sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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International Kite Day started in India, where it takes place in the northwestern state of Gujarat, and is most widely celebrated in the city of Ahmedabad. The festival is known as Uttarayan in the Hindi language, and it is also called Makar Sakranti in parts of India. It celebrates the changing of the seasons from winter to summer, as well the upcoming harvest of winter crops. People come from countries all over the world to celebrate. The kites that are associated with the festival symbolize the spirit of gods awakening after their winter sleep.
Kite flying was originally done by royalty and the wealthy in India; at one time kings hired trained flyers to fly kites for them. Today people of all classes and backgrounds fly kites in India. Many people make kites weeks in advance of the festival, and kites get flown on the weeks surrounding the festival as well. The most common kites are simple, being made of lightweight colored paper with bamboo frames. Besides traditional kites, some have Bollywood stars or social messages on them. Kite strings are often covered with a mixture of rice and ground glass, which helps with "kite fighting". This is a game that takes place during the festival when flyers try to cut each other's strings and knock down their kites. For this reason many people have extra kites as backups, just in case their kite is taken down.
SU News
Updated Look at Syracuse Football's Scholarship Numbers for 2022 (SI; McAllister)
With the addition of Dan Villari and the late National Signing Day less than a month away, it is time to take a fresh look at Syracuse's scholarship situation for next season. Syracuse had 13 players sign in December, and has had three players from the portal commit to the Orange. Syracuse has also lost 15 players to the portal since September 1st.
Taking all of that into account, Syracuse's current scholarship count for next season is 77 (see list below). That leaves the Orange with eight scholarships for the 2022 season. We know Syracuse is hosting elite pass rushing defensive end recruit Francois Nolton for a visit this weekend. Wide receiver transfer CJ Hayes is visiting the weekend of the 21st. Cornerback transfer Isaiah Johnson is visiting the weekend of the 28th. Syracuse is also involved with tight end transfer Steven Stilianos.
If Syracuse lands each of those four, that leaves only four spots available. Positions such as offensive line, defensive line, cornerback and wide receiver would make the most sense.
That is where things currently stand. Of course things are always fluid. More players could elect to enter the portal at any time. After spring ball is a time when there could be another influx of players into the portal across the country, including at Syracuse potentially.
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CJ Hayes is pumped
Nick King/Lansing State Journal
Michigan State WR transfer C.J. Hayes high on Syracuse with official visit coming up (247sports.com; Bailey)
Before C.J. Hayes entered the transfer portal in early December, he turned to a familiar face for advice. The Michigan State veteran wide receiver spoke with his former position coach Terrence Samuel, who overlapped with him in East Lansing from 2017-19 before spending a year at UNLV and then joining Dino Babers' staff in Syracuse last season.
Samuel shed light on the state of the Orange program and the wide receiver room, specifically. While he's now off to Minnesota, Hayes has continued to learn about SU and build a relationship with Babers himself as Samuel's replacement is still in the process of being hired.
Next weekend, Hayes will fly to Central New York for an official visit, as first reported by Sports Illustrated.
"I just want to get to meet everyone," Samuel said in a phone interview on Wednesday night. "I want to meet the coaches face to face. I've got to meet everybody. Phone calls only do so much."
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Hayes is a rising sixth-year redshirt senior whose lenses to Syracuse have been Samuel and former MSU teammate Trishton Jackson. He observed the immediate impact that Jackson was able to make, putting together a 1,000-yard season before leaving early for the NFL, and he sees the opportunity to compete for playing time on the outside among a cast of largely young and relatively unproven pass-catchers. Syracuse brings back a multi-year starter in Anthony Queeley as well as promising underclassmen including Damien Alford and Oronde Gadsden II
Hayes, like Jackson before he came to SU, received minimal opportunity at Michigan State. While the latter had 21 receptions to his name over two seasons, the former has 14 over three years of seeing the field. He was moved to safety one week before the start of the 2021 season and played sparingly in six contests, practicing on both defense and offense through the year.
Hayes said Jackson still raves about his time in Central New York. The Minnesota Viking is considering flying to Syracuse next weekend and see the campus with Hayes.
"Once you prove what you can do, like I plan on proving, hopefully, I'll have the same outcome or even better," Hayes said.
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College football: Tucker joins legacy of top Syracuse running backs by making his track debut (nny360.com; St Croix)
Syracuse University football star Sean Tucker has joined the SU track and field team and is slated for his first race this weekend.
According to his bio page on the track and field roster from the official SU athletics web site, Tucker joined the squad in December following the conclusion of his All-American football campaign and is scheduled to run sprint events.
The running back broke the Orange’s single-season rushing record in his second year this past season, finishing with 1,491 yards to eclipse the previous mark held by Joe Morris for 42 years.
The native of Owings Mills, Md., was a track standout at Calvert Hall High School prior to joining the Orange ahead of the 2020 season. Tucker won the Maryland state indoor championships for the 55-meter dash two straight years and was state champion in the 100-and 200-meter sprints.
