sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Audubon Day!
John James Audubon, born on today's date in 1785, was the foremost wildlife illustrator in the United States for half a century, mainly focusing on ornithological paintings. He was born in Saint Domingue, a French colony that is now Haiti. His parents were a French naval officer and his mistress. His mother died shortly after he was born, and he was raised in France by his father and stepmother. In 1803, he came to America and lived at the family estate in Mill Grove, Pennsylvania, where he studied, drew birds, and met his wife, Lucy. He experimented with bird banding, being the first person known to have done so in North America. He and Lucy moved to Kentucky and started a family. He continued to draw birds as a hobby and owned a store until going bankrupt in 1819.
He wanted to try something new, so the following year he floated down the Mississippi River on a flatboat, with the intention of finding new birds to paint. He was successful and brought his work to England in 1826, where it was well received. He found a printer, and The Birds of America was published as a series between 1827 and 1838. It included 435 watercolor plates and was printed in a very large book format called "elephant folio." This was done so that the paintings would be life-size representations of the birds. The book set the template for other wildlife illustrations, and more recent bird artists are often measured against it.
SU News
NFL scout breaks down Syracuse football DBs - The Juice Online (the juice; Cheng)
With the NFL Draft set to begin on Thursday, we caught up with NFL Scout Chris Landry from LandryFootball.com to get his take on Syracuse’s top three prospects Andre Cisco, Trill Williams and Ifeatu Melifonwu.
Landry started as an assistant coach at LSU in the 1980s, and has moved on to various roles as coach, scout and administrator at the college football and NFL levels. He’s operated LandryFootball.com since 2014, and gave his thoughts on each in this week’s edition of The Juice on the Cuse podcast, presented by SNY.tv.
On Cisco:
On Williams:
On Melifonwu:
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With the NFL Draft Looming, Which SU Prospects Have the Best Pro Potential? – Orange Fizz – Daily Syracuse Recruiting News & Team Coverage (orangefizz.net; Bainbridge)
The NFL Draft is right around the corner. The first round starts April 29th, and we’ll likely see a few familiar Orange names come off the board in the days following. After a tough 1-10 2020 season, it’s encouraging to see some of SU’s talent get their due on draft boards.
At this point, mock drafts and NFL analysts believe that a trio of talented Syracuse defensive backs will be taken decently high in the draft. Safeties Trill Williams and Andre Cisco and cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu are all expected to hear their names called, and all three have generated some buzz among draft analysts. Let’s take a look at each player and what draft analysts have to say about them.
Ifeatu Melifonwu
Meliwonfu’s skillset has him higher than either of his SU defensive backfield teammates on mock drafts. ESPN.com’s draft analysts Mel Kiper and Todd McShay’s alternating mock draft has Melifonwu going No. 70 to Philadelphia, while The Athletic’s Dane Brugler has Iffy at No. 57 for his Top 300 Overall Prospects. McShay is the one who selected Melifonwu on the ESPN mock draft, and notes that while he “needs some refining…he has a lot of upside as a press corner.” Brugler’s assessment is similar and explains that although Melifonwu needs to “improve his anticipation,” he has “rare physical gifts (length, speed fluidity) to become an NFL starter.”
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New York Jets ‘Intrigued’ by Talented, Lanky NFL Draft Prospect (heavy.com)
As we inch closer to the 2021 NFL Draft, teams’ interests and boards start to leak out from different places.
One nugget that slipped out on Sunday morning was the New York Jets’ apparent interest in one of the most talented cornerback prospects in this upcoming class.
Rich Cimini of ESPN shared that the Jets brass is “intrigued” by Syracuse Football cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu. He also mentioned that he could be a target for the green and white in the “second or third round.”
That range is considered “Day 2” of the 2021 NFL Draft. On Friday, April 30, the Jets have three selections: 34th overall (second round) and a pair of third-round picks (66th and 86th overall).
