EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — An “Orange Nation” sign hangs in the New York Giants’ equipment room.

It’s a little one, offensive lineman Justin Pugh said, but symbolic of the program that has more players and coaches than any other program throughout the Giants franchise.

“Syracuse is taking over,” Pugh said at Giants training camp in July. “Hopefully we’ll keep bringing in Syracuse guys. As long as we keep playing well, we’ll keep going up there and scouting them.”

Four former Orange players are sprinkled throughout the Giants’ active roster, more than any other school, and SU’s influence spreads throughout part the coaching staff as well.

The Syracuse products will lend MetLife Stadium to their old program for a few hours on Saturday night when the Orange (2-1) takes on No. 8 Notre Dame (3-0) in the New York College Classic at 8 p.m.

While the New York College Classic serves as an attraction for potential future Orange players, it’s also an opportunity for the program to catch up with alumni of the football program.

Jay Bromley and Ryan Nassib will be in attendance, Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer said on a radio show Thursday evening, and Pugh will “probably” lead the Orange out of the tunnel before the game. Giants head coach and former Syracuse running back Tom Coughlin is also invited to the game, Shafer said earlier in the week.

Starting this offseason, Nassib and Pugh have been accompanied by their former teammate Bromley, a rookie defensive tackle, and linebacker Jameel McClain, who played at SU from 2005-07, to account for the four SU players on the Giants’ roster.

In July, Nassib recalled a conversation he had with David Tyree — the Giants’ director of player development and former SU wide receiver — about Will Hicks, Syracuse’s assistant athletics director for athletic performance.

“We were talking about how much fun we had with him and how much he helped us out and how much we miss him,” Nassib said. “It’s awesome to have these guys here who’ve kind of been through the same sh*t you have done in the past.

“People around the building know about the Syracuse connection around here. We’ll always have that, the Syracuse connection.”

Coughlin, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Giants, began his college career as a Syracuse running back in the 1960s and spent eight years on the Orangemen’s coaching staff after his playing career.

Markus Paul, an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Giants, is the all-time interception leader in Syracuse program history with 19. He was a four-year starter at safety from 1985-88.

Giants tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride Jr., the son of the franchise’s offensive coordinator from 2007-13, got his coaching start at SU as a graduate assistant from 2004-05.

Even when the Giants began competitive play after training camp, they ran into more familiar faces from Syracuse — Doug Marrone and his horde of former SU coaches with the Buffalo Bills were the Giants’ first preseason opponent.

In a way, the Syracuse alumni on the Giants haven’t really left.

Said Bromley: “There’s Orange pride throughout these hallways and that’s known.”

Published on September 26, 2014 at 12:22 pm

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