Syracuse Football: All-ACC LB Marlowe Wax Jr. returning would be huge for Mob defense

In recent days, two veterans of the Syracuse football team said they would come back next season, and another Orange standout to monitor is junior linebacker Marlowe Wax Jr. from Baltimore.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Wax was sensational during the 2023 season, when the ‘Cuse went 6-7 overall. He earned a spot on the All-ACC second team for his excellent junior year, joining sophomore running back LeQuint Allen Jr. on that unit.

Based on the 2023 term that he put forth, I would completely understand if Wax elected to forgo his senior season on the Hill and declare for the 2024 NFL Draft. I’d wish him well, and I have every confidence that he will shine on Sundays in the pro ranks down the line.

However, if Wax does end up coming back to the Orange for another stanza, that would prove a monumental addition to the team’s Mob defense under new defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson, who is currently the interim head coach and co-defensive coordinator at Texas A&M.

Syracuse football fans are hoping that LB Marlowe Wax Jr. returns.

Wax, who was one of the Orange’s captains during the 2023 season, produced some big-time numbers as a junior and a leader of the squad’s Mob defense.

According to his bio provided by SU Athletics, Wax in 2023 collected 72 solo tackles, 38 assisted tackles, 110 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks, four forced fumbles, one interception and two passes defended.

At the time of this writing, within the Atlantic Coast Conference, Wax was No. 5 in tackles per game, No. 12 in tackles for a loss per contest, and No. 1 in fumbles forced per encounter.

A member of the 2020 recruiting cycle, Wax was a three-star prospect who played both running back and linebacker at Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore.

Another Syracuse football captain in 2023, junior defensive back and All-ACC performer Justin Barron, said on Christmas Day via his X page that he would come back to the team for his senior year.

Additionally, star receiver Oronde Gadsden II, who missed most of the 2023 season due to a Lisfranc injury suffered when the Orange beat Western Michigan at home in September, recently said on social media that he, too, would return to the ‘Cuse for his senior term.

I’ll certainly be monitoring what Wax ultimately decides to do in the future, whether that is coming back to Syracuse football or moving on to the pros. By the way, if you’d like to check out a 2024 NFL Draft profile of Wax, click here.

From a coaching standpoint, former Buffalo defensive coordinator Robert Wright is now the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach of the Orange, per his X page.