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Slayton, like the rest of the defensive line, will have his work cut out for him.

Name: Chris Slayton

Position: Defensive Tackle

Year: (Redshirt) Sophomore

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 297

Hometown: University Park, Ill.

High School: Crete Monee

2015 Stats: Playing in all 12 games (and starting five), Slayton tallied six tackles for loss and 22 total tackles.

2016 Projections: According to the current depth chart, Chris is your starting defensive tackle. While he’s going to be much less blitz-focused than last year, he can still get to and surpass 2015’s numbers pretty easily with the increased playing time.

How’d He Get Here?: He told a host of top programs “no thanks” in favor of the Orange. Along with nearby schools like Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska and Wisconsin, Slayton also had offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri and Miami (among others).

What’d Recruiting Sites Say?: Three stars — the least you’d expect from a guy with those types of offers.

Money Quote: Slayton doesn’t talk much. But Jake Pickard’s happy to fill in the blanks:

“Last year he was really good, but this year he’s just a whole other animal. He’s going to tear it up.

He knows what the offense is going to do even before they do it. So because of that he knows what move he’s going to do. He knows what counter move for what he’s going to do. He’s in the backfield every single play. He’s a guy the offense would not want to go up against because he’s constantly giving 100 percent. It’s fun to watch him play.

I always try to watch him and try to sculpt my game off the way he plays because he’s phenomenal.”

Twitterfeed: @SlaytonCuse95

Tweets Of Wonder: Stephen Bailey points out Slayton’s impressive stat sheet from the spring game:

What Does Babers Think Of Him?: Babers doesn’t say much about individual players. That’s no fun for this section.

Interesting Nugget O’Interest: Apparently, Chris was a 2015 College Football News and CampusInsiders.com Honorable Mention Freshman All-American? Cool.

Let’s Get A Good Look Atcha: