A ‘o ia! A dependable blocker returns to his starting role.
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.
We continue our big man week with….
Name: Kalan Ellis
Position: Offensive Line
Year: Junior
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 375 lbs.
Hometown: Waimanalo, Hawaii
High School: St. Louis School
2022 stats: Ellis and Matthew Bergeron combined to form a solid left side of the line last season. He appeared in 11 games, starting nine of them at left guard, and surrendered just one sack during the entire campaign.
2023 projections: Kalan is one of only two returning o-line starters from last season, along with fellow guard Chris Bleich. The later has some injury concerns after missing the majority of spring camp, so the Hawaiian’s own health is crucial for this group of blockers to have any success this season. His weight is down about 15 pounds from last year, which could help improve his reaction time.
How’d he get here?: Kalan’s local Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors offered him a scholarship, as did San Diego State, UCLA, and Virginia. He instead came to ‘Cuse
What’d recruiting sites say?: Three stars across the board.
Money quote: I spoke with Ellis several times during spring camp. On top of his elevated role with the team, he was open about how (OL) Coach Farmer stressed fundamentals.
“We’re focusing on our plays and our tempo. How we run them, trying to find the balance between them, and just pushing to keep on, you know, being that dominant offense like we were last year. Hopefully it’ll last for the whole year.”
Twitter feed: @ellis_95
Instagram feed: @biggie_ellis
Post of wonder: We at TNIAAM love UConn slander
Interesting nugget o’interest: Ellis and fellow OL Austyn Kauhi are believed to be the first scholarship players from Hawai’i – they both joined the team prior to the 2021 season. That would have made Ellis the first Hawaiian to start for the Orange on October 9th, 2021.
Let’s get a look at ya: Here’s what made Ellis stand out to SU scouts.