By Michael McAllister
At 6'4" 175lbs, it is no wonder why Malique Belfort is receiving interest from all over the country. His talent and size makes him look like a physical specimen who can do a lot of things on the football field. We recently caught up with the talented wideout out of Tottenville High in Staten Island to discuss his recruiting, his game, and Syracuse interest.
Belfort is very confident in his skills. "I think I'm a deep threat and possession receiver," he told us. "Being 6'4" 175lbs allows me to elevate much higher than defenders. I have good speed that makes me dangerous down the field and after the catch. I think my best traits are my hands. I'm a strong, big, reliable target. I'll do whatever to make the catch. My weaknesses are I think I need to get stronger and get faster in and out of my breaks. More explosive." He says he runs a 4.62 40 time.
With the skills he outlined, he has been receiving offers and interest from a lot of different schools. "I've been getting interest from all over really," Belfort explained. "Florida, Alabama, Michigan State, Cincy, Syracuse, UConn, Ole Miss, West Virginia, Virginia Tech have shown interest. I have offers from Arizona State, Boston College, Temple, Maryland, and Illinois. More offers should be coming soon."
As far as Syracuse goes, Belfort says the Orange are very interested. "Syracuse likes me a lot," he said. "They're always in my school. Either coach Marrone or coach Anselmo. They really like my size and my ability to perform. I'm high on their recruiting board. They're just waiting to see who doesn't commit and who does to go more in depth with me. They also want to evaluate me, see me in person, and see me prove I'm as good as the number one receiver in New York State and one of the best in the U.S."
Belfort already has an established relationship with one of the players at Syracuse. Incoming freshman Alvin Cornelius is a former high school teammate of his. In fact, Cornelius was the number one receiver for Tottenville High School last year, which is the role Belfort is taking over this season. "Yeah, AC plays a huge factor," explained Belfort. "I knew that guy forever. Played on the same little league team as him, Augustus Edwards, and LaRay Smith. We're all close friends. Him being there and them moving to the ACC definitely makes me pay more attention to them. I trust Alvin, and if he sees something in them I should want to also. He knows it's ultimately my decision, but he puts it in my ear to visit. Once that happens I'll feel a whole new way about them."
Edwards and Smith are also targets of the Orange. Given that all three are friends, it is natural that they discuss recruiting. "Every single day!" Belfort said about discussing schools between the three of them. "We all live close to each other so that's an advantage. We talk about Syracuse and any other school we want to go to or see ourselves being successful at. Another kid named Naby Sylla, from Staten Island. He goes to Port Richmond. He's getting strong interest from there and he loves Syracuse. He's one of the top DBs in New York. We all talk about schools and Naby especially loves the 'Cuse."
So far, Belfort has attended a camp at UConn. He plans to visit West Virginia, Maryland, Miami, and Syracuse at some point. He hopes to make a decision during the first few weeks of the upcoming season.
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Photo credit: New York Post
