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No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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SU News
ESPN Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest NFL Draft positional rankings feature 2 Syracuse favorites (PS; Leiker)
NFL draft season is upon the football world, and Syracuse is shaping up to have potentially its best draft class of Dino Babers’ tenure.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., one of the most respected draft analysts, released his first mock draft and Big Board since the end of the college football season on Wednesday. While no SU players featured in the first-round draft predictions, two ended up in Kiper’s Top 10 position lists.
Offensive tackle Matthew Bergeron came in at No. 6 among his peers, three of whom Kiper projects will be selected in the draft’s opening round. Bergeron had been the No. 5 OT on Kiper’s last Big Board published Dec. 9.
Bergeron will appear in the Senior Bowl on Feb. 4. He’s the only SU player to have received an invitation after he helped pave the way for back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons from running back Sean Tucker and served as a team captain in 2022.
Cornerback Garrett Williams was the other Orange player to make Kiper’s Top 10 at his position. Williams had been left off the last Big Board after tearing his ACL midseason against Notre Dame right after he also missed time with a thigh bruise.
This time around, Williams is the No. 8 cornerback on Kiper’s list. He recently signed with talent agency WME Sports.
Tucker did not crack Kiper’s top-10 running backs but was the first listed in the “Just Missed” category. Tucker is training for the draft in Florida with his long-time trainer Daniel Harper Sr.
The 2023 NFL Draft is set for April 27-29 in Kansas City.
David Fawcett/InsideNoVa
2023 DL Ty Gordon discusses Syracuse commitment (247sports.com; Finneral)
2023 defensive lineman Ty Gordon signed with Syracuse in December after flipping his commitment from Old Dominion. When Gordon visited Syracuse, he felt an instant connection with the program.
“When I got there for my visit, I just loved the people,” Gordon said. “It's a great and big opportunity that I couldn’t say no to.”
Gordon played his high school football at Battlefield in Haymarket, Virginia. Gordon had an excellent season where he was named the Cedar Run District co-defensive player of the year and first-team all-region. He said the culture around the program is what drew him to Syracuse.
“The coaching staff is great and they really treat me like family,” Gordon said. “They want what’s best for me as a player and as a man.”
Battlefield went 10-1 this season and lost in the first round of the playoffs. At six-foot-two, 267-pounds, Gordon has a great build for a defensive lineman. He does a nice job at using his size and speed to get into the backfield quickly. Gordon is still looking to step up his game before joining the Orange for the 2023 season.
“I will need to work on my pass rush and the speed heading to college because it’s totally different,” he said.
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Transfer portal players had mixed results after leaving Syracuse - The Juice Online (the juice; Gustin)
Though Syracuse finished with its best record since 2018 at 7-6, several key players entered the transfer portal once the season ended, including defensive backs Duce Chestnut and Ja’Had Carter.
With these departures in mind, we checked in on how the 2022 transfers from Syracuse were fairing across college football.
Tommy Devito, QB: The most well known transfer from Syracuse heading into last season was QB Tommy Devito, who was under center for the Orange for four seasons before entering the portal for Illinois. Devito played in the Big 10 and did not disappoint for an overachieving Illinois team. The fifth year senior led the Fighting Illini to the ReliQuest Bowl against Mississippi State and finished 8-5 on the season. Devito threw for 2,650 yards at a 69.6% completion rate, the best numbers of his college career. After losing the starting spot at QB for the Orange to Garrett Shrader, Devito brought Illinois their first winning season in over ten years.
Cooper Lutz, RB: After failing to see much playing time at Syracuse in two seasons with the Orange, running back Cooper Lutz transferred to Vanderbilt. After getting 43 carries in his freshman year at Syracuse, Lutz struggled to get playing time in the SEC. At Vanderbilt last season, he only had 24 rushing yards in total and a touchdown. The senior has one more year of eligibility with the Commodores.
Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, LB: One of the most impactful players following his transfer from Syracuse, Cantin-Arku was with the Orange for three seasons. He had over 100 total tackles during his time at Syracuse with five sacks. He transferred to Memphis, and the LB had a breakthrough season for a struggling Memphis team. Cantin-Arku had 41 solo tackles and the most combined total tackles in his career. He now enters his senior year in position to be an important piece of Memphis’ defense.
Taj Harris, WR: After spending four years at Syracuse, four star recruit Taj Harris went into the transfer portal for his fifth year of eligibility. Harris had over 500 receiving yards in three years at Syracuse, with 733 receiving yards and five touchdowns in his junior year. After transferring to Rutgers, the senior did not see much time on the field.With the Scarlet Knights, he finished with just one reception on the year with minimal playing time and he left the team shortly after for personal reasons.
Jarveon Howard, RB: After receiving limited playing time at Syracuse for three seasons, Howard transferred to Alcorn State. In the SWAC, Alcorn State finished at 5-6 on the year, just missing out on bowl eligibility. The transfer to a mid-major program worked well for Howard. With more opportunities, Howard had 253 carries for over 1,200 rushing yards. He led the way at running back for the Braves with 12 TDs on the year. The RB still can play one year of college football after his senior year with the COVID season.
Adrian Cole, DB: Following his sophomore campaign at Syracuse, Cole transferred to Florida International for the 2022 season. Cole had his best year while playing for the Panthers at defensive back. Although Florida International went 4-8 in the C-USA, Cole’s decision to transfer saw him with more opportunity on the field, finishing the season with 36 total tackles, a sack, and a defensive TD.
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Newhouse At Night 1-25-23 (ESPN; radio; Newhouse at Night)
Jack Gordon and Andrew Della Piana start Newhouse at Night discussing the questionable officiating in Syracuse’s close loss to North Carolina. Then, Dylan Beyer and Rahill Jaiswal continue the conversation, drawing on a positive for Jim Boeheim’s squad.
On The Block On Demand 1-25-23 (ESPN; radio; Axe)
Brent discusses the impact the refs had on last night’s loss. Later, he does a dramatic reading of the best tweets from the game.
Locked On Syracuse - Daily Podcast On Syracuse Orange Football & Basketball: Syracuse Falls Just Short Of A Season Defining Win Against UNC on Apple Podcasts (apple.com; podcast; Locked on Syracuse)
Matt Bonaparte and Owen Valentine discuss a heartbreaking loss in The Dome for Syracuse Basketball as they played host to UNC. Who should have had the ball down the stretch? Chris Bell came to play? Where do things go from here? It's your Locked On Syracuse Wednesday Episode.
ACC News
Louisville football: 3 second-year players who’ll become stars in 2023 (saturdayblitz.com; Muldowney)
Louisville football is undergoing plenty of changes this offseason with Scott Satterfield leaving for Cincinnati and Purdue’s Jeff Brohm taking over at his alma mater.
The Cardinals had a slightly disappointing 2022 season and will rely on some second-year players to turn things around in Brohm’s first season as head coach. It’s not going to be easy to make this a seamless transition, but enough top prospects from the Cardinals’ 2022 class stuck around that we could see Louisville bowling in 2023, at the very least.
Here are a few top prospects from the 2022 class that could star for Louisville in 2023.
3 CHRIS BELLWR Louisville
There were three receivers ranked ahead of Chris Bell in Louisville’s 2022 class, but Chris Bell had the biggest immediate impact of the group as a freshman.
The Cardinals had four-star Devaughn Mortimer and three-stars Chance Morrow and Maurice Turner to work with in the 2022 class, but Bell stood out above that talented group and earned some serious playing time. Oh, and it helped that one of those guys actually moved to running back because the receiver room was set.
Bell finished sixth on the team with 105 yards on seven receptions in nine games. It wasn’t exactly the most productive season but he showed flashes of what he could contribute.
And Jeff Brohm is no stranger to producing elite receivers from the ranks of the underrated and that’s exactly what Bell is.
2 POPEYE WILLIAMSDE/LB Louisville
We didn’t see a ton of Popeye Williams last season for Louisville, but you can bet Jeff Brohm is going to utilize the former top-200 edge rusher more than Scott Satterfield did before he left. Brohm is going to utilize all of the top talent on the roster that he can to get Louisville turned back in the right direction.
Williams fits that bill.
Coming to Louisville as the No. 180 recruit in the country as well as the 17th-best edge rusher, Williams probably expected to contribute right away but he played in just six games and had three total tackles. He didn’t quite have the impact that he, or anyone else, expected, but it’s not easy for freshmen to become stars.
With another year in the program and with a new coaching staff getting fresh eyes on the depth chart, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Williams crack that starting lineup or, at the very least, the two-deep.
He’s just far too talented to keep off the field for too long. And we’ll see that in 2023.
1 MAURICE TURNERRB Louisville
Maurice Turner wasn’t exactly the highest-rated recruit in Louisville’s average 2022 class, ranking as the No. 146 receiver in the nation, but he had one of the bigger impacts of any freshman.
And no, it wasn’t at the position everyone was expecting him to play.
As I said, Turner came in as a receiver and the third-best at that position in Louisville’s 2022 class. But he was just 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds which doesn’t exactly scream receiving threat at the FBS level. He just didn’t have the prototypical receiver size and that opened the door for a position change.
Scott Satterfield decided to move Turner to running back to help out a somewhat thin room. He had an immediate impact.
Turner was fourth on the team with 314 yards on 65 carries and he also had 12 catches for 72 yards. Nearly 400 yards of total offense as a freshman? Not too shabby. Plus, he has shown he can make plays in the passing game because he does have those receiver skills ingrained in him.
Tiyon Evans is gone so that opens a door for Turner to be the RB2 to Jawhar Jordan’s RB1 in 2023 and potential have a breakout season.
Well-traveled Jurkovec happy to come home to Pittsburgh (apnews; Graves)
Phil Jurkovec committed to Notre Dame as a sophomore in high school back in the spring of 2016, a decision the quarterback described as difficult because it meant choosing the Fighting Irish over the hometown Pittsburgh Panthers.
It was understandable at the time. Pat Narduzzi was still attempting to find his footing entering his second season at Pitt and the Panthers were stuck in the middle of the pack in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Fast forward nearly seven years, and things have changed.
The former four-star recruit is still looking to deliver on the considerable promise he showed as a high schooler after stints at both Notre Dame and Boston College. The Panthers, meanwhile, have emerged from the pack to carve out a niche near the top of the ACC.
No wonder Jurkovec wanted to come home for the final stop in his nomadic career. He entered the transfer portal shortly after finishing up last season with the Eagles and wasted little time joining a team that finished 2022 ranked No. 22 after a dramatic Sun Bowl win over UCLA, offering proof that the ACC title they captured in 2021 with former quarterback Kenny Pickett wasn’t a fluke.
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ACC football: Every team's best transfer portal signee in 2023 cycle (247sports.com; Lucas Jr)
The ACC as a whole struggled in 2022, failing to get a team to the College Football Playoff, which had been a regular occurrence for the conference, particularly Clemson. The ongoing 2023 offseason has seen a handful of players migrate to new teams in the ACC, with a significant portion of the players either defensive backs or wide receivers. With February nearing its arrival, we listed the top-ranked incoming transfer for every team in the conference.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has not been shy about his feelings in the past regarding the portal. He has consistently echoed that there needs to be stricter guidelines. Ahead of the Orange Bowl, he explained why and also detailed his stance on eliminating signing day.
"… Kids are committed for a long time and then all of the sudden the portal opens up and people see this portal guy and they call the high school kid back and say, 'Hey, you don't have a scholarship here anymore.' So, I think it ought to be early so those kids can lock into their school. ... You should sit a year (if you transfer). Right now, we have no pain or consequence," Swinney said last month.
Below is the top-ranked transfer for every ACC team in the 2023 cycle, according to the 247Sports Transfer Portal rankings.
