The 2017 season is nearly upon us for the Syracuse football team. So how are the Orange looking? ITLH breaks it all down ahead of the season opener.
There’s so much to look forward to this season for the Syracuse football squad. Ah the fresh smell of mowed grass on a Fall afternoon. The shell shocking collision between two athletes is refreshing, after months of solitude.
Of course your ears will get the pleasant angelic screeching of one Boy Green for your Syracuse football postgame coverage on The Score 1260. That’s right, I talked in third person, I’m excited for my first opportunity doing this on an official basis.
You got a small taste of what’s to come when we discussed this very topic, In The Cell with ML. So here’s my best impersonation of a school teacher, in the next coming slides we’ll take a look at each positional group on the Orange.
I’ll dole out a record on how I think this team looks entering the season. There are a few ground rules we must lay. First, these grades are based on assuming health. While that could change a few of these grades, how else can you grade? So with that being said Orange is the New Fast starts now!
We must preface this with we’re again assuming health pending. Of course that’s a dangerous game to play with a quarterback who has yet to complete a season in an Orange uniform.
Despite that, Eric Dungey is a top-three quarterback in the ACC. He’s right behind Lamar Jackson out of Louisville and Deondre Francois of Florida State. How can you not garner an A against that kind of competition?
Overall at the position, I love the depth just in case something was to happen (knock on wood). Zack Mahoney has proven before that when called upon, he can get the job done. While the offense clearly doesn’t run at full capacity with him behind center, it can operate well enough.
So if Dungey makes it a third straight year of not completing the season, I feel very confident that Mahoney can come in and do an adequate job. Also the future of the franchise is slowly developing on the bench in Tommy DeVito. If I was Syracuse, I’d 100% redshirt him this year, let him develop on the bench. No sense in getting trigger happy and potentially forcing him out there before he’s ready.
A lot of interesting pieces in the backfield for the Orange in 2017. The main bell cow will be Dontae Strickland. He made plays with his legs and his arm (evidenced above) last season. He only had 162 carries last year, I expect that to surge over 200 in this offense.
A do it all kind of home run threat is Moe Neal. He’s smaller (5’11, 182 pounds), but he’s shifty and can catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s been utilized in the slot on offense as well. A versatile guy that I expect Dino Babers and company to do everything they can to get him the ball in open space.
Although there will be some new meat thrown into the blender this year and their names may sound familiar. That’s Markenzy Pierre and Allen Stritzinger. We spoke to Pierre during the offseason and he was one of the more impressive recruits not only on the field, but off of it as well.
With eight backs listed on the roster, some will be reserved to backup and special teams duty. While there will be some running back by committee this year, I expect the main cogs of the offense to realize their role early on in the season. Strickland certainly from how he’s looked in camp, Neal as we mentioned, and there’s probably room for one more back to make his case to be involved this season.
Now I’ve debated with a few folks about this, but here’s my reasoning. I can’t rationalize giving the WR group an A when they lost Amba Etta-Tawo. Especially when you consider that he had the single greatest receiving season in SU history. While that may sound prisoner of the moment, the stats speak for themselves.
It’s not all doom and gloom though, the Orange return an experienced receiving core. Steve Ishmael (senior) is hoping to realize his full potential in his final year of eligibility. His best season came in 2015-16, as evidenced by the highlights above which included a career high seven touchdowns.
He was supposed to be the guy last year and for whatever reason, it never materialized. Add another senior to the mix in Ervin Philips. Philips is going to break the all-time receptions mark at Syracuse this season, if you can believe that. Heck if Ishmael has the season he’s hoping for, he could probably break it too.
We’ll expand this conversation in a longer post next week to fully dive into all these names. But here’s a few to look out for:
- Jamal Custis, Redshirt-Junior, (6’5, 227 pounds)
- He’s a height, weight, speed guy. Has looked really good in camp and could end up being a starter on the outside.
- Nykeim Johnson, Freshman, (5’8, 163 pounds)
- Very Desean Jackson-ish. Has an explosive first step as both a returner and a wide receiver.
- Russell Thompson-Bishop, Freshman, (6’1, 200 pounds)
- A thicker frame, more of a possession type of receiver. Definitely has the potential to work his way into the wide receiver rotation this year.
- Red zone
- Security blanket
- Attacking the seam
- Kingsley Jonathan, DL, 6’3 and 245 pounds, freshman
- Nadarius Fagan, LB, 6’1 and 200 pounds, freshman
- Kadeem Trotter, LB, 6’2 and also 200 pounds, freshman
- Austin Valdez, LB, 6’1 and 236 pounds, redshirt senior (as we mentioned)
Five receptions for 34 yards. Thanks Cameron Macpherson. That’s what the tight end position produced last season, per Cuse.com. While the rest of the Orange is the new fast was shattering long standing offenses records.
So what changes this year?
Familiarity in Babers’ system. Plus a new piece in Ravian Pierce and no he isn’t a freshman. Instead a JUCO transfer who comes in with a 6’3 and 237 pound body that is ready to contribute as both a blocker and a receiver.
