With the 2018 Syracuse football season still a few months away, it seemed like an appropriate time to dissect the top 10 players to keep an eye out for.
The snow has finally disappeared from Central New York which has many Syracuse football fans thinking of the 2018 season. This will be Dino Babers third year at the helm and the most anticipated yet.
So many questions and so few answers. Can the Orange finally get back to a bowl game? Will Eric Dungey stay healthy for a full season for the first time ever? Who will replace all the production that was lost to the NFL?
We’ll try to answer as many of those as possible by revealing our top 10 players to watch out for next season. Some of the names you’ll recognize and some of them you won’t. The point of this list is to get you ready for the season and to show you a couple of names that you don’t know much about and to learn more about them.
Before we get into this list, we’ll start with a honorable mention. Two talented transfers in Trishton Jackson and Abdul Adams would’ve certainly been featured on this list, but they can’t because this is a top-10 list for ‘2018’ not ‘2019’. Because of transfer rules both of these offensive talents will have to wait until 2019 to show what they’re made of. With that being said, it’s time to take a nose dive into what’s to come for the dome dudes!
10. Ifeatu Melifonwu
Who? I told you names on this list would appear that you wouldn’t recognize or remember. If God gave me a lab coat and I could make the perfect prospect on paper, I’d be hard pressed not to create Ifeatu Melifonwu. I don’t want to set unrealistic expectations, but physically he’s ideal for the secondary.
A 6-foot-3 defensive back (just under 200 pounds) who can run like a gazelle and catch passes like Jerry Rice. He’s a versatile player who used to play some running back in high school. He ran for just under 2,000 yards and scored 25 touchdowns in his senior season.
He’s a modern day Jim Brown playing basketball, lacrosse, and of course he ran track. If his last name sounds familiar it should, that’s because his brother was just drafted into the NFL in 2017 as a second round pick (Obi Melifonwu).
Now if this man can live up to the hype, he could be an all world player. SU hasn’t had a true threat in the secondary since maybe Shamarko Thomas and he was obviously a very different kind of player. Ifeatu has the raw tools, now it’s about turning that potential into production. He’s going to have an opportunity to do so this season.
9. Aaron Hackett
Call me a sucker for tight ends, but Aaron Hackett seems to check off all the boxes you look for. He’s got size (6-foot-3) but isn’t too big and maintains his speed at sub 240. If I’m going to reminisce a little, I can’t remember the truly last great tight end at Syracuse.
It has been far too long. The Orange is the New Fast is a really cool moniker, but I want to see that executed at the tight end position. Just imagine this thing running at full capacity. Insert 1,000 yard rusher, video game numbers at quarterback, and an automatic top wide receiver due to system. And oh yeah the tight end is unstoppable.
The good thing is Hackett doesn’t have to do it by himself. SU has plenty of weapons everywhere year in and year out. Although from my conversations with Dino, he wants complete players, not one trick ponies.
If Hackett is going to get significant playing time he’ll need to prove his worth as a blocker and then he’ll get down the field opportunities. The one thing that is helping him is he played an uptempo style in high school, but nothing quite prepares you for Babers level fast I suppose.
8. Ravian Pierce
Wait another tight end? Oh yeah that’s right, I think SU is going to flirt with two tight end sets in 2018. Why would I think that? Well SU tried a social experiment of sorts in the 2018 Spring Game. While usually the playbook is vanilla I think SU found a potential diamond in the rough formula to whip out.
Ravian Pierce is a senior and oozes talent. He obviously wasn’t used anywhere near enough last season and has one more chance to show what he’s made of. I could realistically see him smash his highs from last season in every major receiving category.
Now just think of the devastation that could be caused with two athletic freaks at the position on both sides of the tackles or flexed out. I’ll let Babers figure out the logistics.
I always talk about the three keys to playing tight end at any level: seam, security, and red zone. Attacking the seam lets you be a mismatch nightmare (too big for a corner, too fast for a linebacker). Security blanket for whoever your quarterback is if something goes wrong. And finally red zone, being a guy who can go fight for the ball and use your size to your advantage. If SU can employ some two tight end sets, I think they can maximize the talent on this roster.
7. Markenzy Pierre
I hate saying this stat and I wish it wasn’t true, but it is what it is. SU hasn’t had a 1,000 yard rusher since 2012 and that was Jerome Smith. It seems like the Orange can’t put the hay in the barn regardless of who is leading the backfield.
Over the last several seasons the Orange have been trying a running back by committee approach, spoiler alert, it hasn’t been working. Dontae Strickland is the veteran in the backfield and he showed pop at the Spring Game, but he hasn’t been consistent.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, so why don’t we try something new? Enter Markenzy Pierre.
He’s a sophomore and played sparingly as a true freshman. His 25 attempts on the season weren’t nearly enough to see what this young buck has in the tank. Pierre dominated the high school scene and I think he can do the same thing at the collegiate level. Keep an eye out for this stud in 2018.
