sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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There are over 900,000 law enforcement officers in the United States, and they are honored on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day (L.E.A.D.), being shown that the community recognizes the difficulty of their job and supports them as they provide a public service. The day is dedicated to all members of law enforcement, but the focus is on police and similar state and local agencies. It was started by Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S), which partners with organizations across the country to make the day happen.
SU News
Southern Miss QB Transfer Ty Keyes Schedules Syracuse Visit (SI; McAllister)
Southern Miss transfer quarterback Ty Keyes has scheduled a visit to Syracuse. He will be on campus Saturday, January 14th, he tells AllSyracuse.com. Keyes also says he has an offer from the Orange and has three years of eligibility remaining.
Keyes entered the portal earlier this month after spending two seasons at Southern Miss. He appeared in four games, starting in three, as a true freshman in 2021 before losing the rest of the season to injury. Keyes appeared in three games in 2022. During his two seasons at Southern Miss, Keyes completed 43 of 82 passes for 636 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for 115 yards with another score.
In 2021 against Alabama, Keyes threw for 131 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He added 41 more yards on the ground as well. Against Northwestern State in 2022, Keyes threw for 192 yards with three touchdowns along with 29 rushing yards and another score.
Keyes signed with Southern Miss in the 2021 recruiting class out of Taylorsville High School in Mississippi. He also held offers from Auburn, Ole Miss, Kansas, Nebraska, Oregon, Arkansas, Mississippi State and others.
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SI All-American Candidate Ty Keyes Highlights and Evaluation (SI)
Prospect: QB Ty Keyes
Projected Position: Quarterback
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot, 180 pounds
School: Taylorsville (Miss.)
Committed to: Southern Miss
Frame: Athletic-looking frame with good potential to add mass and bulk. Potential to add 10-15 more pounds in college.
Athleticism: Has a basketball background. Shows light feet in the pocket with casual bounce at the top of his drop. Possesses lower-half mobility to elude initial rush and enough foot quickness and hip fluidity to quickly reset in a hurry. Capable of making defenders miss in tight space as a runner when executing zone-read concepts.
Instincts: Good awareness in pocket and can feel perimeter pressure. Capable of throwing with good anticipation, especially when attacking interior coverage from the pocket throwing to digs and slants. Also can get ball out quickly to flats and speed outs. Flashes good touch on throws to change ball speeds. Solid vision and creativity as a runner.
Polish: Currently plays in a spread-type offense nearly exclusively from shotgun with a passing game that features multiple-receiver concepts to the field. Needs to refine his footwork in his drops and eliminate some hitches, as well as develop more natural knee bend in his setup. Also will need to improve ball placement consistency on throws to interior on second and third level.
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What's left to do in Syracuse football's 2023 class? - The Juice Online (the juice; Auger)
Dino Babers and his staff used the early signing period to address depth issues, both in the short term and the long term. Syracuse signed players from high school, junior college, and the transfer portal.
There are still two more opportunities to add to the roster: the February signing period and after spring practice. With both of those on the horizon, let’s look at what needs the Orange might look to fill.
Defensive Line
The DL was cause for concern most of the year, especially after starting out 6-0. Syracuse ran into teams adept at running the ball during the second half of the year and the youth there showed.
Losing Terry Lockett after four games didn’t help. And their best pass rusher, Steve Linton, entered the transfer portal.
Young talent returns in Denis Jaquez, Jr., Francois Nolton Jr., Kevon Darton, Jatius Geer, Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff, Kevin Jobity, Jr., Chase Simmons, and Belizarre Bassett II. Anchoring the line will be Caleb Okechukwu, who announced his return previously. Reinforcements include Lockett’s return, Alabama transfer Braylen Ingraham, and Rashard Perry, a true freshman.
Perry is an intriguing candidate for immediate playing time as he appears to have a build that looks like it was chiseled from granite. Still, the Orange appear to be in the market for another DL from the portal who can step in and play immediately given the unit’s youth.
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Can Syracuse Football Apply the TCU Formula? – Orange Fizz – Daily Syracuse Recruiting News & Team Coverage (orangefizz.net; Eads)
The College Football National Championship is going down next Monday night between #1 Georgia and #3 TCU. It’s the first natty appearance for the Horned Frogs since 2010. Texas Christian’s story is incredible, first-year head coach, unranked to begin the season, a Heisman finalist dual-threat quarterback, and a stingy 3-3-5 defense.