In 2020 as a recruit, Donovan McMillon was projected to land between the fourth and seventh rounds of the NFL Draft. He was a four-star prospect before signing with Florida, ranking No. 125 nationally, No. 6 at safety and No. 6 in Pennsylvania. McMillon chose to take his talents to Pittsburgh where he looks to elevate the Panthers secondary.
“Big safety that appears to have the frame to land at linebacker or rover depending on development,” McMillon’s breakdown on his 247Sports profile says, originally written in 2020.” Has a can’t-miss presence on the field. Physical and aggressive. Plays fast, particularly as a downhill defender. Has a good feel in curl-flat coverage. Tackles well on perimeter. Shows wide-receiver skills in high school. Ball skills and downfield playmaking are there. Good all-around athlete with a wrestling background. Doesn’t show much man coverage and could struggle against college receivers. More of a run-support safety than a cover safety. Shows some stiffness in transition. Instincts, size and developmental trajectory point to a Power Five impact starter with some positional versatility who we view as a future mid-round NFL Draft pick.”
In the modern era of football, you aren’t going to win many games if you can’t stop the pass. So Boston College bolstered its secondary by landing corner back Alex Washington, who previously starred at Harvard. In 2022, he totaled 24 tackles, broke up three passes and recorded two interceptions. In 2021, he plucked away four interceptions. He saw action in 27 games during his time with the Crimson and looks to build on his production as he makes the leap to the FBS level and into the Power Five.
The transfer that made the most headlines was former Texas A&M quarterback Haynes King becoming a Yellow Jacket. But the highest-rated player is wide receiver Abdul Janneh, who formerly starred at Duquesne. Standing at 6-foot-3, Janneh adds a weapon to Georgia Tech’s offense as the program looks to get back to its winning ways. The pass-catcher comes off an impressive sophomore campaign, catching 44 passes for 604 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games. One of those scores came against Florida State.
Louisville is one of the handful of teams that benefited from Texas A&M’s mediocrity. A number of Aggies players transferred and the Cardinals ended up with Marquis Groves-Killebrew, a former four-star recruit. Groves-Killebrew appeared in just three games during his freshman season in 2022, meaning his redshirt status remained intact. He logged two tackles against Ole Miss. He was the No. 15 cornerback in the Class of 2022, ranking No. 12 in the state of Georgia overall.
The Tennessee wide receiver room is crowded, leading Walker Merrill to pursue a better opportunity, which he hopes comes at Wake Forest. A former three-star recruit, Merrill caught eight passes for 116 yards and three touchdowns in 2022. It was his second season as a collegiate athlete, playing in 10 games as a freshman when he registered five catches. The depth of the Vols' receiving corps remains steep even with Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman departing for the NFL Draft. Merrill didn’t log an offensive snap in the Orange Bowl victory over Clemson. He ranked No. 65 at wide receiver coming out of high school and No. 11 in Tennessee overall.
Virginia has seen success in its wide receiver room as of late and Malik Washington looks to continue that trend by joining the ACC ranks after spending time at Northwestern. He entered the portal as a grad transfer and has been impactful through his career, totaling 109 catches for 1,272 yards and three touchdowns in the last two seasons. Star quarterback Brennan Armstrong is no longer around but Washington should make life easier for UVA’s offense.
(Photo: Getty)
Formerly: Nebraska
The 2022 season was a disaster for Nebraska, but Jaeden Gould finds himself in a different setting with new opportunities after transferring to Syracuse. He was a four-star recruit coming out of the Class of 2022 and was regarded as the No. 36 cornerback and No. 3 player in New Jersey. He appeared in one game this past season for the Huskers — Nebraska's 49-14 loss to Oklahoma — and did not record a tackle during his time on the field.
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Can Florida State overtake Clemson? Will Notre Dame take the next step? | Always College Football (youtube; video; ESPN College Football)
Can Florida State overtake Clemson? Will Notre Dame take the next step? | Always College Football Is Florida State the favorite in the ACC heading into 2023 or can Clemson maintain their dominance in the conference?
There were several quarterbacks that transferred out of the ACC, while some stayed in the conference. Also, can Notre Dame take the next step with their best quarterback since Brady Quinn?
