Davis, McFarland bring versatility to Syracuse

Aside from both being in Syracuse’s 2012 NLI class, Myles Davis and Devante McFarland have one other thing in common—their versatility.

Both Davis and McFarland played multiple positions in high school, and that is one of the biggest reasons why Syracuse recruited them.

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“Those are the things that we’re looking for, diversity in the athletes, then figuring out where they can step in and help us right away,” Syracuse coach Doug Marrone said. “That’s the most important thing.”

Davis played linebacker at Milford Academy, but is expected shift to the fullback position this spring.

Davis enrolled at Syracuse in January after initially signing an NLI with Syracuse in 2010, joining Ashton Broyld as recruits that are already taking classes. He is coming back from an ACL injury.

In 2010, Davis had 10.5 tackles, including 6.5 for a loss of yards.

“He worked extremely hard, and was all set to come and had a very difficult injury,” Marrone said. “He was a very good linebacker and very good fullback in high school, we talked to him about playing fullback, and that’s where we expect him to play when spring ball starts.”

As for McFarlane, the Half Hollows Hills West High School product will have plenty of options. As a senior, he rushed 70 times for 754 yards and 12 touchdowns and also recorded 11 receptions for 221 yards.

“He can play linebacker, safety and running back,” Marrone said. “Obviously, he’s an outstanding athlete.”

Still, plenty will change between now and when Syracuse starts the 2012 season.

“When the freshmen come in in the fall,” Marrone said, “we’ll reevaluate it again and put them where we need to.”

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About Wes Cheng 2907 Articles
Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also been a contributing writer for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), for SportsNet New York (SNY) as a news desk writer covering all of New York professional sports, and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a degree in journalism. Contact him at wes[at]sujuiceonline.com.