Nobody expected the TCU to make it to this stage yet here they are. Nobody expected SU to make the title game either. However, the Orange suddenly made that look possible when they began the season 6-0 and earned a top-15 ranking and had a chance for a top 10 win at Clemson. Had the ball bounced different and players not been knocked out the season, who knows what happens? This got me thinking, could Syracuse use the same formula that got the Horned Frogs to the title game?
3-3-5 DEFENSE
This is the first prong of this argument. TCU deploys the multiple defense that can defend spread offenses and power offenses. The scheme mitigated the “bully ball” U of M played in the Fiesta Bowl and really confused the best offensive line in college football all afternoon long. Syracuse’s 3-3-5 was very successful under defensive coordinator Tony White, who’s now at Nebraska. It could be just as dangerous under one of its architects in new defensive coordinator Rocky Long.The key for this defense to work, especially in the big games, is turnovers. TCU forced three Michigan giveaways in the semi-final and two of those resulted in immediate touchdowns on pick six’s. Against Clemson, the Orange forced four turnovers which really should have won them the game. Instead, SU converted a whopping six points off of those giveaways and all six of them came on Ja’Had Carter’s scoop-and-score.
So the 3-3-5 can work and take you to very high levels but it needs to be a defense based on capitalizing on other teams mistakes too. Syracuse is known as one of the best teams at forcing giveaways around the nation. This year SU ranked 59th in the nation with 19 forced turnovers which is solid but needs to be better. On top of that, the ‘Cuse needs to continue to improve its pressure.
TCU rushed 3-5 guys the entire game yet they had consistent disruption in Michigan’s backfield on passing plays and disguised blitzes very well. The Orange ranked 56th in the nation in team tackles for loss with 6.1 per game and 79 for the season. So if SU wants the 3-3-5 to be as dangerous as the Horned Frogs’ unit, it should focus on takeaways and pressure in 2023 and beyond.
DEVELOPMENT
This is the most important prong of all. Syracuse is not a recruiting powerhouse, we all know that. SU reels in the worst class in the ACC basically every year due to many factors. So, it’s critical that Dino Babers and Company get whatever talent they can from Florida, South Carolina, or the transfer portal and develop it. Examples include Oronde Gadsden, Garrett Williams, and Sean Tucker among many many others.SU ranks 66th in the nation in team talent composition, according to 247sports.com. Jackson State (FCS) is right behind them at 67th which is embarassing but also a story for another time. This is metric of a compilation of Syracuse’s roster based on recruiting rankings. The Orange have (3) four-star players and (68) three-star players. Obviously this isn’t where you want to be if you want to contend for anything of worth, but the drop-off from the top to where Syracuse is, is actually not that big.
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‘The Traitors’: Ex-Syracuse football player joins twisty new reality TV show (PS; Herbert)
A former Syracuse football player is facing a new challenge off the field.
Robert “Bam” Nieves, a 34-year-old tech sales VP from Rye, N.Y., has joined “The Traitors,” a new reality TV show on Peacock that throws celebrities and civilians together at a remote castle in the Scottish Highlands to complete a series of challenges for a chance to win $250,000. The twist? Three of the contestants are “the traitors” who will devise a plan to steal the prize from the others, who are known as “the faithful.”
Alan Cumming hosts “The Traitors,” which will include famous contestants like Arie Luyendyk Jr. (”The Bachelor”), Brandi Glanville (”The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”), Kate Chastain (”Below Deck”), Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, and former cast members on “Big Brother,” “Survivor,” “Summer House,” and “Shahs of Sunset.” The tricky part is no one knows who the traitors and the faithful are.
“In this game, the person sitting next to you may smile and smile and be a villain,” Cumming says in a trailer. “There are traitors amongst you. You think you know who they are?”
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LSU football adds cornerbacks from Ohio State and Syracuse from the transfer portal (theadvertiser.com; Riley)
Ohio State cornerback JK Johnson and Syracuse cornerback Darian Chestnut have transferred to LSU football, according to Johnson's Twitter bio and Chestnut on Twitter.