Cornerback Is One of the Biggest Needs for the Jets Heading Into This Draft
Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will the New York Jets roster.Despite having the second-most cap space in the league heading into free agency, they couldn’t solve every problem that caused this team to go 2-14 in 2020.
One glaring weakness that the team ignored on the open market was the cornerback position. The lone addition they made to the group was Justin Hardee, formerly of the New Orleans Saints.
While technically his position label is cornerback, he’s yet to start a game in four professional seasons, per Pro Football Reference. The Jets actually signed him due to his prowess on special teams and leadership ability in the locker room.
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Syracuse Is First In on Florida WR Derrick Bohler – Orange Fizz – Daily Syracuse Recruiting News & Team Coverage (orangefizz.net; Amendolara)
This week Class of ’23 target Derrick Bohler received his first FBS offer, and it was from a Power 5 school: Syracuse. The Palmetto, FL wideout tweeted about it excitedly on Tuesday. Hey, even if it’s “Syracuse University” instead of “University of Syracuse,” we’ll let it slide. Bohler is fired up.
https://twitter.com/derrickbohler_5...er_52Fstatus2F1384686867245830145widget=Tweet
Blessed to receive my first D1 offer from the University of Syracuse! Appreciate it coach @CoachNJ_Monroe https://t.co/akMB7wybeV
https://twitter.com/derrickbohler_5...er_52Fstatus2F1384686867245830145widget=Tweet
Bohler checks in at 6’2″, 195 lb. and is described as “college ready frame-wise as they come in high school. He compliments that great size w/ nice speed & hands,” by The Crib South Florida, a recruiting news source. Bohler could also fill in as a tight end this fall.
Bohler is originally a Texas product. As a sophomore at Reagan HS, just north of San Antonio, he went over 500 yards receiving and won a district title as his team went 9-2, according to The Crib. He flashes soft hands on film, and makes pass catching look smooth and natural. The coaching staff at Reagan also used him on end-around runs, showing off his elusiveness in the open field.
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Elite 11 Philadelphia Standout Performers (SI; McAllister)
The Elite 11 held its Philadelphia camp on Sunday, and there were several who impressed. Here were the standout performers from the event.
JACK CAPALDI - MALVERN PREP (PA) - CLASS OF 2022
They most eye opening performance of the day was from Jack Capaldi. Watching him display superb footwork, excellent balance, a tight spiral on his throws and pinpoint accuracy all day long was impressive. Capaldi has plenty of arm strength as well. He may be without an offer for now, but that will certainly change.
JADEN CRAIG - SETON HALL PREP (NJ) - CLASS OF 2022 (HARVARD COMMIT)
The Harvard pledge showed off his arm talent. Craig had one of the stronger arms at the event and looked extremely comfortable throwing on the run. While consistency with accuracy on intermediate and deep routes is an area he can work on, the talent and potential was clear. It was a very good day for Craig. Harvard has a good one.
STEVE ANGELI - BERGEN CATHOLIC (NJ) - CLASS OF 2022 (NOTRE DAME COMMIT)
The Irish pledge's talent was obvious from his first throw. He has the arm strength to make every throw, is accurate down the field and has an effortless delivery.
DEVIN KARGMAN - WOODROW WILSON HIGH (NJ) CLASS OF 2022
If there was an award for strongest arm, Kargman would have won it going away. On a very windy day, Kargman's accuracy was unaffected. Combine that with above average accuracy and solid footwork, and it is easy to see why schools like Maryland, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and West Virginia have extended offers.
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Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins, Pirates News, Live Coverage | DK Pittsburgh Sports dkpittsburghsports.com; Carter)
Pitt did lose several important players to the NFL Draft that begins Thursday, especially on the defense that became the ACC's third-best in 2020.
But the prospect of what the Panthers could bring on offense will be their best chance to put together a complete unit. Kenny Pickett's return gives Pitt the ACC's third-leading quarterback from 2020 with the prospect of playing with a more well-rounded group. Saturday's Blue-Gold Game showed several veterans return healthy and ready to contribute and new faces rise as potential playmakers.
