sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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SU News
Syracuse's 2023 TEs: A true freshman is poised to contribute early (PS; $; Leiker)
When Syracuse football running backs coach Mike Lynch made his recruiting rounds to Christian Brothers Academy in Albany this spring, CBA head coach Bobby Burns had a question for him.
Did CBA alum tight end David Clement, an early enrollee this spring for the Orange, have a shot at making the field this fall?
“Well, it’s kind of hard to replicate 6-7, 275 (pounds),” Burns recalled Lynch saying.
Clement’s a bit shy of those numbers on the official roster, but his stature is still the second-largest in Syracuse’s 2023 tight ends room. He’s poised to be the most-used true freshman on the team this fall, even in a tight ends room that returns basically its entire group from last season.
Oronde Gadsden and Max Mang are back, along with Steven Mahar Jr., Dan Villari (who switched from QB midseason) and Carter Clark.
Walk-on Josh Kubala, who was with the group as a freshman last year, moved to linebacker. His spot was taken by Clement.
Though very limited in roster changes, the position group does get a shakeup via a coaching change. After being a somewhat secondary responsibility to ex-coordinator Robert Anae last year, the tight ends get their own coach for 2023.
Nunzio Campanile came to SU this spring after five seasons at Rutgers. He spent four of them as the Scarlet Knights’ tight ends coach, with additional duties, including two separate stints as interim offensive coordinator, mixed in.
Campanile’s addition doesn’t seem to indicate that much will change about the way Syracuse uses its tight ends as it continues Anae’s offense (or something adjacent to it) under new coordinator Jason Beck. At Rutgers last year, the Scarlet Knights’ No. 3 pass catcher was a tight end.
The tight ends group splits pretty clearly into two divisions. There are the receiving tight ends (Gadsden and Villari) and then there are the blocking tight ends (Mang, Mahar and Clark).
And that’s not to say that all the guys don’t do both. Mang had five catches last year for 31 yards. Gadsden said in the spring one of his biggest goals is to become a better blocker. That was on head coach Dino Babers’ list for him, too.
Burns said Clement doesn’t have too much experience as a pass-catcher, but that he has the skills — a high football IQ and the hands of a former basketball player — to develop into that type of role if SU needed or wanted him to.
“He can handle it, there’s no question (but) ... my guess would be they’re probably seeing him more as an in-line blocker or a pass grabber,” Burns said Monday.
There had been plans for Clement to be more involved in the receiving game until a knee injury at CBA training camp last July ended up sidelining him for his senior year.
Clement tore articular cartilage in his knee and wasn’t able to have surgery until the fall, due to the specificity of the injury. Burns said he believed Clement had been fully cleared about a week before SU’s spring camp began.
It will be good for Syracuse to have another ready-to-play tight end in the mix.
Mang has been a workhorse the past two years, with Gadsden joining him in the mix last year. The pair have played a combined 1,180 snaps while Mahar and Villari have just 115 snaps between them. Clark redshirted last season while recovering from an injury he suffered in high school.
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https://www.si.com/college/syracuse...training-camp-position-preview-offensive-line (SI; McAllister)
Syracuse football is expected to kick off training camp in the next few weeks or so with the season less than two months away. All Syracuse continues its series previewing each position headed into training camp with the offensive line.
PREVIOUS POSITION PREVIEWS
Quarterback
Running Back
Tight End
Wide Receiver
WHAT WE KNOW
Guard spots are set. Syracuse returns both Chris Bleich and Kalan Ellis as starters from last season. Both enter camp as the starters at their respective guard spots (Bleich on the right, Ellis on the left). Ellis' spot seems to be more up for grabs than Bleich, and he could be pushed by a Jakob Bradford or a Wes Hoeh or incoming junior college transfer Lysander Moeolo. The only way that happens, is if one of those players absolutely blows the coaches away during training camp. The good news for them is that, with a new offensive line coach, the slate is essentially clean. Still, it will be tough for that to happen as both Bleich and Ellis seem entrenched in their respective spots.
WHAT WE DON'T
Who will replace experienced starters and what will Steve Farmer's impact be? Syracuse loses three veteran starters from last year's squad. Left tackle Matthew Bergeron, right tackle Dakota Davis and center Carlos Vettorello. The Orange brought in transfer tackle Joe More, transfer David Wohlabaugh and junior college prospect J'Onre Reed to compete for those spots. However, who emerges among them and returning players remains to be seen. Enrique Cruz is a former four star recruit who has been on the two deep waiting to crack the starting lineup. This is a prime opportunity for him to take that next step. He will compete with experienced incoming transfers, however, for that opportunity. Reed is a very highly regarded player and the coaches liked a ton as a JUCO transfer. The hope is that he would slide into the middle and become the new starting center. However, how that translates once he actually arrives and starts competing at this level is an unknown. Josh Ilaoa has been with the program for two years as a backup center and guard. He has been solid when inserted into the lineup. He will not be a pushover, and that battle will be fun to watch during camp. The battle at the other tackle spot likely comes down to More, Wohlabaugh, Petry and Austyn Kauhi. All will get looks, but I think More and Wohlabaugh are the favorites there.
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https://www.si.com/college/syracuse...aining-camp-position-preview-defensive-tackle (SI; McAllister)
Syracuse football is expected to kick off training camp in the next few weeks or so with the season less than two months away. All Syracuse continues its series previewing each position headed into training camp with the defensive tackle position.
PREVIOUS POSITION PREVIEWS
Quarterback
Running Back
Tight End
Wide Receiver
Offensive Line
WHAT WE KNOW
Kevon Darton is under appreciated. The former walk-on was the second defensive tackle on the depth chart to start last season, but became the primary guy due to injury. Syracuse was thin at tackle in 2022, and Darton filled in admirably throughout, playing a lot of snaps and becoming a consistent figure in the middle of the defensive line. The coaching staff absolutely loves Darton, who will again be a key cog in the rotation this season. Darton does not have eye popping stats nor does he make flashy plays. That can lead to many not appreciating what he does each play. He is a really solid block eater who is consistent and trusted.
WHAT WE DON'T
Who will provide depth behind Darton and Lockett? Syracuse brought in Braylen Ingraham to compete with Darton and Lockett as the starters as well as to provide depth as the Orange likes to rotate its linemen. However, he has played limited football since going to Alabama out of high school, largely due to injury. Behind him, Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff saw time last season after Lockett went down but is still developing. Belizaire Bassette saw action in four games last season. Syracuse needs more depth than it had last season, and the development of players like Ingraham, Fuentes-Cundiff and Bassette will determine how much it has.
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WR Isaiah Jones is a breakout candidate for Syracuse football (cbssports.com; video; Finneral)
247Sports' James Finneral names wide receiver Isaiah Jones a breakout candidate for Syracuse football in 2023.
Syracuse football position preview: Quarterbacks (TNIAAM; Wall)
As we approach the start of camp for the Syracuse Orange football team, it’s time to dig in and look at the position groups. Up first, quarterbacks.
Don’t look now but Syracuse will enter camp with three four-star recruits in the quarterback room. All three originally signed with SEC programs, but they’ve found their way north and the Orange might have some depth behind their starter.
That starter is pretty likely Garrett Shrader. The senior took a big step forward last year completing 64.7% of his passes for 2,640 yards with 17 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, He added another 453 yards and 9 TD’s on the ground helping Syracuse get back to a bowl game. It looked like he was more comfortable in Robert Anae and Jason Beck’s offense.
Shrader still had issues with locking onto his first read and then holding onto the ball too long if that option wasn’t open. It will be interesting to see if time watching spring practice helps Shrader in that area, but he’ll also need receivers other than Oronde Gadsden to get open off the line.
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Syracuse football gets solid grade from top analyst for summer recruiting (itlh; Adler)
It’s proven a busy summer for Syracuse football 2024 recruiting efforts, as the Orange secured 12 verbal commitments in this class in June and one so far in July.
Coupled with three verbal commitments in this cycle during the spring, the ‘Cuse presently has 16 pledges to date in its 2024 class.
Not too long ago, this Syracuse football 2024 cycle was rated inside the top 40 nationally, according to several recruiting services.
But as other teams have landed their own 2024 commitments more recently, the Orange’s rising-senior class is now just inside the top 50 across the country, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and .
Adam Friedman, a national analyst with , recently published an article where he graded the summer recruiting efforts of every Atlantic Coast Conference squad, including the ‘Cuse.