Johnson, a redshirt freshman, started in five games for the Buckeyes this past season and played in all 13 games, surrendering just 12 receptions and making 19 tackles according to Pro Football Focus. He played in two games as a freshman in 2021.
Chestnut was a Freshman All-American in 2021, according to ESPN, PFF, 247Sports and the Football Writers Association of America. He followed that up with a solid campaign in 2022, surrendering fewer than 50 receiving yards in all but two games.
"Tiger fans what's up!" Chestnut wrote.
A St. Louis native and former De Smet Jesuit High School star, Johnson has plenty of ties with LSU. His high school coach was LSU cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples, and he was teammates with Mekhi Wingo. He also played with Sevyn Banks for a season at Ohio State. Chestnut, meanwhile, is a New Jersey native.
Johnson and Chestnut provide needed depth and experience in LSU's young cornerbacks room. Prior to their arrivals, the Tigers were projected to have just five games of Power 5 starting experience at the position group entering the 2023 season, depending on Banks' status for this upcoming campaign.
Johnson and Chestnut are the third and fourth cornerbacks LSU has added from the transfer portal, joining Southeastern transfer Zy Alexander and Texas A&M transfer Denver Harris. The Tigers also signed four-star top-60 prospect Javien Toviano and three-star recruits Jeremiah Hughes and Ashton Stamps during the early signing period.
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ACC News
NC State football: 10 burning questions as the Wolfpack heads into the offseason - Saturday Road (saturdayroad; Rego)
NC State, despite a host of injuries and a few head-scratching losses, notched its 3rd straight season with at least 8 victories. Now, the focus turns to the future under coach Dave Doeren.
With quarterback Devin Leary (the preseason ACC Player of the Year) officially transferring to Kentucky, Ben Finley and MJ Morris will compete for the starting job. Elsewhere, the Wolfpack will have to replace program stalwarts such as linebackers Isaiah Moore and Drake Thomas, who are moving on to the NFL.
Going 8-5 (with a 16-12 loss to Maryland in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl) is nothing to be ashamed of, but it is a slight disappointment considering where things stood for the Wolfpack going into the season. With that being said, here are 10 questions regarding NC State heading into the offseason.
1. Who wins the quarterback battle?
Let’s start with the most important position. Unless Doeren lands a transfer-portal addition (per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, former Virginia signal-caller Brennan Armstrong is interested in NC State), rising sophomore MJ Morris and rising redshirt sophomore Ben Finley will duke it out for the job heading into next fall. Obviously, replacing Leary is a tall task (the New Jersey native threw 62 touchdowns against just 16 interceptions during his 4-year Wolfpack career), but the duo received a trial run during 2022.Morris entered against Virginia Tech on Oct. 27, a game in which NC State trailed 21-3. Morris proceeded to complete 20 of 29 passes for 269 yards and 3 scores as the Wolfpack came back to win 22-21. He then completed 64.3% of his throws, with 3 more touchdown passes, in a 30-21 win against then-No. 21 Wake Forest, but Morris completed just 50% of his throws (for only 135 yards), during a stunning 21-20 home loss to Boston College.
Finley, on the other hand, saw the field during the final 3 games. Entering for a struggling Jack Chambers (who is out of eligibility) against Louisville on Nov. 19, Finley was 16-of-35 for 201 yards, 1 touchdown and a pick — NC State lost 25-10. In the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against Maryland, Finley also struggled, completing 22 of 48 attempts and tossing zero touchdowns with 2 interceptions.
But it was his performance on Black Friday against then-No. 17 North Carolina that gives him a shot at being the quarterback of the future. On the road in Chapel Hill, the Wolfpack won a double-overtime thriller, and Finley’s gutsy performance (271 yards, 2 touchdowns) were a major reason why.
So, both quarterbacks put together a mixed bag during 2022. Morris adds more in the run game, while also throwing a prettier deep ball than Finley, but both will have a shot. My guess is, absent Armstrong entering the fray, Morris gets the nod for Week 1, but Finley will push him heavily during spring ball and fall camp.
