The Syracuse football squad lost some depth in their wide receiving corps on Wednesday. Wide receiver Ed Hendrix has been ruled out for the season.
The Syracuse football squad received a gut punch on Wednesday afternoon. Syracuse University revealed that Orange freshman wide receiver Ed Hendrix sustained a lower-body injury and underwent season-ending surgery on Wednesday.
Hendrix is one of 18 wide receivers on the Syracuse football roster this season. This wide receiver group has a ton of youth as Hendrix was one of eight freshmen at the receiver position.
The surgery was performed by team physician Dr. Todd Battaglia, per the Syracuse press release.
There was a lot of hype around Hendrix leading into the season. Especially considering the departures of veteran wideouts Steve Ishmael and Erv Philips. That created a huge void on offense that someone was going to inevitably fill. Many pundits suggested Hendrix would be part of that equation.
He suffered a knee injury late in camp and was unable to participate in the first quarter of Syracuse’s season to date. There has been no further information on what exactly Ed was diagnosed with.
Hendrix was a four star prospect coming out of the nation’s capital. In high school he accumulated 68 receptions for over 1,500 yards and 24 touchdowns in three seasons. ESPN had him ranked as one of the premiere talents out of Washington D.C. (No. 4 overall).
The Orange have found their Batman in Jamal Custis at the wide receiver position. He currently leads the team in receptions (15), yards (265), and touchdowns (three). But the team is still searching for a legitimate Robin to complement him at the position.
The leading candidates so far according to the numbers:
- Nykeim Johnson
- While he’s a smaller cat at only 5-foot-8, he plays like he’s 6-foot-6. Nykeim really got the team jazzed when he bowled over a much bigger defender as he looked for contact in Syracuse’s most recent game vs Florida State. We’ll see if the ‘little guy’ can continue to dominate for the Orange.
- Sean Riley
- Speaking of smaller players, Sean Riley is the same size as Nykeim. He’s been dynamic on special teams but it’s all about being consistent. He has just as much potential as anyone to be a key cog in this passing game. So far this season he has hauled in 10 receptions for 81 yards, I could see him being a reception machine in this offense.
- Devin C. Butler
- He was ‘supposed’ to be the guy according to Syracuse analysts, but he’s been anything but. Butler has underwhelmed thus far managing only six receptions for 62 yards in three games so far this season.
- Ravian Pierce
- While he’s not a wide receiver, he’s arguably the most talented skill position player Syracuse has. He’s been underutilized so far in this ‘Orange is the New Fast’ attack. Partly Ravian is to blame for the lack of trust in his talents based off of his fumble in Week 1 vs Western Michigan.
Syracuse has options and that’s obviously most important. But our love, thoughts and prayers are with Ed Hendrix now as he begins the long tough recovery process. It’s hard as a football player to not contribute to the team when you get hurt because you feel like a ghost in the locker room. No individual player is bigger than the team, when you get injured the world has to keep spinning. We look forward to Ed Hendrix making a dynamic return in 2019.