The official SU Football Twitter account posted a photo of Tucker sprinting on the track Wednesday night preparing for his first collegiate competition.
Syracuse will participate in the Virginia Tech Invitational at Blacksburg, Va. today and Saturday for their third outing of the season and first since Dec. 4.
Tucker is the first premier player to cross over from football to track in recent years, but the move is not without precedent at Syracuse. Past football stars such as Jim Brown, Art Monk, Qadry Ismail and Morris competed in both sports.
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Syracuse Football Will Be Well Represented At College Football All-Star Games (bcsnn.com)
As the first set of collegiate all-star games get underway this week, Syracuse Football will be well represented. Airon Servais represented the Orange at the College Gridiron Showcase, which is the nation's first major collegiate all-star event of the college football postseason.
The four-day event in Fort Worth, featured NFL Draft style interviews with teams, player measurements, drills and a series of scrimmages.
Defensive linemen Josh Black and Kingsley Jonathan are set to participate in the SPIRAL Tropical Bowl on Saturday. The event, which is at Camping World Stadium, the same venue the duo helped the Orange to victory in the 2018 Camping World Bowl in Orlando, features a bowl week that began on Wednesday with measurements and practices. It culminates in the game on Saturday, which will be a PPV broadcast on the Varsity Sports Network.
Servais concluded his Orange career as an honorable mention All-ACC selection, wrapping up his time at SU with a program-record 60-straight starts on the offensive line, where he played center, right tackle and left tackle in his career.
Another All-ACC selection this season, Josh Black anchored the defensive line for six years on campus, notching 48 starts and 60 games played. He concluded his career with 155 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 8.0 sacks and a pair of fumble recoveries.
Jonathan was an accomplished student-athlete both on and off the field at 'Cuse. The winner of the 2020 Jim Tatum Award for the ACC's top student-athlete to headline a multitude of academic and service related accolades, Jonathan concluded his Orange career with 101 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 15 sacks and a trio of forced fumbles.
Additional collegiate all-star games run through February.
Orange Weekly: SU hoops gets a needed win, SU football’s new QB (video) (PS; video; Axe & Waters)
No matter who the Syracuse University men’s basketball team played on Tuesday night, it felt like the Orange just needed to win.
SU got the 77-61 victory over Pittsburgh, evened its record at 8-8 and now moves on to face a Florida State team that it defeated once already this season but also a Seminoles team that handed Miami its first ACC loss this week.
Syracuse.com’s Brent Axe and Mike Waters discuss that and more on the latest episode of “Orange Weekly” presented by Crouse Health.
Brent and Mike also discuss why 5-star freshman Benny Williams isn’t seeing more time on the court, the importance of center Jesse Edwards staying out of foul trouble and preview SU’s next game against Florida State.
Brent also tells you about SU Football’s new transfer quarterback Dan Villari, who brings some excitement and competition into the quarterback room for Dino Babers.
“Orange Weekly” streams live every Thursday at 1:00 p.m. on Facebook and YouTube.
You can watch the show in the YouTube clip above.
Way Too Early 2022 Top 25 Lists (RX; HM)
Way Too Early 2022 Top 25 Lists
It's that time of year - several "way too early" Top 25 lists are out.How did your favorite teams fare? Here's a compilation of 4 lists:
| Rank | SN | ESPN | CBS | Athlon |
| 1 | ||||
| 2 | ||||
| 3 | ||||
| 4 | Clemson | Clemson | ||
| 5 | Notre Dame | |||
| 6 | Notre Dame | |||
| 7 | Notre Dame | |||
| 8 | NC State | Notre Dame | ||
| 9 | Clemson | |||
| 10 | ||||
| 11 | Wake | Clemson | ||
| 12 | Miami | |||
| 13 | ||||
| 14 | Wake | |||
| 15 | Wake | |||
| 16 | NC State | |||
| 17 | Wake | |||
| 18 | ||||
| 19 | Pitt | |||
| 20 | ||||
| 21 | ||||
| 22 | ||||
| 23 | ||||
| 24 | Pitt | |||
| 25 |
All four ranked Notre Dame (no surprise), and none of them had fewer than 3 ACC teams ranked.
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Report: Boston College offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti hired by Pitt Berestecki)
Earlier today, EagleAction’s Andy Backstrom reported via sources that Boston College football offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti may be moving to Pitt to take a similar position with the Panthers.
Not long later, Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports reported the same:
Cignetti is the first major departure from Jeff Hafley’s staff since he started at BC.
It’s a return to Pitt for Cignetti, a native of Pittsburgh who served as a grad assistant for the Panthers in 1989, then returned to Pitt as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2009-10.
