Scout.com, ESPN, Rivals and Hudl all list Daivon Ellison as a cornerback.

But the Don Bosco Preparatory (New Jersey) High School senior doesn’t define himself as the recruiting websites do.

The reason Syracuse recruited him, he says, is because he can basically play any position.

“I’m not just a corner,” he said.

And it’s Ellison’s ability to play safety and corner that can only help a Syracuse secondary that has struggled with its depth in the last couple of seasons. He is the most recent commit to SU’s Class of 2015 after verbally committing on Aug. 25 and will have a lot of competition to see the field right away.

Also part of the class are cornerbacks Gerald Robinson and Andrew Spence, along with three more safeties — and Ellison’s versatility could give him an edge as the Orange secondary continues to evolve.

“He really is flying around everywhere on the field, all different types of positions,” DBP defensive tackle Kevin Feder said. “He’s a huge game-changer having him in the game. It helps out every which way.”

Injuries — along with freshman safety Naesean Howard leaving the team earlier this season — have struck the Syracuse secondary multiple times in the past two years. This season, third cornerback Wayne Morgan has battled a lower-body injury and it was announced by SU Athletics on Monday that freshman safety Rodney Williams will miss the rest of the season with a lower-body injury.

Last year, safety Durell Eskridge and cornerback Julian Whigham both had season-ending injuries. And with Eskridge eligible for the NFL draft at the end of the season and Brandon Reddish graduating, there will be opportunities for the current crop of freshmen and the incoming defensive backs to contribute.

“But the key thing is that can they line up and play our base package?” said SU defensive backs coach Fred Reed during training camp of how he develops young players. “If they can line up and play our base package, then we got a chance to get them out there and be able to perform.

“We try and teach them our base system and not put too much on their plates. That’s how we approach it.”

Ellison started out as an outside linebacker his freshman year, before eventually transitioning to cornerback his sophomore year. As a junior, he split time at both, but has focused the majority of his time at cornerback his senior year at Don Bosco.

He also moonlights as a wide receiver and running back, playing 5–10 plays per game on offense and also contributing as the team’s top kick returner on special teams.

Ellison is always the guy talking with coaches so that he could have both the offensive and defensive playbook memorized.

“During the offseason he just trains to get his stamina up, because he’s going to be on the field most of the time,” said Wes McKoy, Don Bosco’s quarterback.

Ellison said there are pros and cons to playing both cornerback and safety. As a corner, he said he loves being on that island and shutting down a wideout one-on-one. But he also resents the fact that he can’t be a game-changer at cornerback if the opposing team runs plays away from him.

At safety, he feels like the leader of the defense. He likes being in the middle of the field, coming up on the runs and shutting down the deep passes.

At Syracuse, he could zero in on one or play either position — a luxury the Orange can only benefit from.

Said Ellison: “As of right now, I’m roaming around the defensive backs.”

Published on October 28, 2014 at 12:06 am

Contact Sam: sblum@syr.edu | @SamBlum3