Syracuse Football: Is running back Sean Tucker THAT guy?

I recently listened to a portion of On The Block with Brent Axe, and in that clip, I heard Brent talking about the Syracuse basketball and Syracuse football programs needing a once in a generational player and I don’t think he’s entirely wrong. So I ask you, is Sean Tucker THAT guy?

Last year, before the season started and throughout it, I wrote about how I believed the Syracuse football running back deserved the opportunity to wear 44. What I saw the season before on a team that struggled was a thoroughbred just waiting to be given the reigns.

And I wasn’t the only one who noticed his talent early as his own teammates as well as Twitter follower Otto’s Grove saw his potential early as well.

Sadly those surrounding the program just kept putting off the 44 discussions until Tucker himself finally decided to embrace 34 and market his image with it. That’s fine and I support him for doing whatever he decides is best for him, even though I truly believe that him wearing 44 would have been beneficial to all sides.

Syracuse football running back Sean Tucker was an All-American last season.

Heck, I actually might have to find a way to get a pair of those slides myself one day as they look pretty cool and I think he’s a guy worthy of our support.

Now you bring it back to Brent’s discussion on air. He read off the names of Syracuse men’s basketball and football players who were drafted since Donovan McNabb himself. He talked about the programs lacking name recognition like a McNabb or Carmelo Anthony or Dwight Freeney, who the youth today can look at in awe and as a legendary face of the programs.

So I ask you this, is the guy who at one point was leading the nation in rushing and in many discussions for 44 that guy? Could Sean Tucker be a legitimate Heisman contender in the upcoming season?

Is he that player who we can show our kids now and as Brent pointed out in 20 years will carry the same cache as a McNabb, Melo or one of my favorite players, Don McPherson, who himself was a runner-up for the Heisman in 1987?

If you’re asking me, I think he can be with a healthy 2022 season and a good marketing campaign behind him. I have a son who is a 14-year-old fan of the Orange and I think one more season like last year for Tucker and he will be talking about seeing him when he was younger like I do McPherson.

I also think Sean Tucker is a guy who this program can build on with future recruits and show they can be successful. I also think he will give them name recognition, especially when the team wins as well, for favorable game schedules and possibly even bowl games.

Time will tell for sure but if you’re asking me if there is someone in the program who could, it’s Sean Tucker. He’s a guy who fans love and want to root for, he’s exciting to watch and has already been in the mix for some records and could again be next season as well as a potential first-round draft pick. If you’re asking me who could be THAT guy, my money is on 34.