Monday, February 29, 2016

Syracuse Football: Scouting Delaware State Transfer DE Gabe Sherrod

SYRACUSE, New York -- Yesterday provided a huge bit of welcome news for Syracuse Orange football fans. Down to just three defensive ends in spring practice, the situation was looking dire for the team to make an addition to ease fears around an overly inexperienced group taking the field this fall.

Luckily, help came in the form of a verbal commitment from Delaware State defensive end transfer Gabe Sherrod. As a graduate student, he'll be able to play right away at SU, and likely shoots to the top of the depth chart, especially given the team's depth issues there. He'd be slated alongside some combination of redshirt freshman Jake Pickard to start with, one would think. while getting ample contributions from Trey Dunkelberger and Kenneth Ruff (both of whom are on campus this spring), and the three incoming freshmen.



But what are we getting from Sherrod, other than starting snaps? Ends up, quite a bit.
 
This season, the big (6-foot-4) end was a force for Delaware State, racking up the second-most tackles for loss in all of the FCS with 25 (!!!). As a converted wideout, Sherrod's used that speed and his hands to quickly get after ball-carriers and get in the way of the football even when the sack fails. Obviously FCS competition is a step down in many cases (especially from a power conference), but his production didn't really dip as opponents ranged from the MEAC to the Big South and even the MAC last year in Kent State. His production and ability to get into the backfield quickly has already come up in conversations for the 2017 NFL Draft. It's worth a quick look at his video below for more.
 

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