Previously, I wrote why I think head Syracuse football coach Dino Babers is the right guy for the job, not on the hot seat and someone you can believe in. And I believe every word of it.
What if I told you I had more reasons to believe in the Orange? Well, it looks like several Syracuse football players are making preseason national award watch lists.
I shared a story about Syracuse football players Garrett Shrader and Oronde Gadsden II making the Maxwell Award list, which is for the best offensive player in college football. My Loud House brother, Neil Adler, has shared some information on others making lists as well.
The list is growing so let’s take a look at that for a bit. As of right now, Syracuse football has multiple players being honored already. Here is the list of players honored so far as of this writing (I tried to wait as long as I could to make sure as many lists were released).
Let’s review Syracuse football players on preseason national watch lists.
Garrett Shrader
Maxwell Award
Danny Wuerffel Award (community service)
Davey O’Brien Award (quarterbacks)
Manning Award (quarterbacks, including bowl performances)
Oronde Gadsden II
Maxwell Award
Biletnikoff Award (receivers)
All-ACC preseason team
Trebor Pena
Paul Hornung Award (versatility)
Bruce Feldman’s annual freak list
LeQuint Allen Jr.
Doak Walker Award (running backs)
Marlowe Wax Jr.
Dick Butkus Award (linebackers)
Bednarik Award (defensive player of the year)
Lombardi Award (lineman, linebackers and tight ends)
It seems to me that this Syracuse football team is loaded with players on preseason national award lists, and experts are recognizing the potential of numerous guys on the ‘Cuse roster. I know many of these lists include dozens of candidates, but it’s also really easy for Syracuse football to not have a player on a particular list if he wasn’t good enough for consideration.
These players have proven themselves to be worthy. Let’s not search for reasons to dispute it but embrace the fact that they are on the lists. And also go into the 2023 season believing this is a team that we know many will point out the players no longer in the program, but the ones left are equally worthy of respect and mentioning.
Thank you to those who were here but this team is still filled with a lot of talent worth supporting that will do great things this season and be mentioned as possible NFL Draft picks.
If you want to find a reason that this is at least a bowl-contending team, this is yet another example of why there is still time to believe in this team and the future of this program.
LET’S GO ORANGE!