National Signing Day: JUCO LB Ryan Guthrie already on campus at Syracuse

While Syracuse Orange fans eagerly await class of 2017 commits to sign their National Letters of Intent on Wednesday, a number of SU’s 2017 recruits are already signed and on campus. One of those names is JUCO transfer Ryan Guthrie, who made his pledge to Syracuse in December after spending time at Elsworth Community College.

Twitterfeed: @ryanguth4

Hometown: Forsyth County, Ga.

High School Junior College: Elsworth Community College

Position: Linebacker

Stats: 6’2”, 215 pounds

Commitment Date: December 14, 2016

Ratings: ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports all said three stars, while Scout only said two.

Other Offers: Toledo, Bowling Green, Akron, Eastern Michigan, Charlotte and of course, Tulane, where he flipped from. Dan and I are conflicted about this.

Dino’s Projected Nickname: “The Atlanta Falcon”

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Player Breakdown:

The linebacker spot is deep and experienced at the moment, but it can never hurt to add a little more depth. Now-senior leaders Zaire Franklin and Paris Bennett were the motors that ran this defense in 2016. Replacing them won’t be easy, but having Guthrie and others learn under them in their final year should prove helpful toward the future.

While the Orange’s Tampa-2 scheme is very coverage-oriented, last year’s linebackers did find success rushing the passer. Guthrie fits that mold as well, given the numbers he put up at Elsworth. This past season, he led the JUCO ranks with 107 solo tackles, along with 25.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. That type of production will help him see the field pretty quickly, one would imagine.