ESPN analyst calls Florida State the ‘best team returning’ in ACC (on3.com; Vessels)
ESPN analyst Greg McElroy is a big believer in Florida State heading into the 2023 season. The Seminoles had a breakthrough year in 2022 to finish 10-3, and McElroy expects them to take another leap.
With names such as Jared Verse and Jordan Travis set to return, it’s hard to argue. In a recent episode of his podcast, Always College Football, McElroy tabbed FSU as the best returning team in the ACC, predicting it to surpass Clemson.
“I think they’re the best team returning in the ACC,” McElroy said. “You’re gonna say, ‘Greg, how can you say that? They lost to NC State. They lost to Clemson.’ I understand that, but you look at what’s returning. You’ve got seven back on offense. You’ve got nine back on defense. They have already proven to be a team that can not just attract guys in the portal, but can take the guys they brought in and put them in a great situation to make a legitimate leap forward. I think that’s what they’ll do this year.”
Verse, a transfer from Albany, was the most impactful addition for Florida State in 2022. He had a breakout season to finish with 48 tackles (17 for loss) and nine sacks, opting to return to Tallahassee despite being a projected first-round pick. The Seminoles also got big seasons from transfer receivers Johnny Wilson and Mycah Pittman, the former of whom led FSU with 43 catches for 897 yards and five touchdowns.
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COLUMN: Robert Anae and what he brings to NC State football’s offense (technicianonline.com; Robinson)
Wolfpack fans, you’ve got your guy. Welcome new football offensive coordinator Robert Anae. Widely respected for his offensive prowess, Anae arrives in Raleigh following an impressive stint as the offensive coordinator at Syracuse and, before that, the University of Virginia.
Anae is a very progressive offensive mind with a knack for developing quarterbacks. Some QBs Anae has developed include Super Bowl-winner Nick Foles and now-senior transfer Brennan Armstrong. Under Anae, Armstrong broke single-season UVA records for touchdown passes at 31, passing yards at 4,449 and total offense at 4,700 yards.
Hopefully Anae can bring some variety and excitement to the Wolfpack offense as the past year was dreadful. Under former offensive coordinator Tim Beck, the offensive unit ranked 94th in the country in points per game and 116th in yards per play. Looking at the big picture, there are only 131 FBS teams, making these statistics hard to look at if you're a Wolfpack fan.
Beck's main criticism is he was too conservative. Wolfpack fans are used to this conservative play calling with Dave Doeren as the head coach, but this year, it was especially noticeable. This conservative approach appears on the scoreboard and the stat sheet as Pro Football Focus (PFF) graded the NC State offense as 91st in the country.
Beck was extremely conservative because his offense was centered around quarterback Devin Leary, and when Leary went down, he had no solution. With Anae at the helm, there should be a solution and significant changes in this stagnant offense.
Some changes to expect from Anae include a real run game that’s not predicated on screens, an increase in quarterback development and a shift from the traditional NFL-style offense to a more spread-based team.
Run game
The first problem Anae will have to address is the run game, which must be on point for a spread offense to be successful. This is seen around the country with lethal passing-attack teams like Tennessee, Ohio State and USC. These teams’ rushing attack is undervalued, but it opens up the offense and allows playmakers to get in space as the defense is trying to stop the run. All of these teams rank in the top-20 in the PFF Grade for rushing.
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Know the Foe: Virginia Tech football’s 2023 home opponents - Virginia Tech Athletics (hokiesports.com)
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Let's take a look at which teams will be making the trek to Blacksburg this upcoming football season.
NC State
Though the Wolfpack (8-5, 4-4 ACC) welcome in a new quarterback, he is no stranger to Tech fans, as former Virginia gunslinger Brennan Armstrong has taken his talents to Raleigh. Head coach Dave Doeren, with Armstrong in the fold, has a new offensive coordinator in Robert Anae, who used to be Armstrong's OC before going to Syracuse last year as its OC. Known for its strong defense, the Wolfpack return all-ACC performer Payton Wilson at linebacker and cornerback Aydan White, who had four interceptions last season, and are coming off of a year of ranking No. 11 nationally in rush defense (100.7 ypg).
Old Dominion
Beginning its season with the Monarchs for the second year in a row, Virginia Tech will play host to ODU this time around at Lane Stadium in its season opener. Former coordinators together at Penn State, ODU head coach Ricky Rahne and Tech head coach Brent Pry will face off for the second time, following last year's game in Norfolk. The Monarchs, who went 3-9 (2-6 Sun Belt) last season and ranked No. 12 nationally in red zone defense, return their leading tackler in linebacker Jason Henderson, an All-American who tallied a nation-leading 186 tackles. Conversely, the Hokies welcome former All-Sun Belt wide receiver Ali Jennings from ODU.
Pitt
Following a 37-35 bowl win in the Sun Bowl over then-No. 18 UCLA, Pitt (9-4, 5-3 ACC) enters 2023 on a five-game winning streak and welcomes another fellow ACC quarterback to its roster, like NC State, in Boston College transfer Phil Jurkovec. But it loses a bevy of All-ACC picks, including running back Israel Abanikanda (1,805 all-purpose yards, 21 TDs). Pat Narduzzi, who will coach his ninth season at Pitt this fall, is one of the ACC's longest-tenured head coaches and faced Pry when he was the defensive coordinator at Penn State. With Abanikanda off to the NFL, the Panthers will lean on Rodney Hammond Jr. (460 yds, 5 TDs) to be the go-to guy at running back.
Purdue
The Boilermakers (8-6, 6-3 B1G) enter their first season with Ryan Walters, formerly the defensive coordinator at Illinois, as their head coach. He was named the 247Sports Defensive Coordinator of the Year last month and hired Graham Harrell (offensive coordinator; formerly West Virginia's OC) and Kevin Kane (defensive coordinator; formerly Illinois' LB Coach). Purdue is coming off a Big Ten West division championship and Big Ten title game appearance, but loses its starting quarterback, No. 1 wide receiver and first-string tight end. Its new play-caller Harrell will look to build around Texas transfer Hudson Card at quarterback, while Walters and Kane will expect safety Sanoussi Kane, the team's top tackler in 2022 (72), to carry the torch defensively.
Syracuse
It was a fascinating tale of two halves for the Orange (7-6, 4-4 ACC) last season, winning their first six games and then falling in six of their last seven. Head coach Dino Babers, who enters his eighth season with 'Cuse, welcomes two new coordinators while losing his star running back in Sean Tucker. Tucker finished his career as Syracuse's third all-time leading rusher (3,182 yards) and will be big shoes to fill heading into 2023, but the Orange do return their quarterback in Garrett Shrader (2,640 passing yards, 26 TDs). Defensively, the Orange have new defensive coordinator Rocky Long, a respected coach who has 20 years of head coaching experience at the FBS level, and he will look to maintain the 3-3-5 defense 'Cuse has executed recently and will lean heavily on star linebacker Marlowe Wax (team-high 91 tackles) to lead the defense
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What could a 2023 FSU football schedule look like? (tomahawknation.com; News)
The ACC will officially release its 2023 football schedules on January 30th, solidifying matchups for the upcoming season.
It’s the first year that the conference will be switching over to a new structure for both scheduling and determining a conference champion, with the top two teams making the title game and divisions completely eliminated.
As part of the new arrangement, Florida State will be facing off against the Clemson Tigers, Miami (FL) Hurricanes, and Syracuse Orange yearly, and from 2023 to 2026 will face off against the following opponents:
In 2023, Florida State has four non-conference opponents locked in — the Florida Gators, LSU Tigers, Southern Miss Golden Eagles and North Alabama Lions.
With those games already scheduled out, the only gaps left to fill in projecting a 2023 FSU football schedule are where the ACC games will take place.
Additionally, with no Week 0 game this season, the chances of FSU playing in a Friday game are relatively slim. Since 2016, the ACC has had Florida State play a conference game outside of Saturday four times (2016, 2017, 2018, 2022).
