Syracuse Football: Ryan Alexander could be next Koda Martin at SU

The Syracuse football squad just got an excellent addition on their offensive line. Here are all the details on the pickup and what it means for the Orange.

The Syracuse football program got some good news over the weekend, with their first 2020 commitment. In addition, Syracuse added South Alabama grad transfer offensive tackle, Ryan Alexander.

Alexander is a massive addition to the program, as he will be tasked with replacing one of the two departing starters at tackle. Both Cody Conway and Koda Martin depart from the Orange after starting 26 games combined.

As of right now, Airon Servais, the center from last season is penciled in at right tackle. Opposite him, redshirt freshman, Carlos Vettorello is the team’s starting left tackle during Spring Ball. Lackawanna Community College tackle, Darius Tisdale, also figures to round out a formidable group competing for two starting roles.

At 6-foot-4 and 308 pounds, Alexander has started in 28 of South Alabama’s last 29 games. As a New York native, Alexander has hinted at playing close to home being a large reason for his commitment to Dino Babers and the staff.

Syracuse offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh was assigned to get Alexander to the Syracuse campus, credit him for the recruitment. In addition to the offer from Syracuse, Alexander also received scholarships from Rutgers, SMU, Tulane, and Liberty, according to Syracuse.com.

Let’s take a look at the senior’s tape:

It’s tough to identify individual plays on the tape to discuss, so I will break down the general tendencies that Alexander does well:

• The first thing that jumps out to me is Alexander’s ability to seal the edge and get linebackers sucked up at the line of scrimmage. This is very useful for plays that are designed to go to the outside, trying to get the edge getting athletes out in space. While Syracuse tends to run the ball up the middle, they do still use the bubble screen to get their shifty receivers out in space.
• The Floral Park native appears to have good feet, getting off the ball well, especially in run-blocking. He fires off the ball on the snap engaging with his blocking assignment. Upon his contact, he is an extremely physical tackle who plays through the whistle. He appears to have solid athleticism on the outside, which Syracuse utilized with Koda Martin last year. The Orange offense likes to pull their tackles and try to help with run blocking patterns up the middle.
• The All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention selection is a very physical lineman. His highlight tape is filled with blocks of him knocking defensive ends, linebackers, and defensive backs on their butt. He will finish his block and appears to be a well-schooled tackle.

I think there is no question that Alexander will be a top three tackle for Syracuse this season. He figures to be the starter by the time the season rolls around but will have to catch up learning the Syracuse playbook.