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Coming off a 5-7 season, its third straight sub-.500 season without a bowl game appearance, Syracuse is looking to make moves in the Atlantic Coast Conference. With a retooled offensive coaching staff and a defense littered with transfers and young players, the Orange enter head coach Dino Babers’ seventh season looking for their second winning record in his tenure.

SU begins training camp on Wednesday, this year with a solidified quarterback situation and returning an All-American running back. There’s an emphasis on maintaining a healthy offensive line and question marks about who will emerge out of the tight end position.

Prior to the start of 2022 training camp, here are some takeaways from what Babers, Sean Tucker and Garrett Williams said.

Quarterback situation ironed out

Syracuse entered last season undecided at the quarterback position. A battle between Tommy DeVito and then-new transfer Garrett Shrader spilled out into the first three games of the season before Shrader ultimately won the job permanently. This season, despite the additions of former Michigan and Florida quarterbacks Dan Villari and Carlos del Rio-Wilson, head coach Dino Babers said Shrader will take the first-team reps.

“We’re not divvying up anything,” Babers said. “Shrader’s getting the majority of the reps. Everybody else is fighting behind him.”

Babers also ruled out quarterback Justin Lamson for the season, saying he’s looking good, but is just getting back to jogging. Lamson threw a pair of touchdowns during SU’s spring football game. Then, 247Sports reported that Lamson had undergone knee surgery and would be out indefinitely. Jacobian Morgan, who played in four games and started two in 2020, will also be competing for a backup spot.

“The hippos and the elephants”

Babers identified his offensive and defensive line units as the key to this season. Syracuse’s offensive line has rebounded and is far more put together than it was in 2020 based on Pro Football Focus metrics, when it ranked near the bottom of Division I football in efficiency. But he pointed out that no matter what the Orange have and haven’t been able to do, they still haven’t played with a stable offensive line. 

Babers is just trying to get to a top-seven offensive lineman before the start of the season. He said, however, that players like Chris Bleich, Austyn Kauhi and Dakota Davis grant him flexibility in terms of potential starting lineups. Matthew Bergeron has also been cited by Babers as taking charge of the offensive line, referencing his willingness to step into a starting role halfway through the season.

The defense, conversely, is “crazy” and like “young puppies.” The group contains a large crop of emerging players that include Kevon Darton, Steve Linton and Terry Lockett. Redshirt junior Caleb Okechukwu returns as the only defensive lineman who started a game for Syracuse last season.

Leaning on tight end experience

Syracuse’s tight end room ended the season as one of the least-used units in the country. Aaron Hackett, who hasn’t played with the Orange since 2020, stands as the last tight end to catch a touchdown for SU. Babers announced a retooled approach to the tight end group, with the departure of Reno Ferri and the addition of former Virginia coach Robert Anae. Maximilian Mang and Chris Elmore return as the point-men for tight ends.

“That’s a room,” Babers said. “Those two guys have played a lot of football.”

SU said it considered adding tight ends, wide receivers and defensive backs, but were unable to get any defensive line transfers. Babers also referenced tight end Steven Mahar Jr. as a returning player who is “extremely talented,” and someone he’s hoping to get development out of in 2022.

Pass-friendly offense

Tucker referenced the lack of passing plays Syracuse ran in the last two seasons. Under Anae, the new offensive coordinator, Tucker is looking forward to a more “pass-centric” offense, one that should ramp up from the 287 attempts in 2021 and 336 in 2020. Tucker likes the halfback screen plays and the amount of space he tends to have to work with, and the Orange like to go to him on third down from the air. 

Tucker believes that his ability to catch and his vision up the field will allow for a dynamic offensive connection between him and Shrader, who is also a running threat. Tucker said he’s already seen a heavier reliance on passing in training camp, and his routes have been switched up frequently, with more deep routes being incorporated into schemes.

Williams said that in the early stages of practices, the installed offense has placed more pressure on the secondary.

“You never have time to chill,” Williams said. “They throw a go ball, you make a move and then they’ll come right back, and they’ll run a double-move right after.”

Published on August 2, 2022 at 12:59 pm

Contact Anthony: [email protected] | @anthonyalandt