Syracuse, N.Y. -- Syracuse football coach Dino Babers has a new name for his ultra-talented redshirt junior defensive lineman Chris Slayton.
"I don't even call Slayton by his name anymore," Babers said. "Slayton is just three-technique. That's the position he plays, and he plays the position like a grown man, in a grown man's league."
Slayton, 6-foot-5, 315 pounds, anchors a vastly improved Syracuse defensive line, allowing linebackers Parris Bennett, Zaire Franklin and others to operate in space and make plays near the line of scrimmage.
Slayton has been credited with 4.5 tackles for loss on the year, a number that should grow throughout the final month of the season, and with another season of eligibility remaining, he's on track toward playing in the NFL.