Syracuse football receives a solid grade for its 2024 recruiting this summer from an expert.
Friedman has doled out a “B” to the Orange for its recruiting over the summer within the 2024 class. He gave an “A” to three ACC programs, with those being Clemson, Florida State and North Carolina.
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Syracuse’s secondary was decimated this offseason. How will it recover? (orangefizz.net; Aitken)
The transfer portal and the NFL draft decimated Syracuse’s secondary this offseason. Three of SU’s starting defensive backs are gone, which leaves just two returning first teamers. That leaves quite the hole for incoming defensive coordinator Rocky Long, so what are his options?
The Departures
You can’t talk about the Orange’s new defensive backs without taking a closer look at who they’re replacing.
Firstly, a departure most ‘Cuse fans expected: cornerback Garrett Williams. He was in 2023 mock drafts before last season, and in April, his NFL aspirations became a reality. Williams went in the third round to the Arizona Cardinals, and for good reason. The former Syracuse captain was an All-ACC selection three times. Williams was phenomenal in coverage, but also played a critical role as a last-line tackler in SU’s run defense. While the Orange have a strong set of linebackers, physicality in the secondary will be the biggest loss with Williams gone.
In the transfer portal, Syracuse lost cornerback Duce Chestnut to LSU and safety Ja’Had Carter to Ohio State. Chestnut started every game as a freshman and didn’t slow down in his sophomore season. He tallied four interceptions and 13 passes defended across his two seasons with SU. The biggest aspect of Chestnut’s game that Syracuse has to replace is his versatility, as he’s shown the ability to shift to nickel as needed. With Carter, the Orange are losing a player with a knack for big moments. He led the team with four forced turnovers, and those game-changing moments have to come from someone else this year.
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Former Syracuse DE Torrey Ball returning to SU as deputy athletics director (PS; $; Leiker)
A former three-year letter earner for Syracuse football is returning to his alma mater.
Torrey Ball, who played defensive end for the Orange from 2009-11, has been hired as SU’s deputy athletic director for business development, the athletics department announced Monday.
In the position, Ball will work to enhance athletics revenue by identifying business and revenue opportunities and maximizing all current revenue streams.
Ball will also be the primary contact with Syracuse Learfield Sports Properties and oversee the Orange athletics marketing and trademark licensing departments.
Ball spent the past two and a half years as an associate athletics director of external operations at the University of Virginia. He oversaw a variety of departments including communications, creative services and ticketing. Ball was also responsible for the direction of revenue generating initiatives.
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Ball Returning to Syracuse as Deputy Athletics Director - Syracuse University Athletics (cuse.com)
Athletics administrator Torrey Ball '11, MS'12 is returning to his alma mater as the deputy athletics director for business development. An Orange football defensive end from 2009 through 2011, Ball brings intercollegiate athletics marketing and external leadership experience from multiple Power Five schools, including his most recent role as senior associate athletics director of external operations at the University of Virginia, to his new role at Syracuse.
"Torrey has demonstrated growth in athletics administration, advancing in marketing and external roles at multiple Power Five schools and at Marquette University," said Director of Athletics John Wildhack. "He has a tremendous affinity to Syracuse University, the athletics program and the community. In this role he will be focused on revenue generation for our athletics department. We welcome Torrey, his wife, Courtney, and their son, Langston, back to Syracuse."
At Syracuse, Ball will be responsible for the identification of business and revenue opportunities for athletics, including maximizing all current revenue streams and enhancing overall revenue generation. He will oversee the Orange athletics marketing and trademark licensing departments and will be the primary liaison with Syracuse Learfield Sports Properties.
"Syracuse has always held a special place in my heart, and I am grateful to John for this opportunity to return home," Ball said. "I look forward to leveraging my skills in external operations and revenue generation to help grow resources for the department. I'm excited to be coming back to my alma mater, but I am more excited to be working with a phenomenal group of staff, coaches, student-athletes, fans and supporters."
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ACC News
2023 Preseason All-ACC Team: QB Drake Maye leads the first team offense | College Football | PFF (pff.com; Treash)
Ahead of the 2023 college football season, PFF presents its preseason All-ACC Team. Below are the first, second and third teams.
For an in-depth analysis of these college football stars and their programs, subscribe to PFF+ and get full access to our database of signature grades and stats.
FIRST TEAM
QB Drake Maye, North CarolinaRB Will Shipley, Clemson
RB Trey Benson, Florida State
WR Tez Walker, North Carolina
WR Oronde Gadsden II, Syracuse
WR Johnny Wilson, Florida State
TE Bryson Nesbit, North Carolina
T Graham Barton, Duke
T Zion Nelson, Miami (FL.)
G Christian Mahogany, Boston College
G Javion Cohen, Miami (FL.)
C Matt Lee, Miami (FL.)
DI Leonard Taylor, Miami [FL]
DI DeWayne Carter, Duke
Edge Jared Verse, Florida State
Edge Akheem Mesidor, Miami (FL.)
LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson
LB Cedric Gray, North Carolina
CB Fentrell Cypress II, Florida State
CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson
S Kamren Kinchens, Miami (FL.)
S James Williams, Miami (FL.)
Flex Brandon Johnson, Duke
K Andres Borregales, Miami [FL]
P Daniel Sparks, Virginia
RS Jaylen Stinson, Duke
SECOND TEAM
QB Jordan Travis, Florida StateRB Jawhar Jordan, Louisville
RB Henry Parrish Jr., Miami [FL]
WR Ali Jennings III, Virginia Tech
WR Antonio Williams, Clemson
WR Jalon Calhoun, Duke
TE Jake Briningstool, Clemson
T Matt Goncalves, Pitt
T Renato Brown, Louisville
G Marcus Tate, Clemson
G Kyle Hergel, Boston College
C Bryan Hudson, Louisville
DI Tyler Davis, Clemson
DI Ruke Orhorhoro, Clemson
Edge Kaimon Rucker, North Carolina
Edge Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College
LB Barrett Carter, Clemson
LB Marlowe Wax, Syracuse
CB Aydan White, NC State
CB Caelen Carson, Wake Forest
S R.J, Mickens, Clemson
S LaMiles Brooks, Georgia Tech
Flex Greedy Vance Jr., Florida State
K Ben Sauls, Pitt
P Ivan Mora, Wake Forest
RS Will Shipley, Clemson
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David Teel talks ACC-CW partnership, UVA’s Jay Woolfolk, VT recruiting – 105.9 WLNI-FM (wlni.com; podcast; The Sportsline)
Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist David Teel joins The Sportsline to talk area headlines, including his thoughts on the new TV deal the ACC reached with the CW Network, on what he thinks of Jay Woolfolk giving up football at Virginia, and why Virginia Tech recruiting appears to be trending up + can Duke football find more success in 2023?
Friedlander: Which ACC football over/unders are the best bets? Which are the worst? - Saturday Road (saturdayroad.com; Friedlander)
Drake Maye threw for a North Carolina record 4,321 yards and tied a school mark with 38 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman last season.
Can he even come close to topping those marks this year?
The oddsmakers at FanDuel don’t think so, at least when it comes to the yardage. They’ve set the over/under for the Tar Heels’ Heisman Trophy candidate at only 3,100.5 yards.
It’s a number that sounds incredibly low. Almost a sucker’s bet.
And then you remember that there’s a reason the house almost always wins. They know exponentially more than the average fan or know-it-all sportswriter. Their livelihood depends on it.
Maybe they’re counting on new UNC offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey putting more of an emphasis on the running game, something coach Mack Brown has repeatedly said he wants to do. Or perhaps they’re basing their assessment on the loss of favorite receivers Josh Downs and Antoine Green and the defensive adjustments that led to a significant drop in his production over the final 4 games of 2022.
Even if all those are the case, the over (at -108 odds) still seems as close to a sure thing as there is assuming Maye stays healthy for the entire season.
The over/under on Maye’s touchdown passes, which is the same as the 38 he threw last year, is much more iffy. But definitely doable.
Maye is 1 of 6 ACC football players and 3 quarterbacks whose over/unders are included in FanDuel’s proposition bets for the 2023 season.
Which others are worth playing and which are best avoided like a head-hunting strong safety ready to lower the boom in the open field?
Here are some suggestions:
FSU QB Jordan Travis
Passing yards: 2,675.5 (-112). Passing touchdowns: 24.5 (-112)Although the difference isn’t as significant as Maye’s, the yardage prediction for the Florida State star is also lower than his 2022 season total of 3,214.
