The junior is becoming a staple on Syracuse’s o-line
It’s time to start preparing for the 2024 Syracuse Orange football season. We’re going through the roster to take a look at each Syracuse player as we get to know a lot of new faces to kick off the Fran Brown Era.
Next up is…
Name: Enrique Cruz Jr.
Position: Offensive line
Year: Redshirt Junior
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 311 lbs
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
High School/Previous College: Willowbrook
2023 stats: Started all 13 games at left tackle, playing 803 offensive snaps. He allowed no sacks and just three quarterback hits the entire year.
2024 projections: Cruz should get the starting nod again at left tackle after a monstrous 2023 campaign. He’ll still have to earn the job in training camp with David Wohlabaugh Jr. potentially returning from injury and Da’Metrius Weatherspoon transferring in from Howard.
How’d he get here?: Chose the Orange over a bunch of Power-5 offers, including from Oklahoma State, Mississippi State, Arizona State and West Virginia.
What’d recruiting sites say?: Four stars from 247Sports and On3, three from ESPN and rivals.com. He was a 2019 top-5 prospect in Illinois.
Social Media Info:
Instagram: @kicocruz1
Twitter: @Enriquecruzz1
Interesting nugget o’interest: Cruz is heavily involved in the NIL game, highlighted by the “SyraCRUZ Tailgate NIL Initiative,” where passionate Orange fans cook out before each home game to support Cruz and other Syracuse players.
Let’s get a look at ya:
The offensive lineman recently showed off his personality with teammate Josh Ilaoa on the “No Destination” podcast.