Taysir Mack and Lucas Krull were supposed to be seniors who were a huge part of the Panthers' offense in 2020, but Krull suffered an injury that kept him out for all but one game and Mack had a nagging injury that kept him from playing at full speed. Both played very well Saturday and have received strong praises from both receivers coach Brennan Marion and Pat Narduzzi.
The Panthers also will get an offensive line that's already working to become a more cohesive unit after a full spring camp with hitting to improve their chemistry. A three-way battle at offensive tackle between Carter Warren, Matt Goncalves and Gabe Houy has looked promising, while transfer Marcus Minor has meshed well with fellow Jake Kradel at guard and Owen Drexel is even being compared to Jimmy Morrissey.
Vincent Davis was the only running back last year who could make defenders miss consistently and fulfill the several duties needed from a running back to protect Pickett, run the ball and be a viable receiving threat. Now, Davis is in a heated competition with Israel Abanikanda, whose speed and power look like a promising combination for the offense. Todd Sibley also looked like potentially a solid power back to offer variety out of the backfield.
A complete offense at each level would give the Panthers an advantage they haven't had in years, and could make them serious competitors in the ACC Coastal Division and compete for the ACC Championship Game.
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Who can go undefeated in 2021? (RX; HM)
Who can go undefeated in 2021?
247Sports has identified Ten college football teams who could go unbeaten in 2021. Not saying that they will, but they conceivably could if the ball bounces just right. Two of them are ACC football members, and one is a scheduling partner and non-football member.UCF KNIGHTS
OKLAHOMA SOONERS
CLEMSON TIGERS
This will be the most intriguing season of Clemson football in a while, as Trevor Lawrence is no longer the man under center for the Tigers. But even after losing such an impressive talent, the Tigers should be in good position to threaten for an undefeated season. New quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei showed flashes at times last year that he could be the next great Clemson quarterback and the program has never shown issues with replacing talent. With the likes of Dabo Swinney and Brent Venables on the coaching staff, Clemson should be one of the country’s top teams again.
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH
After one season of playing in the ACC, Notre Dame is going back to the independent status. Playing in the ACC proved to be one of the roadblocks to preventing an undefeated season in 2020, as the Fighting Irish battled Clemson to overtime in the regular season win and then lost to the Tigers in the ACC title game. There will be no league championship game in 2021 for Notre Dame and it gets to create its own schedule once again. Don’t take that wrong; there will be difficult games for the Fighting Irish. But getting out of the grind of the ACC could really help Notre Dame.
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2021's Most Draft-able ACC Players (RX; HM)
2021's Most Draft-able ACC Players
The 2021 NFL Draft begins Thursday, April 29th...
ESPN published a list of the top 100 NFL draft prospects in "2021 NFL draft: Jeff Legwold ranks the top 100 prospects."
Here is the break-down by ACC school:
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Other
‘Tinky’s stuck in the machine!’ How tiny toddler ended up inside claw arcade game at Destiny USA (PS; $; McClendon)
The plan was pretty simple.
Two little girls wanted one of the colorful prize balls inside a claw machine at Billy Beez in the Destiny USA mall in Syracuse.
When 3-year-old Kali Porter realized she was too big to fit into the machine, she enlisted her little cousin, Alivia Porter, who turns 2 in June, said their grandmother Jackie Perez.
Kali held the hatch open while Alivia climbed inside the claw machine Tuesday night, Perez said.
“Seeing the balls inside the machine was like a trigger for them,” she said. “It only took one second and they were gone. My grandkids are very adventurous.”
With Alivia, aka Tinky as her family calls her, firmly planted in the machine, Kali raced to find her grandmother: “Tinky’s stuck in the machine!”
“I thought she might be like halfway stuck,” Perez said. “But when we got there her whole body was in it. If someone put a quarter in the machine, they could have used the claw to pick her up.”
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