. I wanted to see those two young guys, see what they did, see what their eyes looked like after they got lit up a couple times." - Shafer, following the Florida State game last season.
Interesting Nugget O'Interest: Devante grew up just a few minutes away from my hometown, Deer Park, N.Y. His high school was much better at football than ours was...
Let's Get A Good Look Atcha: Couldn't locate video from last season -- however, here are some great clips from his high school career: