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Syracuse head coach Dino Babers compares Damien Alford to the Disney character “Bambi.” Alford, a freshman wide receiver, is developing his skill set and learning from the older players and coaches around him, the same way that Bambi needs his mom to take care of him and show him the ropes at the start of the story, Babers said. 

“The big buck takes Bambi underneath his wings and Bambi grows into a big buck — well, we don’t have that yet. We still got Bambi with mom,” Babers said on Oct. 25. “And we’re looking forward to when he starts growing some horns. … He doesn’t even know what he’s capable of doing, but hopefully someday he does.”

Alford said he appreciated the “Bambi” reference. It means Babers sees potential in him. Right now, there are positives and negatives to take away from Alford’s performances, Babers said, but the important thing is that the two are offsetting.

Now in his second season at SU, Alford has earned more opportunities after former No. 1 receiver Taj Harris transferred to Kentucky. Alford’s first career grab for the Orange — a 73-yard touchdown against UAlbany — was a “statement catch” that proved his work was paying off. He’s made other sporadic plays for Syracuse, including a clutch 45-yard touchdown catch against Virginia Tech that lifted the Orange to their first conference win. As Alford settles into the offense, those big plays, and simply being on the field, isn’t as stressful as it used to be, he said. 

Alford’s still working to become a more physical receiver and fully capitalize on his “God-given ability” and 6-foot-6 frame, his high school coach Pierre Senatus said.

“It was just a matter of time,” his father, Melvin Alford, said. “That’s why he’s there (at SU).”

The touchdown against Virginia Tech was even more noteworthy because it was Alford’s only catch of the afternoon. Alford said he’d made technical mistakes earlier, and it was a “rough game” up until that point. Multiple SU wide receivers said it is difficult — and requires focus — to overcome those errors earlier in the game, put an inside move on the Hokies’ cornerback and haul in that pass after not catching a ball earlier in the game.

Alford’s touchdown catch was evidence of what the budding wide receiver is capable of doing at Syracuse. Hearing the Lane Stadium crowd go silent was satisfying, he said, and the catch itself was simply “natural instinct.”

“It shows a lot about his character and adversity,” wide receiver Courtney Jackson said on Oct. 27. “He had a few mistakes earlier in the game, whatever, but you got to fight through that, understand that you’ve got to make it back up and obviously the get-back is the most important. And he made that play which won us the game.”

Alford started playing football later than most in his group — his older sister, Aliyah Jobe-Alford, said he didn’t shift his focus from basketball to football until around 10th grade at Dalbé-Viau Secondary School in Montreal. 

 

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Within a few seasons, Alford had made significant strides and became one of the best players on his team. It didn’t happen overnight, Melvin said. It was because Alford went to the weight room often, and he started to learn how to utilize his “raw” abilities such as his long wingspan and his hands, which needed 3XL size gloves, Senatus said.

“The sport’s relatively new to him,” quarterback Garrett Shrader said on Oct. 27. “But he’s a great athlete and a great dude … I got a lot of trust in that guy to continue to keep building.”

Alford’s coaches at Dalbé helped set him up with an opportunity to transfer to McArthur (Florida) High School for his senior year. So he left the country, his family and his home in Montreal to further his football skills and fulfill his dream of getting recruited to play college football in the U.S. 

“The coaches said, ‘This kid is too good to stay in Canada,’” Melvin said. 

In South Florida, Alford stayed with his uncle, who lived in part of the feeder pattern for McArthur. Alford’s transfer as a senior was unorthodox, especially for an international student, but there was no doubt he had the talent, Senatus said. 

Repetitions during 7-on-7 spring football sharpened his skillset, and playing on the “uber competitive” circuit against Division I talent like FSU’s Kevin Knowles II and Maryland’s Ruben Hyppolite II helped, too.

The move to Florida clashed with his introverted personality, however, the wide receiver isn’t a physical, “alpha” type player, Senatus said. Corners and opponents would talk trash, but Alford wouldn’t say a thing, Senatus said. He pushed Alford to challenge his opponents physically because they’d call him out until he earned their respect. Alford did.

The transition to playing in Florida also presented challenges because Alford couldn’t manage the intensity of McArthur football at times. Senatus, the McArthur coach, said Alford couldn’t run effective routes at the start. 

Yet through it all, Alford was resilient. Other players would socialize and go to the beach, but for Alford, “his allure was to come and get a Division I scholarship and really find and challenge himself,” Senatus said.

So, Alford increased his catch radius, one that was already naturally big because of his size. He expanded on his route tree, working on fades and bombs, but also other routes that receivers his size typically couldn’t execute. Senatus said Alford was nicknamed “Megatron” after NFL Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson, a reference to Alford’s verticality that stemmed from playing top-level Canadian basketball. He learned to “box out” at the high point just like in basketball to get in the opponents’ face. He learned “the mean streets of football,” Senatus said.

“He does have confidence, don’t let him fool you,” Senatus said. “He has that quiet confidence about him.”

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At McArthur, Alford received offers from Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University, a testament to his size, Senatus said. But Alford didn’t settle. He showed consistency and maturity, continuing to work daily.

Now at SU, Alford said he wants to fine-tune his route-running by being more explosive and dropping his hips, especially given his size. Senatus said he knows Alford has the physicality and athleticism to take full advantage of the entire route tree like Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf does. Alford works on releases and catching too, Jackson said. 

“I don’t think he understands, as big as he is, what he can do with his body yet,” Jackson said. “But I think he’s getting to that big-body point, being dominant.”

Since he started playing football, Alford has always had that raw ability affiliated with his big size. But he’s also deceptively quick — ”like a horse, he gallops” — though it takes him about three strides to get up to full speed, Jackson said. His best speed is still ahead of him, Senatus said. 

Alford said he’s catching the ball more aggressively at SU, blocking better and getting off the press more often. It’s all about using his “big body ball skills,” as Shrader put it after the VT game. 

“He’s just starting to scratch his potential,” Senatus said. “He’s just scratching the surface.”

Published on November 17, 2021 at 10:49 pm

Contact Roshan: [email protected] | @Roshan_f16