Also another guy to keep an eye on is freshman Aaron Hackett. On paper he fits the bill, great size (6’3, 230 pounds) and I really think he can be a star. But baby steps and that starts with three key areas.
That is what a good tight end provides an offense. I think Pierce can do all these things for the Orange. It’ll cut down on turnovers, it’ll help provide a big target in the red zone as a weapon or even a decoy, and attacking the seam and taking advantage of mismatches. Pierce is too fast for a linebacker and too big for a safety to cover.
Trench warfare is what I like to call it. The warthogs or perhaps the big nasties, regardless of the nickname, this unit will play a vital role in SU’s bowl aspirations this season. I may be looking at the future with one of the biggest recruits in recent SU memory with Tyrone Sampson joining the Orange in 2018.
We spoke to the four star prospect earlier this offseason, check out that conversation below!
Next: Syracuse Football Sitdown: Getting To Know Tyrone Sampson
There’s plenty of reason for excitement in the future, but there’s also some positivity for this season. 16 offensive linemen are on the roster. Only 25% of them are upperclassmen. Only 40% of the projected starting line are upperclassmen.
So with that being said the Orange will have to rely on youth to get them through the season. That strategy has its’ share of pros and cons. There may be some rough patches this season, but overall getting thrown to the wolves could be a good thing. Just not this season.
This unit was ravaged by injuries last season and that’s again the case entering 2017. Although there are a few things that make me smile. For instance, Alton Robinson (listed above) is an explosive pass rusher who just transferred to the Cuse. He ranked third in JUCO in sacks with 14 and has three years of eligibility remaining. A pleasant surprise to say the least.
He bumped this grade up almost to a B-. Here’s a couple other guys that I like: Chris Slayton who is a penetrating defensive tackle. While Kendall Coleman is getting a ton of praise nationally.
Led by OSU's Nick Bosa - 3 of the top 5 in terms of most QB pressures among true freshman edge defenders, hail from the state of Florida. pic.twitter.com/tOSGk3XMLz
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) August 16, 2017Also a few players we interviewed appear to be making the most bang with their buck ahead of the season.
In a report by Stephen Bailey of Syracuse.com, Kingsley should make the rotation at starting defensive end. While Berry continues to work with the first team at the other end spot.
This is clearly the strongest and deepest unit on the Syracuse football team. There’s not much argument or debate here. 13 linebackers are on the roster. Namely, Zaire Franklin who is NFL caliber talent and eventually will be in the league.
He’s an instinctive linebacker who is seemingly always at the right place at the right time. He’s clearly the heart and soul of the Orange defense. Expect him to surpass 100+ tackles for the second consecutive season.
While other names to watch: Parris Bennett at weak-side linebacker is also one of the best in the ACC. The Orange got an interesting piece in Austin Valdez who is a redshirt Senior. Where will the Orange plug him in is an intriguing question that’ll be answered Friday night in the Carrier Dome.
Other names to watch include some new faces:
That video wasn’t placed there by accident. Antwan Cordy’s return is huge for this Orange secondary. He’ll be plugged in at free safety, while likely at strong we’ll see an Evan Foster or a Jordan Martin.
There’s 18 members of the secondary represented on the Cuse roster. I make no bones about it, the Orange defense was overall atrocious last year. They couldn’t buy a stop on a consistent basis. The secondary was often torched and a lot of that had to do with injuries. But to be honest, it wasn’t that great before the injuries.
A few new wrinkles really interest me. Devin Butler going from one of the top programs in the country (Notre Dame) to Syracuse was a huge get for the Orange. He’ll bring some much needed veteran savvy to this group.
While the unit is balanced out by some vibrant young guys including Ifeatu Melifonwu. Etta-Tawo exits and the Orange didn’t just have to replace his production but of course his name value. All kidding aside, Melifonwu will bring some size to the position at 6’3 and 195 pounds that we haven’t seen.
While it’s not the same without Riley Dixon, SU will have to wage on. We’re going to just chuck the entire special teams unit into one big lump here. Lets start off with our kicker Cole Murphy who is a senior in 2017.
Last year was rough for Murphy, there’s no doubt about it. He nearly missed as many as he made with a clip of 55%. Reportedly he’s looked good in camp, but Dino Babers better have a tight leash. Looking at the Orange’s schedule, a lot of these games could come down to the nitty gritty, they can’t afford to give away critical points in opponent’s territory.
Sterling Hofrichter has huge shoes to fill. He did solidly last season: only one blocked kick, 23 50+ yard punts, and averaged nearly 43 yards a punt, per Cuse.com. While the last piece of the puzzle is the return game.
Next: Syracuse Football: Top 5 Running Backs in School History
The leader in the clubhouse at the kick return spot is Sean Riley and Shyheim Cullen. But at punt returner could be one of my favorite Orange players. It’s a guy we talked to this offseason and that’s Nykeim Johnson. The speedy DeSean Jackson like freshman has all the tools to be a dynamic return man for the Orange.