Cheaper By The Dozen: Andrejas Duerig Bolsters SU Offensive Line Even More

The 12th commitment for the class of 2015 is also the 5th offensive lineman: how stacked is SU up front now?

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via scout

The Orange landed its 12th commitment of the 2015 recruiting class Tuesday: 6’4”, 281-pound offensive lineman Andrejas Duerig. The Mount Carmel High School monster is the fifth offensive lineman to pledge Orange. Duerig joins another Illinois recruit: OT Cody Conway, of Plainfield, Ill.

In as many years, Syracuse adds another bulldozer from Chi City. SU signed 6’6”, 295-pounder Aaron Roberts last winter for the class of 2014. The size coming out of the Midwest is undoubtedly one of the key components of this year’s class.

The combination of the Midwest, Florida’s Sam Clausman and Colin Byrne, and Connecticut’s Evan Adams means big-time size. Clausman is the shortest lineman at 6’3”, while Adams tops out at 275 pounds. Pretty much every OL addition scares you with overpowering, towering physiques.

Watch  OL AJ Duerig’s highlights here.

We’ve already crossed this point, but man, oh man, Duerig is the ninth player to give SU the good news since May 16th, a span which has lasted just over a month. 247 Sports respects the Orange enough to credit it with a Top 30 bunch.

Via Scout, the 3-star Duerig chose Syracuse over offers from Western Michigan, Toledo and Buffalo, among others. His stock has really yet to display its complete worth this early in his recruiting process, but SU seems locked in to simply key in on raw size.

With Duerig’s pledge, revving up the run game is another storyline¬†to watch. Some increased roles and heightened expectations for Prince-Tyson Gulley have not only put the pressure on the returning senior but on Syracuse as a team to gather protection. To execute a ground-and-pound offensive, it‚Äôs critical to have depth at offensive line.

For Syracuse, there’s still concern regarding athleticism. The size ultimately could end up being a win-lose situation. You can protect in big moments, but can this group of lineman guard over the course of a 60-minute game?

One has to figure the coaching staff hopes to mold this size into shape to also gain litheness. Not sure if it’s safe to say just yet, but Syracuse could be done recruiting for the o-line. The staff may cross that path again, though, to gain some quicker players. Nonetheless, another solid add and SU’s 2015 class so far shields cheaper by the dozen.

Posted by: Brendan Glasheen 

5 responses to “Cheaper By The Dozen: Andrejas Duerig Bolsters SU Offensive Line Even More”

  1. Aaron Avatar
    Aaron

    Not sure why PTG was mentioned in this article. None of these O-line recruits will be contributing on the field for at least 2-3 years.

  2. ricke78 Avatar
    ricke78

    Ditto Aaron. With the faster ACC D-linemen, our 2*/3* OL recruits will need to gain strength, quickness and knowledge. Those that do will compete for starting playing time after 24 months in the program and possibly starting after 36 months. For a guy like Macky to play center at SU so early and stay healthy is an amazing accomplishment. Macky took the opportunity and didn’t let go. On paper Macky was a MAC caliber player at best but he beat the odds. I believe we have OL recruits that will do the same. Our current OL’s are all 2* and 3* players succeeding at the FBS college level. SU coaches are doing something right.

  3. SU Loyal Avatar
    SU Loyal

    RICKE78,
    You could not have said it any better!

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