The Syracuse Orange football program has added its fourth player for the class of 2017. Cass Tech High School (Detroit, Michigan) outside linebacker/defensive end Zach Morton announced his commitment to SU yesterday evening. Scout's Mike McAllister was the first to report the news.
According to Scout, he comes in at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, so he'll need to bulk up a bit for the D-end position. Luckily, he has plenty of time to do so before taking the field at the Carrier Dome. He also holds offers from Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Iowa State and Western Michigan.
Morton's rated as the second-best outside linebacker in Michigan, but McAllister says he's headed to Syracuse as a defensive end. It's a position that SU desperately needs to backfill given the lack of depth on display for 2016. If he ends up signing with the Orange, he'll be the second Cass Tech addition in two years, joining incoming inside inside linebacker Tim Walton. The staff has made the school a priority, and is poised to continue delivering talent from Cass and Detroit with Vinson Reynolds (Morton's recruiter) and Mike Hart in the fold.
When asked about how he made his decision, Morton cited the fit for both him and his family at Syracuse, and appreciated the fact that the staff really cared about him. He's developed a trust with Reynolds, in particular, which went a long way.
Morton is the second defender in the 2017 class so far, joining long-time commit Isaiah McDuffie, a linebacker from Buffalo.
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Below you'll find some tape on Morton's junior year. Also, here's the customary Drake gif from Sean Lewis.