Syracuse Football: Eric Dungey boasts body of Greek God; Cuse Pro Day

Former Syracuse football quarterback Eric Dungey has gotten even bigger since his last game on the hill. Here are highlights from Cuse Pro Day.

Arguably the most polarizing prospect coming out of the Syracuse football program this season is Eric Dungey.

While on the surface he’s one of the most prolific quarterbacks to ever don a Syracuse uniform, there are some serious question marks as he vies for an NFL roster spot:

• Injury history
  • Dungey wasn’t able to start and finish an entire season on the hill until his senior season at Syracuse. The history with concussions is concerning at the forefront but he has also experienced other injuries across his body.
• Accuracy
  • His completion percentage numbers have been all over the place during his four years, but the overall average is 61.5 percent. That’s pedestrian numbers for an NFL quarterback.
• Overall transition
  • There haven’t been many recent Syracuse quarterbacks who have made it into the pros. The most recent one was Ryan Nassib and he didn’t see the field but did stick around the NFL for a few years as a backup.

But to Dungey’s credit, he has done everything in his power to control what he can control. For instance, Dungey has transformed his body multiple times during his time at Syracuse. When he first arrived he was a pencil stick from Oregon. Then he packed on weight and got bigger to survive the intensity of the ACC.

Well at the Cuse Pro Day on Monday afternoon Dungey revealed an even better physique and improvement all across the board.

https://twitter.com/BoyGreen25/status/1107699418042642433

But who deserves credit for this transformation? Many of Dungey’s teammates pointed me in the direction of Tracy Ford, CEO of the #1 Sports Performance facility who helped in that process:

"“Extremely proud of Eric Dungey on his great performance today! It was also an honor to work along side with my guy Jake Heaps to help prepare Eric for this big day! I cannot wait for what the future has in store for Eric! Any team that gets him is getting a true leader, Grinder and a winner! Keep grinding brotha!” (via Tracy’s Instagram)"

You heard Tracy mention the name Jake Heaps, who the heck is that?

A journeyman quarterback who bounced around the NFL but is more known for his status as a quarterback guru of sorts. He has helped Dungey work on his mechanics. I told you the criticisms of Dungey and I also said he was doing everything in his power to fix those issues. Here is Dungey on what he has changed and revealing it at Cuse Pro Day:

"“I think I have a lot of potential. I worked with a variety of quarterback camps over the last several months and I’m excited. My throwing motion was all messed up in four years of college. I just wasn’t using my legs so I’m still fine-tuning that. Working with all these quarterback gurus was such a blessing over the past 10 weeks.”"

Consider this Dungey accumulated 9,340 passing yards and 93 total touchdowns in his four-year Orange career and he was throwing the ball WRONG. Just imagine what he could’ve done with this refined footwork and mechanics?

Interestingly enough Dungey was asked this very question when he spoke to Syracuse alum Mike Tirico on his podcast (via Syracuse.com):

"“It’s kind of crazy to think if I had something different with my fundamentals , I could have put up more yards.”"

On not being invited to the NFL Combine or any college all-star games this offseason:

"“Oh yeah, I’m very frustrated. I think I should’ve gone there and would’ve done really well against those guys. I just want to compete and go against the best, that’s my competitive nature bringing out the best in me. I was really mad I wasn’t invited to the Combine and I’m going to use that as motivation. Everything happens for a reason, I just completed the Cuse Pro Day, and I’ll do some more NFL workouts after this.”"

The only Syracuse players who were invited to the NFL Combine were wide receiver Jamal Custis and defensive lineman Chris Slayton.

Due to that factoid, this was Dungey’s “Super Bowl” his golden opportunity to show the 26 NFL teams represented what he was all about:

• Dungey ran a 4.68 40-yard dash which would’ve ranked fifth among quarterbacks at the NFL Combine, remember, the one he wasn’t invited too?

https://twitter.com/BoyGreen25/status/1107812310213709824

But what do Dungey’s teammates think of him? I got a chance to speak with one of his former teammates in Parris Bennett at Cuse Pro Day on Monday:

"“Eric Dungey is a guy you’re willing to go to war for. He has the type of toughness you look for in a QB and a leader of a football team. He’s a freak athlete and he shows it whenever he works out. During team runs he always wanted to be in front and that says a lot about a guy. I always knew I could count on No. 2 whenever we needed him. He’s also an overall stand up guy and having a conversation with him just makes you root for him in everything he does. I would love for a team to just give him a shot because i promise they won’t regret having that guy in their locker room and being a part of their team.”"