2. How does the offense change under Robert Anae?
With former offensive coordinator Tim Beck departing to become the head coach at Coastal Carolina, Doeren moved fairly quickly in finding his replacement — hiring Robert Anae on Dec. 12. Anae spent this season calling plays at Syracuse and the previous 6 doing the same at Virginia.As a disciple of the late Mike Leach, Anae is sure to spread it around the playground a little more than Beck did, an approach that is sure to modernize a Wolfpack offense that felt stale this season — even with Leary under center. Anae worked wonders with Brennan Armstrong while in Charlottesville, Va., as the quarterback tossed 31 touchdowns against 10 picks during 2021, so Morris and Finley likely will benefit from the 64-year-old’s tutelage.
Anae’s presence in Raleigh, according to Thamel, is behind Armstrong’s potential interest in NC State. Thamel also reported Auburn and Oklahoma State have a chance at signing Armstrong, so this more of a wait-and-see situation.
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NC State adds ACC transfer QB (theclemsoninsider.com; Staff)
NC State has added a quarterback from the transfer portal that is very familiar with the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Saturday former Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong announced that he is heading to play for the Pack.
Armstrong had a record setting season in 2021 with 4,449 yards passing and 31 touchdowns. This year under coach Tony Elliott his numbers dipped as he had 2,210 passing yards, seven touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
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Jackson State transfer Kevin Coleman headed to the ACC (hbcugameday.com; Gaither)
Former Jackson State wide receiver Kevin Coleman has found a new home — and it’s not in Colorado.
Coleman, a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, has decided to transfer to Louisville. He made his announcement via social media on Thursday.
Oregon, Ole Miss and Colorado were said to have been interested in Coleman, according to Athlon Sports. That’s not suprise as he was one of the top 55 players in his class according to 247 Sports.
Kevin Coleman shocked the college football world when he committed to Jackson State after having offers from the majority of Power Five programs. He committed to Jackson State and Deion Sanders without having even visited the school.
Coleman had a big freshman season as he caught 31 passes for 461 yards and two touchdowns en route to being named the SWAC Freshman of the Year earlier this month. However, he saved the best for last as he caught seven passes for 137 yards and one touchdown in the Celebration Bowl, highlighted by an 85 yard touchdown catch from Shedeur Sanders.
After the game, as his JSU teammates hopped into the portal one-by-one, Kevin Coleman proclaimed that he was staying at Jackson State. But he eventually had a change of heart, hitting the transfer portal in late December. Unlike Travis Hunter and several other of his teammates, he won’t be headed to the PAC-12 but he will be playing in the ACC.
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Christian Leary, former Alabama WR, announces commitment to ACC program (saturdaydownsouth.com; Spencer)
Christian Leary announced he was leaving the Alabama Crimson Tide this offseason, originally committing to Gus Malzahn and the UCF Knights.
But it appears the young receiver has had a change of heart and will head to the ACC ranks instead.
On Sunday, Leary took to Twitter to reveal that he was flipping his commitment from UCF to Georgia Tech for the 2023 season:
In 2 years with the Crimson Tide, Leary appeared in 11 games. He recorded 3 catches for 10 yards and 1 touchdown.
Coming out of high school in Orlando, Leary was a 4-star prospect and the No. 10 receiver in the 2021 class. How will he fare at Georgia Tech? We’ll find out starting this fall.
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Two Virginia Football Offensive Linemen Transfer to ACC Schools - Sports Illustrated Virginia Cavaliers News, Analysis and More (SI; Newton)
Two former Virginia offensive linemen announced their transfer portal destinations on Sunday, as Logan Taylor committed to Boston College and John Paul Flores committed to Louisville.
Taylor and Flores, who both appeared in every game and logged a combined 15 starts on the UVA offensive line this season, became the latest in a growing list of Cavaliers who are transferring to rival ACC football programs.
A 6'6", 300-pound sophomore tackle from Nova Scotia who played at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, Logan Taylor appeared in two games as a true freshman in 2021 before starting all ten games on the UVA offensive line this season.
John Paul Flores transferred to Virginia from Dartmouth last January and started in five games at left guard for the Cavaliers this season. The 6'4" graduate student from Arlington, Texas suffered an injury in the game against Louisville that kept him out of the starting lineup the rest of the way, but he still appeared in each of UVA's 10 games this season.
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Every ACC team ranked by offensive production in 2022 (clemsonwireusatoday.com; Turri)
The ACC had some exciting teams this season, with a few offenses rating as some of the best in college football.
