Are we better? | Page 3 | Syracusefan.com

Are we better?

I think that in Nixon’s offense, QB is the key. Even having a 3 TD/2 INT guy would be an upgrade. We now have 4 QBs new to the roster. That will make or break everything.
 
My only disappointment is that multiple people telegraphed before the portal
Opened that we would be very happy with our new players. The ones that come to
Mind had success at a lower level of play or were highly regarded out of High school but that hasn’t translated into college yet. I know there are more but not many stand out outside of those narratives.

The only thing I can think of is that we are still negotiating with players currently in the portal (or about to be announced by Weds). OR we just didn’t get who we hoped we would. Don’t like that idea at all.

Linebacker is a position we improved greatly. I’m not sure about the rest. Im concerned about safety, that seems to be an important piece in our new DCs defense. It would seem like that position should jump off the page at you with talent if it’s that important …

IDK - this year wore me down and I really need to see Fran have a good year this year.
 
Schedule wise we are flipping 7 home and aways. Outside of that the main differences are Cal at home vs Tennessee neutral, and Miami road vs NC State road. So while it is a harder schedule IMO than 2024, it is lighter than last year.

On D we should look better with the new DC. The front 6 really shouldn't be any worse. Jobity is a loss though. CBs should be good too. The Ss though are a complete unknown and worry me. That unit will determine IMO how the D goes this year.

Technically we lost 3 starters on the OL but it was really 2.5 guys. We also lost C2. We brought no one in. Even if the talent is there, there should be growing pains given we have so little experience here. However that can all be offset with a better OL coach.

We hope QB2 is fixed but do we really know? CUSA is awful. Collins might have looked good there (I guess we will find out this year).

The combo of talent and experience we are worse at the skills. I think (hope) that these WRs will be good in time, but it will take a few games for them to get their feet wet. Time we cannot afford. I think (hope) that the RBs will be a good system fit, but we cannot deny that they aren't as talented. Talent alone doesn't make you better and we need that to be the case here. TE is a concern. We went from Gadsden to a big drop off to Villari to nto seeming to even have a Villari.

Ultimately Angeli's health and the OL being able to block (more so run block) will be the factors on O, despite the losses at the skills.

For STs will we have good KOs and Ps? We lost guys there. Will the STC be an improvement? We have been waiting for years for it to happen.


I think given what we have, 5 to 7 Ws is fair.
 
orangepassion said:
QB-Improved, but what will really matter is if Angeli is healthy
RB-Wash at best, Miller is probably similar to Willis, hopefully brakes more tackles, but hope Johnson can replace Nixon as a receiver out of the backfield. Hopefully Tylik is improved with experience and offseason,
WR-Worse, at least in proven production.
TE-I thought Villari was really good when we had a productive QB. Meyers will hopefully replace him as a WR. Not sure about his blocking. I'm high on Washington-Baker.
OL-Million dollar question. I think we have less experience than a year ago. Will really depend on development. A gamble to not bring in an experienced OL. Hope the new OL coach lives up to a good rep.
DL-Think the pass rush will be at least mildly improved with our new DE's, particularly Keyshawn. Don't think we're better at DT on paper, but am optimistic that new DC maximizes talent better.
LB-Should improve with a more experienced Deslauriers and Kimble. D' appolonia should help against the pass.
S-Step down to this point. No one like Devin Grant, but he struggled to stay healthy.
CB-Step up, as Samuel and Peal are both talented and now have a year of experience. Don't know if we have any depth there after losing Singleton.

Our biggest acquisitions were the DC and hopefully the OL coach. The key, as always, is our OL and the health of our QB.
Expand...

Everyone seems to forget our JUCO WR add that had 15 td's last year. That alone surpasses Gill 5, Cook 2 and JRS 5 combined. Yes difference in competition but if you're quoting production over potential he's certainly worth considering. WR is unknown now but will be interesting to see who rises and potential for causing match up issues is real.
 
What about Jr. College guys? I assume we can still grab some of them, and they often bring something to the table. ANd let's not forget that the Miami and Indiana transfer portal is extended Jan 20-24. Possibly someone good goes into the portal from those 2 teams that Fran can grab?
 
OrangeTarheel said:
My only disappointment is that multiple people telegraphed before the portal
Opened that we would be very happy with our new players. The ones that come to
Mind had success at a lower level of play or were highly regarded out of High school but that hasn’t translated into college yet. I know there are more but not many stand out outside of those narratives.