And there doesn’t seem to be a logical reason.
Although the Seminoles’ offense is more balanced than that of UNC, coach Mike Norvell aggressively attacked the transfer portal in an effort to surround Travis with even more weapons than he had a year ago. He brought in Keon Coleman, Michigan State’s leading receiver, to be the yin to returning star Johnny Wilson’s yang on the outside while signing Jaheim Bell from South Carolina to bulk up at tight end.
Travis could also have the benefit of extra games to bulk up his stats should FSU live up to its preseason hype and play for the ACC championship. Or makes it into the College Football Playoff.
Bottom line: Take the over on the passing yards. Take a pass on the touchdowns.
Clemson QB Cade Klubnik
Passing yards: 2,850.5 (-112). Passing touchdowns: 22.5 (-120).Speculating on Klubnik’s performance is a much more risky proposition than the ACC’s 2 established star quarterbacks. His body of work is nowhere near as established as Maye and Travis. It consists of only 2 extended performances, one good against a bad UNC defense and another that wasn’t quite as good against a much more formidable Tennessee squad in the Orange Bowl.
Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that he’ll be working with a new offensive coordinator.
That new coordinator, however, is Garrett Riley, the man responsible for turning TCU’s Max Duggan into a Heisman finalist last season. That’s definitely a positive. So is the fact that in order to reach the target of 2,851 yards, Klubnik needs only to average 219 yards over 13 games.
Even with a strong running game behind him, both the yardage and the touchdowns are well within reach.
Bottom line: Go with the over on both.
Clemson RB Will Shipley
Rushing yards: 1,050.5 (-112). Rushing touchdowns: 11.5 (-118).Shipley rushed for 1,182 yards and 15 touchdowns last season while averaging better than 6 yards on his 210 carries. And yet he still thought that he should have gotten more touches, especially after a bitter loss to rival South Carolina and likely kept the Tigers out of the Playoff.
There’s a good chance the talented junior will get his wish this year with the arrival of Riley. But because of the up-tempo, Air Raid style offense the new coordinator favors, a bulk of his extra touches are likely to come in the passing game as a receiver out of the backfield.
Shipley, who Garrett has referred to as “a rock star,” will still have plenty of opportunities to run and gain big yards against defenses geared to stop the pass. Especially with Kobe Pace having transferred to Virginia. But the new offense might not give him as many chances to get into the end zone.
Bottom line. Take the over on the yards, the under on the TDs.
FSU RB Trey Benson
Rushing yards: 1,025.5 (-112). Rushing touchdowns: 9.5 (-108)Benson came agonizingly close to reaching the 1,000-yard mark last season as part of the Seminoles’ productive 3-man running back rotation. After finishing with 990, he’s made no secret of his desire to go the distance and become FSU’s 1st 1,000-yard rusher since Cam Akers in 2019.
A potential obstacle could be the previously mentioned addition of Coleman and Bell to the passing game. But with a balanced offensive philosophy and 1 fewer mouth to feed in the backfield after Treshaun Ward’s departure through the transfer portal, Benson should have ample opportunity to accomplish the goal.
Bottom line: Go with the over on both.
FSU WR Johnny Wilson
Receiving yards: 990 (-112). Receiving touchdowns: 9 (-108)This is a tricky one. Wilson had a breakout game against Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl, when he caught 8 passes for 202 yards. He is a legitimate deep threat who ranked 3rd nationally with an average of 20.9 yards per reception.
The problem is that while he accounted for 897 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2022, he did it only 43 catches. It’s a big ask for him to put up that kind of number again without significantly increasing his number of targets. And there’s no guarantee that will happen considering the upgrades the Seminoles have made at wide receiver and tight end.
Bottom line: Take the under on both the yardage and the touchdowns.
