Syracuse Orange
2012 Record: 8-5 (5-2 Big East)

OFFENSE

Scheme: Gone are head coach Doug Marrone and QB Ryan Nassib, architects of a resurgent Syracuse offense that racked up more than 30 points on seven occasions last season. New coordinator George Macdonald, formerly the WR coach at UM, will try to achieve the same balance that last year’s unit did, but will likely rely on the ground game early on thanks to returners at running back and offensive line.

Quarterback: The big question surrounding the entire program is who will replace Nassib. The Orangemen have two distinct candidates for the job, sophomore Terrell Hunt and Oklahoma transfer Drew Allen. Hunt is the best all-around athlete of the QBs on the roster. While he is yet to attempt a pass in a game, Hunt emerged from spring as the leader. Allen, meanwhile, joined the fray in August and is a prototypical pocket passer with a bit of game experience from his time as Landry Jones’ backup. The type of offense Syracuse uses will be affected by which QB wins the job. If Hunt wins the competition, you could see the Orangemen using QB runs and the option. Probably not so much if Allen is the starter.

Running Backs: Regardless of who the starting QB is, Syracuse is going to run the ball. In fact, the Orangemen might have the best duo in the ACC with junior Jerome Smith and senior Prince-Tyson Gulley. Smith (1176 yards, 5.2 average, 3 TDs) is the feature back, a tough north-south runner who only got better as the year wore on. Gulley (825 yds, 5.3 avg, 9 TDs, 33 receptions, 282 yds, 2 TDs) is the lightning of the duo. Blessed with good open field moves and the ability to hit the home run, Gulley provides a perfect change of pace. Redshirt freshman George Morris provides a third option, but Smith and Gulley are going to get 99% of the carries.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: The passing game is a question mark not only due to the graduation of Nassib, but also because wideouts Alec Lemon and Marcus Sales, who combined for 136 receptions, have also moved on. That puts the onus on junior Jarrod West to go from #3 guy to the main man. West (43 recs, 588 yds, 2 TDs) finished third last year in both receptions and yards. Not a blazer, he uses his good size to move the chains and win jump balls.

The rest of the corps is littered with unknowns. Senior Adrian Flemming has battled injuries throughout his career, but won a starting job coming out of spring. He flashed good hands and blocking in the spring, but has yet to catch a pass in his career. Junior Jeremiah Kobena has the speed to be the home run guy and looked good in spurts last year. Senior Christopher Clark (11 recs, 122 yds, 2 TDs) got his feet wet last year after transferring from the JC ranks and could be helpful if he feels more comfortable at this level. The x-factor could be junior Quinta Funderburk, a former four-star recruit who has not done much thus far in his career and missed the spring to concentrate on academics. He has the physical tools if he gets his grades in order.

Senior Beckett Wales is back at the tight end/H-back spot. Wales (35 recs, 389 yds, 2 TDs) had a career year last season and will be a dependable possession receiver. The only other player on the roster who currently mans this spot is redshirt frosh Josh Parris, a bigger option who might be a better blocker. To add depth, former QB and RB Ashton Broyld was moved to help at H-back and provides nice size and athleticism.

Offensive Line: Syracuse’s offensive line was very good last year but loses two starters that had over 70 career starts. Luckily, four players who have starting experience or saw the field last year are back. The new leader of the pack will be senior center Macky MacPherson, who has started 25 straight games. While not ideal in terms of size, MacPherson is smart, durable, intense, and a hard worker.

Junior LT Sean Hickey takes over for Justin Pugh, who was a first round draft pick, and shifts over from RT. Hickey started four games at LT last year before shifting to the right side once Pugh returned from an injury. Hickey is ideally suited for the left side as he is much better in pass protection. The Orangemen can also lean on sophomores Rob Trudo and Ivan Foy, both of whom started some last year. Trudo, a LG, started nine games last year and has great technique. Foy, the new starter at RT, started four games at RG last year and is powerful, but needs to prove he can hold up against pass rushers. The new starter appears to be RG Nick Robinson, a sophomore who played special teams last year and is actually built more like a tackle at 6-5, 280.

DEFENSE

Scheme: Aggressive. That is the best word to describe Syracuse’s defensive philosophy. New head coach Scott Shafer, who was the defensive coordinator, is all about attacking. Statistically the Orangemen were largely a middle of the pack defense, although they did produce a lot of tackles for loss. That being said, this unit also ceded a lot of big plays. Shafer and new coordinator Chuck Bullough may have to rely on linebackers and safeties to blitz as the ends are unproven.

Defensive Line: This is one sure strength and one big question mark. The sure thing is the tackles, with three players who appeared in at least 12 games back and, if nothing else, good size off the bench. Senior Jay Bromley (39 tackles, 5.5 for loss, 2.5 sacks) is moving over from nose tackle to bring his disruptive style of play to d-tackle. Taking over at the nose will be junior Eric Crume. The top backup last year, Crume (15 tackles, 2 for loss) is squatty and uses good leverage. He has a quality backup in senior Zian Jones, a former JC transfer who has great size and got some experience last year. Iowa transfer John Raymon, JC transfer Wayne Williams, and redshirt frosh Marcus Coleman provide depth and, in the case of Raymon and Williams, beef.

