Syracuse Football: Top five players to watch in 2020

Syracuse football has all the makings for a successful season in 2020. These players will need to perform well to meet those expectations.

Syracuse football is just two months away from potentially returning to the field, barring any other Covid-19 related setbacks. But in the world of live sports, no one is counting on the possible negative outcomes. Rather, coaches and players are preparing as if a season is fully expectant.

For the Orange, this means setting and working on goals to surpass last year’s blunders. The ‘Cuse finished 5-7 last season, which fell below many early-season projections that had the Orange finishing at the top of the ACC. However, it became clear very early that guys like Eric Dungey, Dontae Strickland, and Jamal Custis would be hard to replace.

Even after a rough 3-7 start, Syracuse was able to win two of its last three games, including a season-ending 39-30 victory over a tough Wake Forest team. However, at 5-7, the Orange just missed out on a second straight bowl appearance, forcing all eyes in Orange nation to look ahead at the 2020 season.

Now, in mid-July with the season fast approaching, Syracuse football is back on high alert, as the Orange are more than ready to bounce back and have a season over .500.

On paper, the answers are there. Signal caller Tommy DeVito is back and should have brushed off all of the year one starting quarterback nerves he had from last season. He’s got weapons on the ground and through the air and has one of the best defenders in all of college football leading a defense that looks to prime itself at the top of the ACC.

On both sides of the ball, there are impact players that can take the ACC and the FBS as a whole by storm. Syracuse football should be held in high regard entering the 2020 season, and these guys are the cream of the crop (or the Orange grove if you want to be specific).