The longtime NFL assistant was a key get for Hafley’s staff. Prior to his tenure at BC, Cignetti held roles as QB coach or offensive coordinator for several NFL teams, including the Green Bay Packers. He now leaves an important hole for Hafley and BC to fill before the 2022 season.
BC was 93rd nationally in scoring offense this year at 24.7 points per game after dealing with the injury to Phil Jurkovec, but Cignetti is clearly highly regarded given his background and his role in helping the transfer Jurkovec gel with BC’s offense in 2020, leading to an impressive season that drew plaudits around the league. Cignetti’s presence was cited as a main reason why Jurkovec came to BC.
We will provide updates should this news be confirmed and share information on where BC might go from here with the offensive coordinator position.
Boston College OC Frank Cignetti Jr. Reportedly Hired by Pitt (yardbarker.com; AJ Black)
Boston College offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. is on the move, as Pete Thamel reports that he will be joining Pitt in the same capacity.
Cignetti Jr. has been with the Eagles for the previous two seasons and helped BC's offense incorporate a pro style system. In 2020 Boston College averaged 27.8 points per game, with quarterback Phil Jurkovec as the primary quarterback. Cignetti was crucial bringing in Jurkovec, with the two connecting over their Pittsburgh roots. In 2021, Boston College's scoring offense dropped to under 25 points per game, due mostly to the injury of Jurkovec.
This is a return for the Panthers, as Cignetti worked under Dave Wannstedt was there in 2009-10. The Panthers offense averaged 32.1 points per game that season. From there he moved around to various NFL jobs, most recently as the QB coach of the Green Bay Packers in 2018 under Mike McCarthy.
Before his time in Pitt, he got his first offensive coordinator role at Fresno State (2002-2005) included a string of six games where the Bulldogs averaged 52.8 points per game. He was hired by UNC in 2006, and then the 49ers as QB coach in 2007, before heading to California where he became the OC on a team that averaged 33 points per game.
For Boston College, they now need to look for their own offensive coordinator. A name to watch for is current wide receiver coach Joe Dailey. He is thought of highly in coaching circles, and many believe he has been groomed to take over.
ACC Sets Pace in Fall LEARFIELD Cup Standings (theacc.com)
The Atlantic Coast Conference leads all conferences with four schools among the top 10 of the final fall Division I LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup standings released Thursday morning.
The ACC’s seven member schools among the top 25 and 12 schools among the top 55 are also the most of any conference.
“Our teams enjoyed an outstanding fall season capped by three NCAA Championships,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “The continued excellence shown by our student-athletes is inspiring, and I look forward to continuing to watch our winter programs compete with our spring competitions right around the corner.”
Notre Dame (second place), North Carolina (sixth), Florida State (ninth) and Pitt (10th) lead the ACC in the current standings. They are followed among the top 25 by No. 13 Wake Forest, No. 16 NC State and No. 25 Louisville.
Clemson (26th), Syracuse (33rd), Duke (46th), Virginia Tech (51st) and Virginia (54th) also stand among the top 55.
Other
The Harvest, at 4 Cronin Road, Queensbury, has named chef Rachael Ray's favorite pizza after her. Photo: Screenshot from Google Maps
4 places Upstate native Rachael Ray urges you to eat in the Adirondacks (PS; House)
Not sure where to eat during a trip to the Adirondacks?
Let chef Rachael Ray, an Upstate New York native, help plan your culinary adventure.
Ray, who was raised in and lives part-time in the Adirondacks, was recently asked by a reader for advice on what to do while visiting the mountainous region. She responded in her magazine, “Rachael Ray”, by sharing a travel guide to her beloved Adirondacks with readers.
“I grew up there,” Ray said in the guide. “I’m biased, but wow, is it fabulous.”
Here are the four places Ray recommends you eat while in the Adirondacks — particularly near Lake George.
1: The Harvest in Queensbury
4 Cronin Road, Queensbury | (518) 793-6233
When it comes to pizza, Ray has a go-to spot in the Adirondacks: The Harvest.
Housed about 15 minutes south of Lake George in Queensbury, the Italian restaurant is a staple spot for Ray. She orders the same meal every time she’s there, according to Rachael Ray magazine: Spicy wings, a tossed salad and a pizza with provolone, onions and peppers.
“She’s such a good customer and loves the pizza so much, Harvest named it the Rachael Ray,” her staff wrote.
Ridge Terrace, at 2172 Ridge Road in Queensbury, is one of chef Rachael Ray's go-to restaurants in the Adirondacks. Photo: Screenshot from Google Maps
2: The Ridge Terrace in Queensbury
2172 Ridge Road, Queensbury | (518) 656-9274
Looking for a fancy night out?
The Ride Terrace is perfect for an upscale dinner, recommended Ray and her husband John Cusimano. Just minutes away from Lake George, the restaurant serves everything from buttery escargot and veal parmesan, according to its menu, to roasted duck and filet mignon.
The only catch: The Ridge Terrace is only open in warmer months.
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