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Name: Aaron "PJ" Batten
Position: Tight End
Year: Sophomore
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 239
Hometown: Miami, FL
High School: Dade Christian
2013 Stats: Batten didn't appear in any games last season.
2014 Projections: He's listed fifth on the depth chart at tight end, so don't expect to see Batten much this season.
How'd He Get Here?: Batten was originally committed to Kent State before flipping to Syracuse. He caught the attention of former SU offensive coordinator George McDonald after running the length of the field to chase down a defender who had intercepted a pass.
What'd Recruiting Sites Say?: Three stars from Rivals, two from Scout.
Money Quote: Before he came to SU, Batten seemed pretty excited.
"I'm looking forward to being up there, being part of that great future."
Links of Wonder: Read up on Batten being moved from tight end to linebacker last spring. By last August, he moved back to tight end.
Twitterfeed: @_OBEYMYSWAG101
Tweets of Wonder:
@CuseFootball Banquet night. Alex Hayes, son Joe, PJ Batten and Jamar McGloster. Great group of guys.#CuseNation pic.twitter.com/voYTxUnetP
— David Stanard (@DStan668342) April 22, 2014
What Does Shafer Think of Him: On Batten being able to play both offense and defense:
"He's a big, tall, long guy that can run and we liked him on both sides of the ball. He's at that point in his career where he's young enough that we can give him a shot at something and see how it goes. He could end up going back to offense, too."
Interesting Nugget O'Interest: Batten is fast. Really fast. A sprinter on his high school's track & field team, Batten ran a 100-meter dash in 10.9 seconds.
Let Us Get a Good Look Atchya: From high school: