Fair enough.
First of all, one of the reasons that fishes & loaves is an interesting but ultimately pointless activity is that things change. We can't just base the # of open scholarships on how many players are listed as seniors -- because there is always unexpected attrition [like Shy Cullen last year] that nobody sees coming, which opens up a few extra scholarships. But as a starting point:
- We have 23 seniors / redshirt seniors listed on the roster; of that, only two [by my count] are walk ons
- So as of today, we have room to accommodate 21 recruits in the class of 2020, not accounting for a few extra via unplanned attrition [I'd expect us to be able to bring a 24-25 when the dust settles]
- Per one recruiting service, we have 14 commits as of today: Syracuse 2020 Football Commits
- So, per the above, we have 7 open slots to fill right now
- BUT, that number could rise to 10 or 11, depending upon attrition
Those are the basic logistics. Let's dive into a positional breakdown. I'll start with defense:
Defensive End:
Current situation: One of the key strengths of the team. Stalwarts Robinson / Coleman are seniors, as is key reserve Berry. Kingsley is a junior, and Morton is a sophomore. Some of the younger players, like Okechukwu could play inside or outside -- as could Munoz, Dawson, Linton, and Tuazama.
A player at LB like Tyrell Richards might also factor in here down the road.
Current state: One of the best positional units on the team
2020 Recruits: Leon Lowery, Kevin Lemiux
Trend: Cause for concern. Our DL is upperclassman heavy at both positions, and young players like Morton are unproven. We've got nice materials in the pipeline, but whether they are as talented as the current group remains to be seen. If the class of 2019 / 2020 prospects pan out, this group is positioned for long-term success -- but there don't appear to be any truly dynamic game changers [a la Robinson] in that group. Time will tell.
Defensive Tackle:
Current situation: A strong unit must compensate for the loss of NFL draft pick Chris Slayton, but returns three proven commodities in Williams, Black, and Ruff. That's a great starting point -- but we need at minimum a rotation of 4 to keep guys fresh.
Sophomore Harper projects as the most likely player to step into the rotation, but a strong group of young players could challenge -- including Munoz, Rondi, Dawson, Okechukwu, and Tuazama. Grosvenor starts camp as the #2 projected NT, so perhaps he factors in, as well.
As stated above, at minimum we need 4 to have a viable rotation, which means that AT LEAST one of the names listed above needs to contribute. If we can find 5 or more who can play -- even better.
Current state: Strong, but need at least one DT to emerge to give us a solid rotation
2020 Recruits: None [Ilaoa might end up here instead of OG]
Trend: Concerned. DT needs to be a concerted focus as the staff rounds out the class of 2020. I believe that we loaded up on prospects who project to DT in the class of 2019, but those players might need a year [or two] to grow into the role.
Linebacker:
Current situation: Inexperienced -- but with the raw materials to emerge as a positional unit of strength as the season unfolds.
Former JUCO transfer Williams and Armstrong are seniors with big frames. Williams played mostly on special teams; Armstrong on passing downs. Both will be relied upon to provide consistency as this unit gets their sea legs. Richards played a lot last year [albeit at DE] and is a stud athlete with wheels. Syracuse fought off Georgia to retain Wallace. Highly rated true frosh Jones / Kpogba enrolled early and participated in spring ball, and Cantin-Arku is an impressive looking prospect.
If I had to guess, I think that with that nucleus, a group of 4-5 will emerge to give us some flexibility / depth. I also think that it is likely that when this group coalesces into a rotation, that we'll be better against the run than last year.
We will also undoubtedly see situations where we play two traditional LBs, shift Foster to play like a 3rd LB at 215 pounds, and sub him with one of our host of quality DB players, depending upon situational need.
Current state: Totally unproven -- with the potential to be strong as this group gains experience.
2020 Recruits: Thompson, who projects at MLB [Wax might also end up at LB, depending on how things shake out]
Trend: Stinks that we are starting over for the second time in two consecutive years, but the raw materials in the pipeline are strong. Adding Jones / Kpogba / Cantin-Arku last year and Thompson this year gives us a young group of studs to build around long-term.
Defensive Back:
Current situation: What the coaching staff has done with the secondary is truly remarkable. We are absolutely LOADED with depth, talent, speed, athleticism at BOTH corner back and safety.
At CB, Fredrick is one of the top corners nationally. Depth is so good that last year's starter Bradshaw might get bumped to Nickel. Trill Williams and 6-3 Melifonwu are future pros, with NFL physiques / capabilities. Stritzinger had an INT in the bowl game, and looks poised for a bigger season. Depth was so strong, that JUCO transfer [and former virginia tech commit] Johnson didn't even see the field. We also had a strong group in the class of 2019 who will hopefully get a chance to redshirt.
At S, Cisco was a freshman all american at FS, and Foster brings LB size to the SS position. Jonas, Coley, Clarke, and Greenwood supply depth behind this talented group of starters. And I haven't even mentioned Nunn -- one of the gems out of the class of 2019.
Nor have I brought up the return of former starter, Cordy, who could play both slot CB and S interchangeably.
Current state: LOADED!
2020 Recruits: LeBrrosse [CB/S], Bell [CB/S], Hanna , Atkinson
Trend: Legion of boom. This group rivals just about anybody in the country in depth, talent, speed, and versatility. And the pipeline is stocked with quality prospects to keep the talent level high here for years to come.
Secondary is so important in college football, and the coaching staff has done a brilliant job of bringing in difference makers.
Now, let's take a look at offense:
Quarteback:
Current situation: Inexperienced -- but with high hopes based upon DeVito's strong play against FSU and North Carolina last year.
Eric Dungey ended his four year stranglehold on the QB position on a high note, guiding the team to double digit wins and a bowl victory. But the oft-injured QB also ceded some PT to DeVito, who alternated between looking shaky and looking like the difference making 4-star arm talent that he was reported to be. In the past, we would have rushed a prospect like DeVito onto the field as a true frosh, subjecting him to injury, playing him before he wasn't ready, and risking him lapsing into bad habits behind poor offensive lines. but with Dungey ahead of him, DeVito redshirted, then was able to see the field situationally last year. He had some ups and downs, but also won a pair of important games for us. And he got to head into the entire off-season as the prohibitive starter -- and build upon that as the clear cut #1 starter throughout spring ball and offseason workouts. Now a third year player who knows the system and has PT under his belt, he is perfectly positioned to step into a bigger role.
Walk on Clayton Welch is #2 on the depth chart. Reports suggest that he is similar to Dungey in that he is a strong dual threat QB who moves the chains. Remains to be seen what he can do, but the reports are encouraging about his capabilities. Culpepper has started a game, and is a decent #3. Summers redshirts barring catastrophe, to maximize his value as a long term asset.
Current state: It's DeVito's time to shine -- he's positioned well to ascend, but needs to prove it as a starter.
2020 Recruits: None so far
Trend: It all depends on DeVito -- can he avoid injury? Will he prove to be above average? Is he a better fit for Babers's offense than Dungey was? If those questions get answered positively, then Tommy has a good chance to be a three year starter, affording us time to stock the pipeline with QB talent.
Summers was a quality "get" in the class of 2019. Need to add another one this year to replenish the pipeline. One of the major needs remaining in the class of 2020.
Running Back:
Current situation: Studs, with tons of competition for PT.
Adams started the bowl game and showed what he could do, scoring a pair of touchdowns. He's our first true breakaway threat in awhile, and has the power to excel as an inside runner, too. Total package.
Moe Neal could be a poor man's Reggie Bush, and is coming off of a year where he rushed for more than 850 yards. Another stud.
Jarveon Howard looks like a grown ass man, and plays like it, too.
Hard to see where snaps are going to come from behind this trio, but Jawhar Jordan looks like a difference maker - and could contribute as a kickoff returner as well. Does he eventually project to slot?
Pierre could be a quality player, but might get squeezed out by depth. Johnson hopefully is able to redshirt.
If I had to guess, I think that with that nucleus, a group of 4-5 will emerge to give us some flexibility / depth. I also think that it is likely that when this group coalesces into a rotation, that we'll be better against the run than last year.
Current state: Totally unproven -- with the potential to be strong as this group gains experience.
2020 Recruits: Tucker, Wax
Trend: Strong, with the raw materials in the pipeline to remain that way for a LONG time.
Wide Receiver:
Current situation: One of the deepest, most talented positional units on the team. Its hard to believe that heading into last year, we had no proven commodities and were counting on Devin C. Butler to be a bell cow. He quickly got supplanted by a number of players who proved to be more than up to the challenge.
We have WRs in every shape, size, and capability. the core nucleus will likely be jackson, N. Johnson, Harris, and Riley [who is small but emerged as a big time playmaker]. Behind them, we have a talented group that will be competing for PT, including Queely / S. Johnson, Hendrix, Thompson-Bishop, and Jordan.
Don't sleep on Lutz or walk ons like Kevin Johnson, Jr. / James Cherry down the road.
Only questions heading into the season are: will Jackson redshirt or is he too good to keep off the field? Does Jawhar Jordan eventually transition to slot or stay at RB?
Otherwise, this group is LOADED.
Current state: One of the best positional units on the team.
2020 Recruits: None so far
Trend: SU has struck out on several top rated WR prospects in the class of 2020, including Gowdy [yesterday]. Will be interesting to see how the staff rebounds. Despite this, the incumbents plus the strong group we've added the past two years gives us TONS of quality options, and make WR a key strength of the team for several years, whether we add anybody to the class of 2020 or not.
Tight End:
Current situation: Very inexperienced group. It is unclear how Babers plans to use TEs in his offense, as Pierce was wildly inconsistent and a walking personal foul threat.
Hackett could be very good, but he spent a significant portion of last year injured. If he can bounce back, he could have a big year. Versatile FB / TE / DT Elmore could see time here as either an H-back or as an in-line blocker. Connors is a former walk on. Benson is a speed demon who might redshirt.
Current state: Not sure what we currently have -- lots of question marks here.
2020 Recruits: Mahar, Barron might project here or at safety
Trend: Disconcerting, but trending towards quality. I like Hackett's potential -- a lot. Him being healthy could go a long way toward solidifying this unproven positional unit. Benson looks like he could eventually be a mismatch problem, and Mahar has described himself as a WR -- so the future looks bright.
Unlike many positional units, TE is a spot where Babers and his staff haven't yet fully actualized upgrading the talent. That appears to be changing, if Benson / Mahar pan out down the road.
Offensive Line:
Current situation: Always tough when you replace two starting OTs. The coaching staff has done a nice job in every class since they came on board adding pieces of the puzzle at OL, redshirting them, and then building depth. With Martin / Conway gone, new OTs will have to emerge.
We have several players with position versatility, such as Servais [C or T?], Heckel [C or G?], Vetterello [T, G, or C?]. We also welcome 5th year transfer [and three year starter] Alexander from South Alabama. He needs to nail down one of the OT spots -- will it be LT or RT?
We return three starters in Servais, Adams, and Heckel [2018]; add Alexander to that mix, and we have four starters in some combination. Where will they play -- TBD. Dakota Davis is a key reserve at G. Pat Davis got injured in spring practice, and will look to supply depth. Qadir White was a 4-star who has shifted inside to guard. Vetterello cracked the two-deep as a true frosh -- he could play at T, G, or C. Tisdale is a JUCO transfer -- how quickly will he pick things up? Red participated in spring ball, and was listed as the starting RT [probably token] at the start of camp.
Ultimately, which player land at the two open OT positions will likely have a trickle down / cascade effect on the where the rest of the players line up. For example, does Servais stay at C, or does he shift out to OT? Does a player like Vetterello seize the LT role? Is Tisdale ready for the two deep, or not? Will a senior like Euerig or a walk on like Chandler provide some platoon depth?
LOVE the impact that Mike Cavanaugh made on this unit last year; needs to have a similar impact in year 2.
Players like Bergeron and Red will hopefully redshirt, but it is not difficult to envision these two as multi-year starting OTs down the road.
Current state: 4 out of 5 starters seem set in stone, but lots of question marks. The performance of this group might determine whether the outcome of the 2020 season is successful or subpar -- no exaggeration.
2020 Recruits: Barclay projects [at 6-7] as an athletic LT, Ilaoa as an OG [if he doesn't shift to DT]
Trend: Needs improvement. To be an elite program with our offensive system, we need to improve the play at OL. In a short period of time, the coaching staff has restocked the pipeline with quality prospects, but we still aren't quite where we need to be. Lots of OT types -- but not a lot of players who project on the interior, especially at C [where the loss of Sampson smarts].
Sorry for writing a book, but that's how I see the status of each positional unit, based both upon the current state players we have, how proven they are, how those groups are performing, and what recruits we have in the pipeline.
Overall, DE, WR, RB, CB, and S are our team strengths.
We have quality materials in the pipeline at LB and OT, and to a lesser extent TE.
And our main areas of need to improve the talent base is at DT, QB, OG, and C.
These four areas are where we need to focus the bulk of our recruiting for the remaining slots in the class of 2020.
Ideally, here's how I would like to see our remaining 7 spots filled:
- 2 defensive tackles [these could also be bigger DEs a la Slayton, Williams, Munoz, and Dawson with the potential to "grow" into athletic DTs]
- 1 OG
- 1 OC
- 1 QB -- need to land a high quality prospect here, not just a warm body
- 2 WRs
If additional positions open up -- and they will via attrition, they always do -- then I'd like to see the staff add the best talent available at any position. But at minimum, we need to fill the above slots in the class of 2020 to avoid having roster "holes" / imbalances, or to risk critical depletion of depth at a key positional unit if an injury occurs.
My opinion only, but the class of 2020 is strong, and predicated heavily upon camp offers. That's a great sign. And it is also amazing that an unrated prospect like LaBrosse isn't on the recruiting services' radar, but once they take a look he immediately vaults just below 4 star rating. I would expect several of our recruits to bump up a little once they are rated.
But ultimately, the subjective "value" of this class will be predicated upon whether we land a decent QB, stockpile prospects at DT, add a few interior linemen, and add some dynamic playmakers at WR to a talented, competitive group that we already have.
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