Syracuse Football: Will size be an issue for Orange in the 2022 season?

The 2022 campaign is a make-or-break season for the Syracuse football team, but the appearance of a physically small team has been alleged by segments of the fanbase in the aftermath of the spring game. I wanted to look into it and find out: How does Syracuse football compare to their first two opponents (Louisville and Purdue) in the size department?

Below, I have charted the average size for the offense and defense of the Orange, Louisville & Purdue:

Team             Syracuse               Louisville                  Purdue
QB                 6’4 224 lbs            6’3 209 lbs             6’2 199 lbs

RB                  5’11 203 lbs         5’10 204 lbs          5’11 219 lbs

FB                  6’0 293 lbs                  N/A                         N/A

WR                 6’1 194 lbs             6’0 188 lbs            6’1 197 lbs

TE                   6’6 243 lbs              6’3 240 lbs           6’5 241 lbs

OL                  6’5 299 lbs               6’4 298 lbs            6’5 305 lbs

DL                   6’4 251 lbs               6’3 263 lbs           6’3 278 lbs

LB                   6’2  226 lbs               6’1 221 lbs           6’2 234 lbs

DB                  5’11 188 lbs              6’0 190 lbs           6’1 200 lbs

What becomes clear to me, upon first looking at this chart, is that there are some positions where Syracuse football will be just fine from a size standpoint. The offensive line, linebackers, receivers and tight ends stack up very well against our early competition from a size standpoint. Receiver also seems to compare fairly well, contrary to my own spring game observations which described the unit as small.

We’re taking a look at the Syracuse football team, from a size perspective.

That being said, there are some units where size is a concern. Syracuse fans have talked about their concern regarding the defensive line, and the numbers bear that concern out. The defensive line is 12 pounds lighter on average than their Louisville counterparts, and a staggering 27 pounds lighter on average than their opponents at Purdue.

The defensive backs have a size deficit as well, coming in shorter and lighter than both their Louisville and Purdue counterparts. Though this unit’s size deficit is not nearly as great as the size deficit of the defensive line, and should not have nearly as great of an impact on their ability to perform.

Overall, Orange fans should take this data as a lesson to not look at one unit of the team and apply their observations about them to the team as a whole. Though the Syracuse football defensive line is indeed far smaller than average, every other unit is well within the range of their early Power 5 opponents when it comes to height and weight.

If head coach Dino Babers can properly address the problems along the defensive line in the transfer portal, size should not be an impediment to the team’s success in 2022. There may be other reasons why the team will come up short of its goals, but this seems unlikely to be one of them.