Syracuse football running back Abdul Adams has been ruled out for the spring. Here’s what happened and when he’ll be back for the Orange.
Padded practices are starting to take their toll on the Syracuse football squad’s health in spring ball. Seven players are currently dealing with a myriad of injuries that are keeping them out of football activities.
Arguably the biggest name being former Oklahoma running back transfer Abdul Adams who has his arm in a sling. Orange head coach Dino Babers ruled him out for the spring, per Stephen Bailey of Syracuse.com.
Abdul made his Syracuse debut in the Camping World Bowl due to a transfer academic loophole. In the 34-18 win, Adams tallied two touchdowns and gave SU fans a taste of what he can provide the team on a full-time basis in 2019.
But his impact is far more important than anyone realizes. Eric Dungey is no longer patrolling the sidelines. He brought so much to the table from a game preparation standpoint, intangibles, and his running ability.
In his four-year career, Dungey recorded nearly 2,000 yards rushed for 35 touchdowns. Those would be good numbers for a running back and this guy plays quarterback. With Dungey gone, the onus now falls on Tommy DeVito who isn’t known for his ability running the football.
Syracuse will need a strong support system around Tommy if he’s going to succeed in his first year as a full-time starter. If we’re being honest the running game at Syracuse has been lackluster over the last decade.
The last 1,000-yard rusher the team had was Jerome Smith back in 2012. That’s a long drought to endure in the 21st century even in a passing league.
Adams has all the tools in the box to be a transcendent star in the ACC. I spoke with an Oklahoma Insider about Adams and what he could provide the Orange a few months ago:
"“Well he can be an explosive runner. I mean if you just look at that Baylor game last year where he had that 99 yard run. He’s a guy who can make people miss. Adams is a really good running back, not quite as good as some of the other running backs at Oklahoma, but in fairness that’s a pretty tall order. I think Syracuse is going to be very happy with what they have in Abdul Adams. The one big question for him is whether he can hang onto the ball. He had some serious fumbling issues during his time at Oklahoma which kept him off the field. But if he gets that fixed, there’s not a whole lot that Abdul Adams can’t do.”"
If Adams is unable to go, the Orange will look to Jarveon Howard and Moe Neal in the backfield as the main options. Syracuse also has five other running backs listed on their 2019 roster, including Markenzy Pierre and Jawhar Jordan who could surprise next season. Although from everything we’re hearing, the expectation is that Abdul will be fully ready for fall camp which is great news for Syracuse fans.