The only thing I can think of is that we are still negotiating with players currently in the portal (or about to be announced by Weds). OR we just didn’t get who we hoped we would. Don’t like that idea at all.

Linebacker is a position we improved greatly. I’m not sure about the rest. Im concerned about safety, that seems to be an important piece in our new DCs defense. It would seem like that position should jump off the page at you with talent if it’s that important …

IDK - this year wore me down and I really need to see Fran have a good year this year.
Expand...
I see what you are saying. But the guys I’m about to list were pretty significant adds that we should be very happy about

1) Odom- we saw last year how important the back up QB is in this offense. Odom was a 1st team all conference player at an FBS school that Missouri wanted too. Great get
2) Weaver- very underrated add here. Weaver was crushing it at Miami (OH) before they lost their starting QB and then everyones production went way down once the back up played (very similar to here) has great size, athletic ability and ball skills
3) Flounoy- we needed some serious help on the inside of the D-line. Good size, very productive player as a freshman at GA St. Will have 3 years here and followed his position coach. Very good get
4) Miller- will be RB1 here opening day. Doesn’t have burner speed but above average speed. He’s MEAN. Can run between the tackles and isn’t afraid of contact. Can catch out of the backfield as well. Was extremely productive at Jackson State. Great add
5) D’Appolonia- followed the DC over. Obviously the DC thinks highly of him. Great size for the position, good speed and coverage ability for the position. Was very productive at Toledo and All-MAC. He is the exact linebacker we needed. Great add
6) Keyshawn Johnson- Probably my favorite add. This kid has game wrecker potential. Was uber productive at his last school and defensive player of the year in his conference. Double digit sacks. A ton of TFLs and Clemson wanted this kid. He has Sunday potential after this year. He is reallllly good. Great get
7) Fontus- great size for the interior of the D-line. Once again a position of huge need. Was a starter at Maryland so comes over with a ton of experience. He’ll be a starter or at the very least the 3rd DT and first off the sideline in the rotation. Doesn’t have huge stats but he’s a big dude and his role is to fill gaps and let linebackers do their things behind him. Which we missed big time last year. Good get
8) Ward- was extremely productive at WKU. He’ll likely be the third corner behind Samuels and Peal. Good size and speed at the position. Good numbers at WKU. Good add
9) Adeleye- was very productive at UNLV. Good sack numbers from last year, good Paso rusher along with Johnson. Adeleye and Johnson are likely our starters at DE this year. Both would have been our best pass rushers if they were on the team this year. He was a wanted man in the portal. Great get
10) Outten- this kid is uber talented at Versatile. He’s different than any receiver we have on the roster. Wouldn’t be shocked if he finishes second or Third in receiving yards by the end of the year. He can be used in multiple ways. He’s also just scratching the surface. He was a big time add. Expect big things from him this year. Great get
11) Meyers- productive at WKU last year. Good size, speed and athleticism for a tight end. If we didn’t get the New Mexico State tight end. This kid was my second favorite we were going after. I think he’s going to be a good part of this offense. He’s good and I think he’ll put up even bigger numbers than he did last year at WKU. Good add

Now the other ones I didn’t list. It doesn’t mean I don’t think they are good. I just see these guys making big impacts THIS YEAR. I think a few of the guys are obviously just depth pieces and we are taking fliers on them. But these 11 I think will be high impact players this year (obviously hopefully Odom is not lol) these 11 guys with what we have coming back….I dont think we are going 10-2 I think 8-4 is realistic. I think our new DC was a huge addition and might win us a game or two himself compared to what we had the last two years. Nixon is just a much better play caller with a competent QB. I think we go 7-5 or 8-4 next year
 
CuseMan4 said:
I see what you are saying. But the guys I’m about to list were pretty significant adds that we should be very happy about

1) Odom- we saw last year how important the back up QB is in this offense. Odom was a 1st team all conference player at an FBS school that Missouri wanted too. Great get
2) Weaver- very underrated add here. Weaver was crushing it at Miami (OH) before they lost their starting QB and then everyones production went way down once the back up played (very similar to here) has great size, athletic ability and ball skills
3) Flounoy- we needed some serious help on the inside of the D-line. Good size, very productive player as a freshman at GA St. Will have 3 years here and followed his position coach. Very good get
4) Miller- will be RB1 here opening day. Doesn’t have burner speed but above average speed. He’s MEAN. Can run between the tackles and isn’t afraid of contact. Can catch out of the backfield as well. Was extremely productive at Jackson State. Great add
5) D’Appolonia- followed the DC over. Obviously the DC thinks highly of him. Great size for the position, good speed and coverage ability for the position. Was very productive at Toledo and All-MAC. He is the exact linebacker we needed. Great add
6) Keyshawn Johnson- Probably my favorite add. This kid has game wrecker potential. Was uber productive at his last school and defensive player of the year in his conference. Double digit sacks. A ton of TFLs and Clemson wanted this kid. He has Sunday potential after this year. He is reallllly good. Great get
7) Fontus- great size for the interior of the D-line. Once again a position of huge need. Was a starter at Maryland so comes over with a ton of experience. He’ll be a starter or at the very least the 3rd DT and first off the sideline in the rotation. Doesn’t have huge stats but he’s a big dude and his role is to fill gaps and let linebackers do their things behind him. Which we missed big time last year. Good get
8) Ward- was extremely productive at WKU. He’ll likely be the third corner behind Samuels and Peal. Good size and speed at the position. Good numbers at WKU. Good add
9) Adeleye- was very productive at UNLV. Good sack numbers from last year, good Paso rusher along with Johnson. Adeleye and Johnson are likely our starters at DE this year. Both would have been our best pass rushers if they were on the team this year. He was a wanted man in the portal. Great get
10) Outten- this kid is uber talented at Versatile. He’s different than any receiver we have on the roster. Wouldn’t be shocked if he finishes second or Third in receiving yards by the end of the year. He can be used in multiple ways. He’s also just scratching the surface. He was a big time add. Expect big things from him this year. Great get
11) Meyers- productive at WKU last year. Good size, speed and athleticism for a tight end. If we didn’t get the New Mexico State tight end. This kid was my second favorite we were going after. I think he’s going to be a good part of this offense. He’s good and I think he’ll put up even bigger numbers than he did last year at WKU. Good add

Now the other ones I didn’t list. It doesn’t mean I don’t think they are good. I just see these guys making big impacts THIS YEAR. I think a few of the guys are obviously just depth pieces and we are taking fliers on them. But these 11 I think will be high impact players this year (obviously hopefully Odom is not lol) these 11 guys with what we have coming back….I dont think we are going 10-2 I think 8-4 is realistic. I think our new DC was a huge addition and might win us a game or two himself compared to what we had the last two years. Nixon is just a much better play caller with a competent QB. I think we go 7-5 or 8-4 next year
Expand...
Great summary & thanks for pointing out some of the big time schools we were in direct competition with to get these guys!
 
OttosDad said:
I like a good majority of the players added but the way I see it OL and Safety still need to be addressed. OL maybe less so, but safety is a major concern right now. Long and Kerr (if they change his position) would be the only guys with significant in-game experience. Not great
Expand...
I think our new OC coach can at the very least bring out the potential in what we already have on roster. Will that be enough? Time will tell. OL has been a weak spot for decades but a lot of these guys have the pedigree to be good.

Safety was a huge one for me as well. The expectations for Hughes are seemingly sky high. Would've liked more experience there as well but we'll have to wait and see.

We'll have a lot of additions by subtraction. Our upperclassman last year were underwhelming at best in most positions. It really can't get much worse than what we put out there for 2/3rds of last season. 0-8 to finish the year was brutal and not many seemed to step up when called upon.
 
CuseMan4 said:
I see what you are saying. But the guys I’m about to list were pretty significant adds that we should be very happy about

1) Odom- we saw last year how important the back up QB is in this offense. Odom was a 1st team all conference player at an FBS school that Missouri wanted too. Great get
2) Weaver- very underrated add here. Weaver was crushing it at Miami (OH) before they lost their starting QB and then everyones production went way down once the back up played (very similar to here) has great size, athletic ability and ball skills
3) Flounoy- we needed some serious help on the inside of the D-line. Good size, very productive player as a freshman at GA St. Will have 3 years here and followed his position coach. Very good get
4) Miller- will be RB1 here opening day. Doesn’t have burner speed but above average speed. He’s MEAN. Can run between the tackles and isn’t afraid of contact. Can catch out of the backfield as well. Was extremely productive at Jackson State. Great add
5) D’Appolonia- followed the DC over. Obviously the DC thinks highly of him. Great size for the position, good speed and coverage ability for the position. Was very productive at Toledo and All-MAC. He is the exact linebacker we needed. Great add
6) Keyshawn Johnson- Probably my favorite add. This kid has game wrecker potential. Was uber productive at his last school and defensive player of the year in his conference. Double digit sacks. A ton of TFLs and Clemson wanted this kid. He has Sunday potential after this year. He is reallllly good. Great get
7) Fontus- great size for the interior of the D-line. Once again a position of huge need. Was a starter at Maryland so comes over with a ton of experience. He’ll be a starter or at the very least the 3rd DT and first off the sideline in the rotation. Doesn’t have huge stats but he’s a big dude and his role is to fill gaps and let linebackers do their things behind him. Which we missed big time last year. Good get
8) Ward- was extremely productive at WKU. He’ll likely be the third corner behind Samuels and Peal. Good size and speed at the position. Good numbers at WKU. Good add
9) Adeleye- was very productive at UNLV. Good sack numbers from last year, good Paso rusher along with Johnson. Adeleye and Johnson are likely our starters at DE this year. Both would have been our best pass rushers if they were on the team this year. He was a wanted man in the portal. Great get
10) Outten- this kid is uber talented at Versatile. He’s different than any receiver we have on the roster. Wouldn’t be shocked if he finishes second or Third in receiving yards by the end of the year. He can be used in multiple ways. He’s also just scratching the surface. He was a big time add. Expect big things from him this year. Great get
11) Meyers- productive at WKU last year. Good size, speed and athleticism for a tight end. If we didn’t get the New Mexico State tight end. This kid was my second favorite we were going after. I think he’s going to be a good part of this offense. He’s good and I think he’ll put up even bigger numbers than he did last year at WKU. Good add

Now the other ones I didn’t list. It doesn’t mean I don’t think they are good. I just see these guys making big impacts THIS YEAR. I think a few of the guys are obviously just depth pieces and we are taking fliers on them. But these 11 I think will be high impact players this year (obviously hopefully Odom is not lol) these 11 guys with what we have coming back….I dont think we are going 10-2 I think 8-4 is realistic. I think our new DC was a huge addition and might win us a game or two himself compared to what we had the last two years. Nixon is just a much better play caller with a competent QB. I think we go 7-5 or 8-4 next year
Expand...

I hope you are right.

The concern I have is that all of these players did well at lower levels. We cannot expect all of them to have the same production here. Sometimes there are NFL players at lower levels, other times there are players whose ceiling is the lower levels.

IMO every ACC game is some form of a toss up. We have 4 home and 5 away. To go 6-3 during those games is asking a lot for any school not named Miami or Clemson. I will say that our road ACC games are very winnable, but they are road games to schools that Fran is 1-5 against so far.

Also we have a young team with a new D system. It will take a few games for everything to fall into place. For the D it might even take a year. Which won't help with the overall record this year. I think we are a year away from 8-4 being realistic.
 
The staff largely got the guys they wanted. I’m not sure why folks expected us to get starters from the sec or other p4 schools. That was never going to happen. We have to be strategic in the portal. we addressed DL, LB and QB. If you’re recruiting in the portal, you’re either paying top dollar or you’re getting guys with question marks who didn’t play somewhere else for a reason. I’d rather take a chance on proven guys from G5 schools who want to transfer up in competition.

Our best bet is always going to be as a development program and recruiting better at the HS level and then retaining the guys we like. To do that you need better coaches and the biggest adds we made were to the staff. It’s not like the young guys who left were picked up by top programs except Singleton. I know folks obsess over the ‘24 guys but those were after a few weeks on the job.

Also it’s generally more affordable to retain your best guys than it is to buy comparable guys.
 
ImperialOrange said:
I think our new OC coach can at the very least bring out the potential in what we already have on roster. Will that be enough? Time will tell. OL has been a weak spot for decades but a lot of these guys have the pedigree to be good.

Safety was a huge one for me as well. The expectations for Hughes are seemingly sky high. Would've liked more experience there as well but we'll have to wait and see.

We'll have a lot of additions by subtraction. Our upperclassman last year were underwhelming at best in most positions. It really can't get much worse than what we put out there for 2/3rds of last season. 0-8 to finish the year was brutal and not many seemed to step up when called upon.
Expand...
Was hoping Hughes would be an early enroll - don't think he is
 
richmondcuse03 said:
The staff largely got the guys they wanted. I’m not sure why folks expected us to get starters from the sec or other p4 schools. That was never going to happen. We have to be strategic in the portal. we addressed DL, LB and QB. If you’re recruiting in the portal, you’re either paying top dollar or you’re getting guys with question marks who didn’t play somewhere else for a reason. I’d rather take a chance on proven guys from G5 schools who want to transfer up in competition.

Our best bet is always going to be as a development program and recruiting better at the HS level and then retaining the guys we like. To do that you need better coaches and the biggest adds we made were to the staff. It’s not like the young guys who left were picked up by top programs except Singleton. I know folks obsess over the ‘24 guys but those were after a few weeks on the job.

Also it’s generally more affordable to retain your best guys than it is to buy comparable guys.
Expand...
In order to get more starters from the P4 or the SEC they would’ve had to gut the roster a lot more than they did. The kind of guys that many here wanted from the portal were mostly retained and here already.
 
Defense is a little better. Offense, with the exception of backup QBs< is worse.
Still on the fence if our coaching is better though on the defensive side, there is no way to go but up.

The loss of Gill is huge in my opinion. I fear it will seriously bite us in the butt.
Having a mass exodus from WR starting with Ross is very bad for our program in my opinion.
All our wide receivers are straight up rookies or very little experience.
 
richmondcuse03 said:
The staff largely got the guys they wanted. I’m not sure why folks expected us to get starters from the sec or other p4 schools. That was never going to happen. We have to be strategic in the portal. we addressed DL, LB and QB. If you’re recruiting in the portal, you’re either paying top dollar or you’re getting guys with question marks who didn’t play somewhere else for a reason. I’d rather take a chance on proven guys from G5 schools who want to transfer up in competition.

Our best bet is always going to be as a development program and recruiting better at the HS level and then retaining the guys we like. To do that you need better coaches and the biggest adds we made were to the staff. It’s not like the young guys who left were picked up by top programs except Singleton. I know folks obsess over the ‘24 guys but those were after a few weeks on the job.

Also it’s generally more affordable to retain your best guys than it is to buy comparable guys.
Expand...
The expectation I had was some splashy new recruits - Fran said we would have a great portal and others here hinted at it. That’s why the expectation was there. I hadn’t thought of it being specifically any conference but those are the splashiest of splashes if landed
 
orangenauburn said:
It ain't over until season kicks off.

There will be further movement in spring.

Also, don't forget the coaching portal moves may have a bigger impact than those on the field.

Also hard to quantity team chemistry and culture.
Expand...
Hopefully the qb situation is greatly improved.
 
Irishsecra1 said:
Defense is a little better. Offense, with the exception of backup QBs< is worse.
Still on the fence if our coaching is better though on the defensive side, there is no way to go but up.

The loss of Gill is huge in my opinion. I fear it will seriously bite us in the butt.
Having a mass exodus from WR starting with Ross is very bad for our program in my opinion.
All our wide receivers are straight up rookies or very little experience.
Expand...
Not sure you can say rb is a down grade. Not like our rbs did much of anything spectacular. Some people are acting like we had a 1,000 yard rusher leave. Yes oline was a problem but the rbs that left or graduated were not Allen.
Wr is a tbd. Qb was bad last year after Steve went down but with a good qb the ball gets spread around. I liked Hornsby and Ross as young players but they left and were replaced. Cook has potential but it appeared he made a lot of mental mistakes and drops last season. I like gill but not enough to divert money from other needs to have him stay.
Every year people keep questioning the portal pickups. Some guys will work other will not. Some SU players that left will do good other not. I do think overall the portal was a positive.
We can keep rehashing it and will even through next season but let’s see how players look in spring ball first and go from there.
 
It would have been nice to get some AAC kids too. IMO it is significantly higher competition than the SBC, MAC, CUSA, and FCS.

We have hit home runs with QB1, but IMO our portal adds that didn't come over with their coach haven't been very good.

Good
Cook
JRS
Lewis
Grant

Ok
Ferguson
Woody
Weatherspoon

TBD
Rice
Pringle
Russell
Bertrand

Disappointing
Rooks
Bryant
Reese
Thomas
Collins
Hornsby
Hastings
Wilson
Heard


That isn't a good success rate. Hopefully this year's class is different. If it isn't, then we need to find a decent GM to fix it.
 

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