The situation at end is much murkier as both starters graduated and most of the new guys are largely untested. The one exception is Micah Robinson, a junior who has been a top backup the past two seasons. The biggest end on the roster, Robinson (18 tackles, 2.5 for loss) is solid against the run but may not provide much of a pass rush. The coaches hope junior Robert Welsh, redshirt freshman Ron Thompson or JC transfer Trevon Trejo do the pass rushing. Welsh appeared in all 13 games last year, but made just four tackles and is working on his technique and moves. Thompson is a former tight end who missed last year due to injury. He has decent size and athleticism, but is a project at this point. Trejo could stand to add some weight, but flashed decent enough pass rushing skills in the junior college ranks that Michigan State was fighting Syracuse for his services.

Linebackers: One starter is gone, but this appears to be the strength of the defense with good talent and okay depth. The stars are junior WLB Dyshawn Davis and senior MLB Marquis Spruill. Davis (69 tackles, 14 for loss) is undersized at just 6-2, 212, but he makes plays and has great speed, range, and instincts. Spruill (64 tackles, 9 for loss, 2 sacks) is also undersized at 6-1, 225, but he too makes up for it with instincts, toughness, leadership, and intensity.

The new starter will be junior SLB Cameron Lynch, who actually did start two games last year. A hard worker, Lynch (42 tackles, 4 sacks) produced off the bench and seems like an ideal candidate to be the blitzer the Orangemen may need.

Depth isn’t super, but Syracuse has two options in senior Lewellyn Coker, who has largely played special teams, and big JC transfer Luke Arciniega that could provide quality snaps.

Secondary: The defensive backfield returns three starters, but the one missing starter, Shamarko Thomas, leaves a gaping hole. Perhaps the bigger problem, though, is that despite having a decent pass rush last year, the Orangemen struggled to provide many big plays in pass defense. If you have a group of defensive backs that can’t take advantage of a pass rush, that’s cause for alarm. Thus, despite returning several players with experience, the secondary is not necessarily a strong point just yet.

The Orangemen are probably best set at corner, where three upperclassmen return. Seniors Keon Lyn and Ri’Shard Anderson are back as the starters. Lyn (46 tackles, 3 interceptions, 7 pass breakups) has experience, size, and the best cover skills on the roster. Anderson (41 tackles, 1 int., 2 pass breakups) has good size and has started 19 games in his career, but he lacks consistency and rarely makes big plays. Junior Brandon Reddish looks to be the nickel back, although he could push Anderson too. A quality cover guy, Reddish (35 tackles, 4.5 for loss, 1 int., 2 forced fumbles) showed a penchant for making plays last year, but he only broke up two passes all season, which needs to be improved upon. A few other guys (sophomore Jaston George, sophomore Julian Whigham, JC transfer Darius Kelly) might get looks to add depth.

Syracuse has some experience at safety despite Thomas’ loss, but many of the players are raw or just average. In the former category is sophomore Durrell Eskridge, the likely starter at strong safety. A good sized athlete who started twice at free safety last year, Eskridge (36 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 sacks) has the size, speed, and hitting ability to blossom but is still learning. The likely starter at free safety is senior Jeremi Wilkes, who has 19 career starts under his belt. Wilkes (61 tackles) is a former corner who isn’t very big (5-9, 190), but he packs a punch for his size and is steady, if not spectacular.

Depth at safety is thin with just former CB Wayne Morgan and junior Ritchy Desir on the roster, although the aforementioned Kelly could play here too. A sophomore, Morgan (14 tackles) made the switch to FS in the spring and was raw, but promising. Desir (24 tackles) is a good open-field tackler, but lacks the athleticism or physicality of Eskridge so he’s likely just a backup.

Special Teams: The special teams were anything but last year. Senior kicker Ross Krautman made just 15 of 23 attempts. Because of that, he is being pushed by sophomore Ryan Norton, who handled kickoffs last year. Junior punter Jonathan Fisher also struggled last year, averaging just 39.2 yards per punt. Sophomore Riley Dixon didn’t do much better, averaging 36.3 yards per punt, albeit on just three attempts. The return units were mediocre to average.

Schedule: The schedule is there for Syracuse to have a successful opening season in the ACC. The only real tough road games are at GA Tech and FSU. The Orangemen get Clemson and Pitt at home. The nonconference schedule isn’t without potential traps (opener in New Jersey against Penn State, road trip to Northwestern) but could provide 3 wins.

Overall: Based on the schedule alone, Syracuse has a great shot at finishing third in the ACC Atlantic. But it isn’t just about the schedule. Looking at the roster, Syracuse has as much talent as anyone on their schedule except for FSU and Clemson. The Orangemen have a glaring hole at QB, but you have to like their pieces and parts at RB and along the offensive line. Syracuse should be able to muster enough of a running attack to take some pressure off whoever the new QB is. On the flipside, while the defense was just average last year and has some holes, especially at DE, the Orangemen have some nice players at DT, LB, and CB. Sure, this isn’t a roster full of future NFL players, but Syracuse has some talent, they have some experience, and they have some depth at key positions. If the passing game gets on track, the offense could be pretty good. If you believe Football Outsiders, five teams on Syracuse’s schedule are projected to be ranked 61st or lower. That plus an FCS school and you’ve got six wins. But I think Syracuse can do better than that. I’m willing to guess they go 7-5 or 8-4 in year one in the ACC and lay groundwork for future success.

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