Recruiting Profile: Jordon Riley

This installment of the Heel Tough Blog's Recruiting Profile series introduces us to Jordon Riley. The 6’6” 292 lbs. defensive lineman hails from right down the road in Durham, NC and is another in-state gem Coach Fedora managed to keep home. Riley totaled 30 tackles and 3.5 sacks in only six games last season, after missing the first five games of the season due to a foot injury. His junior numbers weren't much better according to MaxPreps, but those stats seem a bit off.

Throw on Riley’s tape and you’ll see why I think the stats are a bit flawed. Riley is a flexible option who can be used as a defensive end or a 3-technique. Riley gets after the quarterback extremely well through a combination of finesse moves and power moves. Riley’s long arms allow him to disengage from blockers easier than most, which is a huge advantage. Riley reminds me of a taller Sylvester Williams in that he could bring that pass rushing ability from the 3-technique that Williams did.

Riley committed to Carolina back in February of last year and decided to enroll early at Carolina. If Riley can have a good fall camp, he could help to bring some much needed pass rush to a unit that has been lacking for years.