Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Take a look at a redshirt freshman who could see snaps this season.

Name: Shyheim Cullen

Position: Linebacker

Year: (Redshirt) Freshman

Height: 6-0

Weight: 197 lbs.

Hometown: Lowell, Mass.

High School: Lowell

2015 Stats: Cullen sat out the 2015 season, and comes into this year with four years of eligibility still to his name. In high school, he was a two-time all-state player and Boston Herald All-Scholastic Selection.

2016 Projections: On the post-spring depth chart, Cullen is third down the line of weak-side linebackers behind junior Parris Bennett and senior Marquez Hodge. He could get into the game here and there on defense, but you can expect to see Cullen getting a lot of special teams reps for most of the season. He started the spring game, but that was only because of an injury to Marquez Hodge. With Hodge graduating this year, Cullen’s time to shine will potentially come in 2017.

How’d He Get Here: Syracuse was the only school to offer Cullen a scholarship. The Orange offered Cullen first, and he committed before anyone else could get a word in. He did receive interest from schools such as Miami, Boston College, Rutgers, UConn and others.

What’d The Recruiting Sites Say?: Scout, 24/7 and ESPN all gave Cullen three stars. Rivals went with two stars, but what do those guys know?

Money Quote: After the spring game, Cullen told Syracuse.com’s Nate Mink he thought he fit in with SU’s best:

“Right now I do feel like I’m up there with the ones and twos,” Cullen said. “I have a lot to work on. I’m definitely not content with where I’m at. I want to be playing and starting.”

Links of Wonder: Trying to summarize it here wouldn’t do it justice, but Cullen has quite the story to his name. Syracuse.com’s Stephen Bailey wrote this feature on Cullen’s path to Syracuse in August of 2015.

Twitter Feed: @shycullen24

Tweets of Wonder: Cullen is ready to prove himself this season:

What’d The Coaching Staff Say: It’s not from any of the staff directly, but here’s what Cullen says the coaching staff says about him, again from Syracuse.com’s Nate Mink:

“(The coaches) definitely like the athletic ability that I have,” Cullen said. “I want to go into fall camp having them being comfortable with me starting.”

Let’s Get A Good Look Atcha: