Get to Know Your Orange Man: #9, DE Kingsley Jonathan

Name: Kingsley Jonathan

Position: Defensive End

Year: Senior

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 259 lbs.

Hometown: Baltimore, Md.

High School: St. Frances Academy

2020 stats: Was a starter all year, tallying 32 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, three sacks and a forced fumble. He also deflected three passes — not bad at all, and the sort of skill that the Syracuse Orange are hopefully able to put to more use this year.

2021 projections: Jonathan could be the team’s top pass-rusher and his success up front is likely to dictate a lot around how much the Orange defense can improve this year. Kingsley’s very athletic and has speed around the edge. There’s an outside chance that he could put together a season that gets him on NFL radars.

How’d he get here?: Offers from Florida State, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Duke, Louisville, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest and more weren’t enough to sway him anywhere but ‘Cuse.

What’d recruiting sites say?: Three stars from everyone, and 247Sports had him as a top-600 prospect in the class of 2017.

Money quote: You may have noticed Kingsley was highlighted by Syracuse University recently. Here’s a quote from the defensive end about his mentoring at Dr. Weeks Elementary School in Syracuse:

“We started with group discussions to give them time to adjust and start talking with us, and that’s the biggest thing. It’s important because some of them don’t have that person they look up to as mentors and realizing we have such an impact in their lives gives us that opportunity to help them become what they want to be.”

Twitter feed: @Kingg_J1

Tweets of wonder: This was shared by PFF last offseason, but still worth keeping an eye on for this coming season.

What movie would Dino recommend for him?: Actor Ben Kingsley plays Ibn Sibna in The Physician, a 2013 film about an 11th Century surgeon’s apprentice who disguises himself to attend a school that does not admit Christians, so he can commit his life to healing.

Interesting nugget o’interest: You may know this already, but Jonathan dedicates a lot of time to bettering others. Along with the mentoring program noted above, he’s served as a ACC rep for NCAA rule changes and SU’s student-athlete advisory committee (SAAC). He founded the SAAC Hoodie Drive, participates in the OTTOthon to benefit Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital and is a Boys & Girls Club volunteer.

Let’s get a look at ya: Highlights from 2018, but still a good look at what he can do.