The Syracuse football coaches traveled to some of the largest cities in the country to find their 2004 freshman class. But they found one of their prized recruits in one of the smallest. SU recruit Ben Maljovec hails from Warren, Pa., population 10,259. The town is smaller than the Syracuse campus, which next year, Maljovec will be a part of.

Maljovec is accomplished in football, track and field and basketball. Despite success in all three sports, Maljovec decided to put pads on his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame for head coach Paul Pasqualoni.

‘(The recruiting process) was a great experience,’ Maljovec said. ‘I met a lot of new people and got to see different parts of the country.’

He certainly hasn’t seen much else.

Maljovec and Jeff Flickner, his high school coach, said they expect a large following from Warren at SU football games next season, a group that could rival the rowdy Scrantonians that follow Gerry McNamara.

Opposing teams had a difficult time tackling Maljovec, who primarily ran the option at quarterback for Warren Area High School. He averaged 9.6 yards per carry and scored 23 touchdowns in his senior year, helping Warren earn a playoff berth for the first time in school history.

‘At our school,’ Flickner said, ‘kids like Ben don’t come along too often.’

In fact, the school hasn’t had a Division I recruit since 1985, the year Maljovec was born.

But Syracuse recruited Maljovec as a safety, where his 47 tackles, three interceptions and 10 pass breakups his senior year were pivotal in keeping opponents off the scoreboard. With his tremendous size, he may eventually be a linebacker at SU.

‘Ben’s a pretty competitive kid,’ Flicker said.

But that’s an understatement.

Maljovec followed up his first team All-State football selection with a first team All-Conference selection in basketball and a state championship appearance for the 110-meter hurdles in track. He averaged 14 points and eight rebounds in basketball on his way to 1,000 career points and 500 rebounds at small forward. His 14.7-second time in the hurdles left him .4 seconds short of being nationally ranked. Despite these accolades, he pushed aside scholarship interest from the hardwood and track.

Lucky for Syracuse, which beat out the likes of Boston College, Vanderbilt and Iowa for Maljovec’s services. After an official visit in December, linebackers coach Steven Dunlap could claim another top recruit.

‘He has all the intangibles,’ Dunlap said. ‘He comes from a great family and is academically inclined, too.’

Said Maljovec: ‘I liked the defense because they had a plan for me. The school has good academics. People could come see me play. Syracuse did everything. They made me feel important.’

Flickner was impressed with Syracuse’s recruitment of his star as well.

‘When it comes to D I football, there’s no wrong choice,’ he said. ‘Syracuse was very professional, straightforward and honest from the get-go. They didn’t mislead us.’

While many of Syracuse’s 32 recruits will likely redshirt from shortage of playing time next season, Maljovec may have the chance to play early in the secondary.

‘Athletically, his combination of size and speed is what you want,’ Dunlap said. ‘He can come in at safety because he’s smart back there. He could run the show.’

So while Maljovec will have to adjust to attending a school with a larger population than his hometown, his athletic gifts will at least help him adjust to the new level of football.

‘Ben is a hard worker and a team player,’ Flickner praised. ‘He’s a great kid overall and would fit in almost any situation.’

Published on March 2, 2004 at 12:00 pm