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Name: Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff
Position: Defensive Tackle
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 275 lbs
Class: Freshman
Hometown: Bronx, N.Y.
High School: Cardinal Hayes
2020 stats: Don’t have season-by-season numbers, but Fuentes-Cundiff managed 14 TFLs during his career at Cardinal Hayes. He was also a team captain.
2021 projections: Given the number of returning players on the line for the Syracuse Orange, it would make some sense to see Fuentes-Cundiff redshirt this season before competing for a spot on the two-deep in 2022. With the top four defensive linemen all graduating, there will be a lot of questions around who takes their place. Elijah certainly has the size already.
How’d he get here?: Despite interest from Boston College, Duke, Rutgers, Wake Forest and others — and some Crystal Ball predictions showing him as a BC lean — he opted to stay in his home state and play for the Orange.
What’d recruiting sites say?: ESPN and 247Sports were smart and said he was a three-star prospect. Rivals thought otherwise and went with two. We’ll know in the next few years who was right.
Twitter feed: @ElijahFuentes19
Tweets of wonder: Syracuse knocked it out of the park with these album cover edits to announce signings for 2021.
Meet @ElijahFuentes19, a big d-lineman out of NYC who's going to make the Dome go crazy
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) December 16, 2020
Eli Fuentes-Cundiff
Defensive lineman
Bronx, NY pic.twitter.com/b0aDXqmF1k
What movie would Dino recommend for him?: You could opt for any number of Elijah Wood films, but we’ll go with Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. As you probably know, Wood stars as Frodo. There’s a lot more to it than that, of course. But that’s what watching the sprawling movie is for.
Interesting nugget o’interest: Fuentes-Cundiff is one of two Cardinal Hayes signees from the 2021 class, along with Malik Matthew. Unfortunately having a couple teammates on the Orange already wasn’t enough to sway three-star 2022 QB Henry Belin IV, however, as he wound up picking Duke earlier this summer.
Let’s get a look at ya: You’re getting some signing day highlights, of course.