National Signing Day: Kielan Whitner Completes Flip for Orange

Hoping to fill another spot in the secondary, Syracuse made a late move to flip Appalachian State commit Kielan Whitner. The Georgia product paid a visit to SU over the weekend, and was sold on the Orange before the Super Bowl even kicked off on Sunday.

Twitter: @Twitty_Whitty25

High School: Mountain View HS, Lawrenceville, Georgia

Position: Cornerback

Stats: 6'0'', 180lbs

Main Recruiter: Jake Moreland

Commitment Date: February 1st

Stars: Scout (2), Rivals (2), ESPN (NR), 24/7 (2)

Other Offers: Air Force, Appalachian State, Army, Elon, Furman, Georgia State, Harvard, Presbyterian, Samford, Troy

Highlights:

Ben's Breakdown:

While it may have appeared at first that Whitner appeared out of nowhere, once one did some digging it was obvious this was the work of former Air Force TE coach Jake Moreland. Once on staff, he quickly identified another DB to take the place of Andrew Spence, whose scholarship was pulled due to academic concerns. Whitner fits the stereotype that we've been trying to bring in over the past few classes: tall defensive backs that can play at both cornerback and safety.

Whitner's size is great for his position, and he has great, fluid hips. He also plays in the the best league for football in Georgia, which proves he can compete against top competition week in and week out. It remains to be seen if he has the high end speed to keep up with the top end receivers in the ACC, but he plays one step ahead of the opponent due to his intelligence. I'm not sure if Kielan can force his way onto the field this year, but this is definitely a kid worth taking a shot on.