Get to Know Your Orange Man: #95 DL Francois Nolton Jr.

It’s time to start preparing for the upcoming Syracuse Orange football season. We’re going through the roster to take a look at each Syracuse player as we get ready for a critical season for the Orange.

Up next is….

Name: Francois Nolton Jr.

Position: Defensive Line

Year: Redshirt Freshman

Height: 6’4”

Weight: 252 lbs

Hometown: Miami, FL

High School/Previous College: Miami Edison Senior High School

2022 stats: Appeared in two games (Wagner and Boston College) as a true freshman on the defensive line. He had a tackle for a loss against Wagner and a solo stop at Boston College.

2023 projections: As with the past couple of the seasons, the Syracuse Orange will count on a strong defense to force turnovers and put pressure on opposing quarterbacks in the ACC. Nolton has all the potential in the world given the schools that offered a roster spot (see below). He moves off the line fast and can get to the pocket in a flash. He has the upside to at least be a starting-caliber edge rusher.

How’d he get here?: Committed to the University of Florida in February 2021 over schools like Tennessee, TCU, South Carolina, Penn State, LSU, Alabama, Pitt, and Florida State. He de-committed from Florida in December 2021 before accepting an offer to join the Orange approximately a month later.

What’d recruiting sites say?: Four stars except for RIvals which gave him three. Consensus top 100 player from Florida in the 2022 class.

Money quote: Back when he committed to Florida, Nolton made a short and sweet statement on his play.

“I make offensive tackles uncomfortable.”

(Sheesh.)

Twitter feed: @99_nolton

Instagram feed: @retro_swa

Instagram/Twitter posts of wonder: If you get a shout-out from Uncle Luke, it’s going to get our approval

Interesting nugget o’interest: If you’re wondering the connection between Uncle Luke and Francois, well Luke’s the HC of the Miami Edison Red Raiders football team.

Let’s get a look at ya: This is the potential we’re talking about here...