All-Time ACC Bowl Records as of 2023 (RX; HM)
All-Time ACC Bowl Records as of 2023
Found this tweet
You know what I'm going to do by now, right? Take those numbers, convert them all to win%, and sort from highest to lowest (it's what I do):
| Team | W | L | T | Win% |
| Wake Forest | 11 | 6 | 65% | |
| Florida State | 29 | 17 | 2 | 63% |
| Syracuse | 16 | 10 | 1 | 61% |
| Georgia Tech | 25 | 20 | 56% | |
| Clemson | 26 | 23 | 53% | |
| Boston College | 14 | 13 | 52% | |
| NC State | 17 | 16 | 1 | 51% |
| Louisville | 12 | 12 | 1 | 50% |
| Miami | 19 | 23 | 45% | |
| Duke | 6 | 8 | 43% | |
| North Carolina | 15 | 22 | 41% | |
| Pitt | 15 | 22 | 41% | |
| Virginia Tech | 13 | 21 | 38% | |
| Virginia | 8 | 13 | 38% |
By the way, the formula I used for Win% = (Wins + 1/2Ties)/(Wins+Losses+Ties).
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2022 TV Viewers, ACC vs Big XII (RX; HM)
2022 TV Viewers, ACC vs Big XII
Highest-rated games, by team
Since I still read comments from various fans to the effect that the Big XII got a good TV contract because they draw more viewers than the ACC...In other words, not only did the ACC have a higher "top game per school" average, but it beats the Big XII even without Florida State and Clemson. That's usually the knock against the ACC - that it would be nothing without those two. Not true! The ACC would still be a better football draw than the Big XII even if it lost its top two teams.
You certainly can't say that for the Big XII: without OUT, the remaining teams average less than 1.75 million viewers. To put that into perspective: every ACC team except Wake Forest, Virginia, and Duke beat the Big XII average when Texas and Oklahoma are removed.
* note: there were 52 Big XII games on broadcast tv (since they were almost all on either ABC, ESPN, or Fox) but only 21 for the ACC (since many of those games were unrated on the ACCN or ACC RSNs). That means that the Big XII teams had 2.5X more chances to ring up big numbers - but even with that advantage, they still couldn't beat the ACC in terms of top game tv draw!
source: How Many Viewers Did Your NCAA Team Attract?
Combined ACC+XII, w/o OU/UT
If you remove short-timers Texas and Oklahoma and combined the rest of these schools and ordered them by TV vwrs(M), you get this:The top 4 are all ACC schools. In fact, the ACC has 6 of the top 7, and 8 of the top 10. That's also the cut-off point for games over 2 million viewers.
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National outlet projects two road losses for Clemson (tigernet.com; Staff)
One national outlet sees a likely path to Charlotte's ACC title game for Clemson, but there are also a few surprising projections.
College Football News is picking a 10-2 campaign for Dabo Swinney's Tigers, with a pair of road losses.
Those predicted defeats are at Miami (Oct. 21) and South Carolina (Nov. 25). Clemson last played at Miami in the regular season in 2015, a 58-0 win. The Tigers last lost in Columbia in 2013, beating the rival Gamecocks by 30 points or more in the last two meetings there (2019 and 2021). South Carolina snapped a seven-game losing streak in Clemson last year, 31-30.
"The starting 22 can hang with anyone. Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State … anyone," CFN's Pete Fiutak said. "There’s a ton of talent down the depth chart, but most of it is unproven and young, while everyone else hit the transfer portal and mostly has the 2s set up in case of disaster.
"Clemson can and will get over injuries here and there, and it’ll win a ton of games no matter what, but lose a few key parts or have a rash of injuries somewhere and all of a sudden the team goes from CFP contender to around 9ish wins...
"It'll get to the ACC Championship, but it'll likely do it at 10-2. Hardly anything to be upset about, but there's enough in place to shoot for more."
Clemson has lost at least one road game each of the last three seasons, with Notre Dame the site for two of them, as well as NC State and Pitt (both in the 2021 season).
Fiutak still regards Clemson as "amazing" from a program standpoint.
"The program didn’t make the College Football Playoff over the last two seasons and all of a sudden it’s doom and gloom, and the game has passed Dabo Swinney by, and Florida State is about to take over the ACC, and … Clemson was one decent fourth quarter drive away from going to the CFP," Fiutak said. "I got into a few friendly debates about this, but had Clemson been able to hang on/get BT Potter in field goal range in the 31-30 loss to South Carolina, and assuming it would still go on to throttle North Carolina 39-10 for the ACC title, no way, no how, NO CHANCE does the College Football Playoff committee leave out a 12-1 ACC Champion Clemson...It all needs to lead to 12-1. Next year in the expanded College Football Playoff, Clemson should have a permanent residence as long as it keeps the losses to two or fewer every year.
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Ranking the top 3 ACC defenses quarterback Cade Klubnik and Clemson football will face in 2023 (greenvilleonline.com; Long)
Clemson football's defense is full of veteran returners, and the Tigers are hoping for improvement under second-year defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin.
What about Clemson's opponents? The new offense, led by first-year coordinator Garrett Riley and new starting quarterback Cade Klubnik, have plenty of tests ahead.
Here are the matchups we're circling as the biggest challenges in 2023.
3. Miami
Miami's 2022 season was one of the biggest letdowns relative to preseason expectations. The Hurricanes went 5-7 and won three ACC contests. Miami's defense was solid last season, though, tied for third in the league in interceptions (14) and fifth in both red zone conversion rate (81.25%) and sacks (40). It bested Clemson in both of the former.Maybe its being burdened with high expectations again, but Miami's defense actually projects well headed into 2023. College football analyst Phil Steele ranks the Hurricanes' defensive line as the third-best in the conference, and its linebackers and defensive backs both rank fifth in the ACC. New defensive coordinator Lance Guidry led an elite group at Marshall last season and could provide a challenge for Clemson.
2. NC State
Tony Gibson received a raise to about $1.25 million annually, making him the highest-paid defensive coordinator in the ACC. He earned the extra money after the Wolfpack finished in the top 20 nationally in scoring defense (No. 11), total defense (No. 19), third-down conversion rate (No. 20).Where NC State's defense stood out most last season was the defensive backfield. The Wolfpack's 19 interceptions led the ACC and were third-most in the country. Cornerback Aydan White is back in 2023 after leading NC State with four interceptions on his way to a first-team All-ACC selection.
The Wolfpack have to replace several of their top defensive linemen, but expect Gibson's group to stay near the top of the ACC and capitalize on any mistakes the young Klubnik might make.
1. Florida State
Who else? The Seminoles appear to be Clemson's main challenger in most categories this season and are a trendy pick to claim the conference championship. ESPN ranked Florida State's defense No. 7 in the country headed into 2023, just behind Clemson at No. 5....
Other
Courtney Hourigan (left) and Kayla Evans just opened The Milkhouse in Marcellus. (Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com)
First Look: A 77-year-old diner comes back to life in the foothills of Marcellus (PS; Miller)
For 77 years, you could count on the Valley Inn for a quick cup of hot coffee and a plate full of eggs, bacon and toast. This diner in the foothills of Marcellus along Route 20 was a regular stop for dozens of locals.
It closed Sept. 23, 2018, following a landlord-tenant dispute, turning this rural area into a diner desert. The group of farmers that stopped in daily suddenly found themselves gabbing at a nearby gas station over a breakfast sandwich.
Kayla Evans and Courtney Hourigan, two longtime friends and now sisters-in-law, have given those farmers their regular table back. They just opened The Milkhouse in this rectangular longhouse that sat still for the past five years.
“We love you, Kayla!” one of the eight farmers barked from that table.
“Love you too!” she quickly replied while pouring coffee for a customer at the counter.
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Micron Technology Inc. plans to build a massive semiconductor plant on this land at the northeast corner of Route 31 and Caughdenoy Road in Clay. (N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com)
Micron update: Clay takes first official step for huge semiconductor plant (PS; Moriarty)
Clay officials gave Micron Technology Inc.’s plans for a multibillion-dollar semiconductor plant a big boost Monday night when they rezoned nearly 900 acres of land at White Pine Commerce Park for industrial use.
The Clay Town Board voted 6-0 to change the zoning on 862 acres of the 1,200-acre park on Route 31 from residential and agricultural to industrial. The remaining 339 acres at the park were already zoned for industrial use.
The park’s owner, the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency, requested the change so Micron can build a massive semiconductor fabrication complex on the site.
Micron, one of the biggest semiconductor companies in the world, announced in October it had selected the Clay site, following a national search, for the plant. The massive complex would make computer chips for DRAM, a widely used form of memory in digital electronics.
Micron said the plant will cost up to $100 billion to build over 20 years and employ up to 9,000 workers, with another 41,000 jobs created at supply chain companies that will want to locate close to the complex.
If fully built out, the project would be one of the largest economic development projects in the nation and could help transform Central New York into a high-tech manufacturing powerhouse.
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