6. Koda Martin
I told you there would be a few new faces on this list and one of the most prominent is Koda Martin. When you can get a plug and play a SEC tackle that fell from the heavens into your lap, you don’t ask many questions.
Although this isn’t a usual transfer, there’s a lot of dots you have to connect to make sense of this one. First off Martin’s father is Kirk Martin (SU’s new quarterback coach), but that’s not it. I feel like I’m in one of those Billy Mays infomercials.
Koda also married one of Dino Babers children and thus Dino is his FATHER!
*Father-in law excuse me. Which leads me to believe that Babers talked about more than just the future of his daughter with Koda at the wedding if you know what I mean.
Regardless of the position that Koda plays at Syracuse, he’ll be either the starting left or right tackle, both areas SU could use some help. Martin only has one year of eligibility and SU has a potential NFL talent now at tackle, a truly pleasant surprise for 2018.
5. Chris Slayton
There’s only been 10 players in Syracuse football history who have recorded double digit sack seasons. 5 of those 10 were by two men (Tim Green and Dwight Freeney), consider that. But if anyone can help flip the trend that man is Chris Slayton.
He’s got the measurables (6-foot-5, 320 pounds), Slayton added a bunch of weight from high school to the college ranks. While his career stats don’t make sense (six total sacks) for a guy of his caliber, he definitely is SU’s best hope.
His six sacks are the most among the defense entering 2018, that’s sad. He’s their most experienced player as a two-year starter at defensive end. He’s entering his final campaign and aspires to be a NFL level talent.
A lot of the SU story will be told in the trenches both on offense and defense. Dino Babers has openly said that there will be a healthy rotation on the defensive line. Hopefully that can keep these guys fresh and healthy for the length of the season.
4. Antwan Cordy
Can this man stay healthy? That’s the big question on SU fans minds. Over the past two years Antwan Cordy has suffered serious injuries that forced him to miss significant time. But don’t underestimate him because of his size, he’s got a ton of heart.
Although this is more than just a ‘Rudy’ story, Cordy is an uber talented football player. But perhaps the injury history is because of the ferocity of playing on defense. Well obviously the SU coaching staff thinks so because Cordy was listed as a wide receiver on the roster sheet this past Spring.
Is the flirtation at wide receiver for real? SU lost their top-two wide receivers this past season to the NFL, so they need help at the position. Cordy has the size for a slot receiver and could be super productive in this system.
But patience should be exuded because Cordy hasn’t been able to finish a season over the last two years. So regardless of what position he ends up playing this Fall, expectations should be taken with baby steps.
3. Lakiem Williams
Zaire Franklin was drafted into the NFL, he’s only the second three-time captain in team history, and was a true leader for the Orange. Now Lakiem Williams has to replace him, no pressure right?
Although this is the natural order of college football. Players come and players go. That’s the case for the 2018 Syracuse football team. They lost a ton of production, too much to list. But SU must do their best to fill the gaps. Maybe Lakiem Williams can be the guy.
We had the pleasure of speaking with Lakiem when he first decided to take his talents to Syracuse and we learned a lot about this young man here. Although he didn’t come here as a freshman, he’s a JUCO guy.
There’s good and bad that comes with that. The good is he has a ton of experience and from a leadership standpoint can come right in and impress. The potential bad is there’s not a lot of room to learn the playbook, so you have to learn on the fly because of your eligibility.
2. Tommy DeVito
All the hopes and prayers of future Syracuse football fans ride or die with Tommy DeVito. But the big question is how soon will we see that future? Of course that all depends on the health status of Eric Dungey.
It does feel inevitable that DeVito is going to play in 2018. Eric Dungey has yet to remain healthy for a complete season yet, why would that suddenly happen in 2018?
While most fans wanted to see DeVito in 2017, I think it was good we didn’t. Good things come to those who wait and that’s what will happen for Orange fans. DeVito spent an entire year sitting on the bench and learning.
I’ve talked to those who have coached DeVito and who watched him in high school. He’s a super intelligent player who can be the quintessential piece in the Dino Babers offense. You saw glimpses during the Spring Football Spring Preview when DeVito was at the helm for a recovering Dungey. Could that be foreshadowing of this season? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
1. Eric Dungey
Come on, I mean are you really surprised? The top player to watch out for in 2018 is at the game’s most important position. The story of the 2018 season will be heavily based on whether Eric Dungey can remain healthy for a full season.
It’s just the cold hard truth. I hope he can stay healthy, he’s such a wonderful human being. I can tell you that Dungey has literally done everything humanely possible to stay healthy. There’s not a day that goes by where he’s not in the weight room.
His development from his freshman season to now entering his senior season is remarkable. Dungey is a chiseled Greek god now walking around campus. If he can stay healthy he’s one of the top quarterbacks in the ACC and that’s saying something.
Next: Syracuse Football: Ranking every SU first round pick in NFL Draft history
Also when we look back at Dungey’s legacy we don’t want to always have this ‘what if’ question when it comes to health. Like wow if he would’ve stayed healthy he’d be a top-three SU quarterback of all time. Hopefully all those lingering questions can be answered in his final season.