Stars on the offensive end of the ball are all across the conference, with players who we expect to perform doing so while others break onto the scene, making a name for themselves. From Drake Maye and Josh Downs lighting up the conference to Israel Abanikanda’s 320 rushing yards in a single game, there was a ton of offensive talent in the conference this season.
For Clemson, Will Shipley was the star of the show. He was not only one of the best running backs in the country but one of the best overall players.
With all the talent in the conference, which ACC offense was the best?
Here is a look at every ACC team’s offense ranked in 2022 based on ESPN’s football power index:
14 Virginia Cavaliers
Efficiency: 28.6
Overall rank: No.106
13 Boston College Eagles
Efficiency: 29.0
Overall rank: No.105
12 Virginia Tech Hokies
Efficiency: 29.0
Overall rank: No.105
11 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Efficiency: 34.8
Overall rank: No.95
10 NC State Wolfpack
Efficiency: 35.1
Overall rank: No.92
9 Miami Hurricanes
Efficiency: 36.0
Overall rank: No.90
8 Pittsburgh Panthers
Efficiency: 46.3
Overall rank: No.70
7 Louisville Cardinals
Efficiency: 54.9
Overall rank: No.54
6 Syracuse Orange
Efficiency: 56.4
Overall rank: No.51
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FSU football: Noles getting ranked top five way to early 2023 polls (chopchat.com; Hunt)
FSU football ended the 2022 season as one of the hottest teams in college football with six consecutive wins.
They’ll likely finish near the top team in the final polls for the 2022 season. The good thing for FSU is they will return a ton of production on both sides of the ball.
They’ll be led by All-ACC selections Jordan Travis, Trey Benson, Johnny Wilson, and Mycah Pittman on offense. Defensively, they’ll return All-ACC players Fabien Lovett, Tatum Bethune, and Jared Verse.
Along with a ton of experience and talent, FSU will bring in the No. 1 transfer portal class. Last year’s transfer portal class ranked No. 11 and produced six All-ACC selections. Is this transfer portal class as good on the field as on paper?
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Other
Syracuse’s newest bar has a self-serve beer wall. Here’s how it works (video) (PS; Cazentre)
Come on in and pour yourself a beer.
The concept that Michael Greene has for his new Syracuse bar, Harvey’s Garden, sort of follows the model of a backyard party: Grab yourself a beer, get some food outside and make yourself comfortable.
Harvey’s Garden, which has had its soft opening this week and has a big debut party Saturday, fills that niche by providing lots of space, food trucks on the grounds and a first-of-its-kind local self-service beer wall.
“It’s like that party — you don’t necessarily get served,” Greene said. “The beer’s over there. Go grab one.”
Harvey’s Garden is located east of downtown Syracuse and below University Hill in the former Jordan Supply warehouse at 1200 E. Water St., near Walnut Avenue. It’s not far from the Mello Vello bike shop on Erie Boulevard.
The spacious building is a surrounded by plenty of parking for both customers and food trucks There is a full-service bar if you want to be served a cocktail, but there’s also a cooler of beers and seltzers in cans you can choose from.
It’s the beer wall that is the distinctive feature of this bar. Yes, you can pour you own.
That might cause some momentary anxiety for first-timers, but Greene and his general manager, Ryan Sahm, have been working to make the process as seamless as possible. (See video above).
“We don’t want to assume that people aren’t going to figure it out, but we’re there to help every way we can,” Sahm said.
Here are the basics: At the bar, you hand the server your credit card and either leave the tab open or set a pre-determined amount. The server hands you another card, called an RFID card, which is much like the room key cards you get a hotels.
Then you take to the card to beer wall, where you’ll find 24 taps. Each has a small video screen that gives you details such as the name of the beer and brewery, the style, the price per ounce and the amount of alcohol (abv). In front of the wall is a rack of glassware, from classic pilsner to goblets and teku glasses (preferred by fans of hazy IPAs).
You place the card in a holder to activate the tap. The screen then shows a display that lets you know how much you’re pouring. One of the features of this system is that you can pour as much as you want: You can do a sample of just three ounces, for example, or fill your glass with 12 to 16 ounces or so.
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