Syracuse Football: Orange’s top DC choice Rocky Long is off the market

Syracuse football has lost its top choice for defensive coordinator. Here’s where Rocky Long ended up and what it means for the Orange.

Syracuse football lost its defensive coordinator Zach Arnett who lasted a grand total of 11 days before skipping out of town to Mississippi State last week.

This left the Orange in a very precarious position so late in the process. Well, things just got worse with the news breaking that former San Diego State head coach Rocky Long is off the market.

College football insider Brett McMurphy announced on Monday morning that Long had been named defensive coordinator at New Mexico.

Rocky is an alum of New Mexico and played defensive back and quarterback during his playing days back in 1969-71.

After spending a few years playing semi-professional football he was hired as a grad assistant from 1972-73 and coached New Mexico in two separate stints 1978-1980 (as an assistant coach) and then returned as a head coach from 1998-2008.

Rocky now reunites with his former player and assistant Danny Gonzales who is the current head coach of the Lobos.

So what does this mean for Syracuse football?

Rocky Long flew into town to meet one-on-one with Dino Babers a few weeks back, likely to discuss the potential of the two working together. Perhaps they were discussing Long potentially taking the job or Zach Arnett who had spent his entire coaching career with Long.

Regardless once Arnett left the Orange, many people thought Syracuse’s pivot point would be hiring Long. The main reason for that connection is the 3-3-5 defense.

That’s the defense that Long has been mastering the last several decades and one that Arnett was projected to bring to the Orange. With him leaving and now with Long off the market, that essentially eliminates the possibility of Syracuse employing that defense for the 2020 season.

Dino Babers hasn’t spoken publicly since the end of the 2019 Syracuse football season. His next scheduled media opportunity is for National Signing Day February 5.