Football

Jamar McGloster emphasizes technique as developing offensive lineman for Syracuse

Jamar McGloster didn’t know how to do much.

His technique on the offensive line was far from polished when he first came to Syracuse and Scott Shafer knew McGloster was raw.

“All I knew was how to like, ‘Go get that person right there,’” said McGloster, a rising junior, pointing into the distance.

But Shafer, the SU head coach, was “honored” to be able to develop the lineman, McGloster said, and so ensued the transformation of a 300-plus pound basketball player into a technically savvy football one.

And after four years on the hardwood at New Jersey powerhouse Saint Anthony High School, McGloster — who played just two years of high school football — is continuing to hone in on his technique, adjust to the Orange’s second new offense in as many years and shoulder a bigger role on the offensive line.



“He was probably more of a basketball player when he first started and we liked his athleticism and that sort of thing,” Shafer said. “He’s learning how to play the game, learning how to play with leverage.

“Big ol’ dog, I mean he’s a big ol’ dog.”

In his freshman year, McGloster played mostly on the right side of the scout-team offensive line. He didn’t play in a single game and even had thoughts of reverting to the main sport he played in high school.

But Jim Boeheim’s team wasn’t the place for him, and as McGloster continued to grow, he realized he should start focusing on his footwork rather than his jumping and rebounding ability.

“When I first got here I was like, ‘You know what, maybe I could play basketball too,’” McGloster said. “But then I started growing, and 300 pounds, 320. And I’m like, nah, all that jumping now, I’m not with it.”

Shafer said that the quick feet necessary in basketball translate well to pass protection. McGloster mentioned that since basketball requires more agility than pure athleticism, he could just focus on getting stronger and learning the playbook once he got his feet wet.

He backed up left tackle Sean Hickey for a season, in which McGloster said it was, “Look at him, see what he does, see what I could do.” Now McGloster is working at both tackle positions in spring practice.

“I seen him when he started working out with Sean Hickey, taking him under his wing and just showing him the little things he needs going forward,” running back George Morris II said. “He’s coming along just fine.”

Last season, McGloster got a glimpse of what may come this one, when Hickey went down with an injury against Duke on Nov. 8. The sophomore could count the amount of snaps he played on one hand, but said it proved to him that “he could do it.”

Now, McGloster is working on fine-tuning his technique rather than building a foundation for it.

He’s taking two steps to block a defender instead of just rushing at him. He’s working on staying vertical instead of reverting to a flat-footed, basketball-type defensive slide. And he’s adjusting to a new cadence in SU’s second offense in two years under offensive coordinator Tim Lester.

McGloster is at 303 pounds as opposed to 315 last year in George McDonald’s offense. He said he’s faster and able to get to the second level quicker because Lester’s offense incorporates more blocking schemes in the run game instead of an up-tempo style.

“I lose way more weight in these practices than our last practices because of all the running we do,” McGloster said.

And though McGloster still has a ways to go in “grinding out the run game,” Shafer said, he’s beginning to round into a more defined offensive lineman than the unpolished product he came in as.

Said McGloster: “With the right technique, you can do anything.”





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