A lot of Syracuse football fans, myself included, are cautiously optimistic about the Orange ahead of the 2022 campaign.
The ‘Cuse has multiple new assistant coaches who, hopefully, will help bolster an offense that struggled in the passing game in 2021, when the Orange dropped its final three games to close at 5-7 overall.
The special-teams’ unit also wasn’t great, but I expect a rebound this coming stanza. Syracuse football coaches landed a massive quarterback commitment a few days ago to bolster depth at this position.
But the real question is, given the team’s daunting schedule, can the ‘Cuse squeak out at least six victories to qualify for a post-season bowl contest?
In 2022, Syracuse football will have a veteran-filled roster.
I came across an interesting tweet that ESPN writer Bill Connelly put out not too long ago. He posted on Twitter, as of May 23, his national rankings in college football as far as returning production ahead of the 2022 term.
Updated college football returning production rankings. Teams in green have risen by 15+ spots since Feb, teams in red have fallen by 15+, teams in bold have done so by 30+. pic.twitter.com/hZZ77DhJ47
— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) May 23, 2022
At that juncture, the Orange checked in at No. 9 around the country, at 80 percent, which I found to be an encouraging data set. In Connelly’s tweet, I counted six Atlantic Coast Conference squads in the top-30 nationally, including Syracuse football.
N.C. State was the highest, at No. 8 with 82 percent, followed by the ‘Cuse, Louisville at No. 12 (79 percent), Florida State at No. 17 (78 percent), Miami at No. 28 (73 percent) and perennial conference heavyweight Clemson at No. 30 (72 percent).
Naturally, the Orange returning a lot of players doesn’t necessarily translate into a successful season, but at the same time, having numerous veterans on the 2022 roster can’t be a bad thing, either.
I’m confident that star running back Sean Tucker will fill up the stat sheet once again after shattering program records last year while being named an All-American at his position.
As has been the case in other recent stanzas, the Syracuse football secondary should prove excellent, led by guys including Duce Chestnut and Garrett Williams. Linebacker Mikel Jones returning to the Hill for 2022 is huge.
But, we’ll have to see how the passing game fares, whether it’s incumbent starter Garrett Shrader taking the snaps or someone else.
And how the team’s offensive and defensive lines hold up will be paramount to Syracuse football having success this coming campaign.
That being said, I’m highly encouraged by the fact that the ‘Cuse has returned a lot of players for the 2022 season from a term ago.