(There is a small chance that the conference has FSU play a Week 0 conference game, as ACC commissioner Jim Phillips has expressed previously that starting the season a week earlier makes sense ahead of playoff expansion.)
So how do we start to fill in the blanks? We have a little bit of help with other already-scheduled games.
Saturday, September 9: Southern Miss
Saturday, September 16: at Boston College
Saturday, September 23: at Wake Forest
Saturday, September 30: Syracuse Orange
Saturday, October 7: Duke Blue Devils
Saturday, October 14: Miami Hurricanes
Saturday, October 21: at Pitt Panthers
Saturday, October 28: at Clemson Tigers
Saturday, November 4: BYE
Saturday, November 11: Virginia Tech
Saturday, November 18: North Alabama Lions
Saturday, November 25: at Florida Gators
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Sapakoff: Beamer's third South Carolina football season vs. SEC, ACC trends (P&C; Sapakoff)
Will Muschamp went backsliding. Twice.
Dabo Swinney turned things around from hot seat to elite. Nick Saban set the dominant tone.
Brian Kelly made major strides, and again, and once more.
The third time is a charm. A curse.
Or worse.
Shane Beamer is off to a better-than-expected start two seasons in as South Carolina head coach: 7-6 and 8-5 with two bowl appearances. Upsets of Auburn, Florida and North Carolina in 2021, knocking Tennessee and Clemson out of the College Football Playoff in 2022.
“I would hope the progress that we’ve made is extremely evident,” Beamer said.
Independent audits concur.
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Other
Screen shot from 2021 live stream of nest camera shows red-tailed hawks SU-Sue (left) and Otto (right) refurbishing their nest.Photo by Anne Marie Higgins
Otto, Syracuse University’s widowed red-tailed hawk, dies five days after mate (PS; Featherstone)
Otto, the Syracuse University red-tailed hawk, died last week, five days after the death of his mate, SU-Sue.
On Friday, Jan. 19, SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry students walking in Oakwood Cemetery reported a red-tailed hawk dead on the ground. They messaged Anne Marie Higgins, an avid birder who runs the Red-Tailed Hawk Tales Facebook page. Higgins confirmed that the dead hawk was Otto.
A wildlife rehabilitator who examined Sue determined that the bird had symptoms consistent with head trauma before she died. It’s unclear what caused Otto’s death. Higgins took the corpses of both birds to Cornell University’s Animal Health Diagnostic Center for analysis and will post updates on her Facebook page when available.
The oldest known wild red-tailed hawk was a 30-year-old Michigan bird, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Scientific studies put the average lifespan of wild red-tailed hawks somewhere between 10 and 20 years. Otto and Sue were believed to be 13-14 years old.
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On Spouses Day, spouses celebrate each other and show how much they appreciate, cherish, and care for each other. The simplest way they celebrate is with a sincere, "I love you." They spend the day together, doing all sorts of fun things, and sometimes even buy each other gifts. The day is celebrated by those who are married, but also by those in common-law marriages, civil unions, and domestic partnerships.
SU News
ESPN Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest NFL Draft positional rankings feature 2 Syracuse favorites (PS; Leiker)
NFL draft season is upon the football world, and Syracuse is shaping up to have potentially its best draft class of Dino Babers’ tenure.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., one of the most respected draft analysts, released his first mock draft and Big Board since the end of the college football season on Wednesday. While no SU players featured in the first-round draft predictions, two ended up in Kiper’s Top 10 position lists.
Offensive tackle Matthew Bergeron came in at No. 6 among his peers, three of whom Kiper projects will be selected in the draft’s opening round. Bergeron had been the No. 5 OT on Kiper’s last Big Board published Dec. 9.
Bergeron will appear in the Senior Bowl on Feb. 4. He’s the only SU player to have received an invitation after he helped pave the way for back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons from running back Sean Tucker and served as a team captain in 2022.
Cornerback Garrett Williams was the other Orange player to make Kiper’s Top 10 at his position. Williams had been left off the last Big Board after tearing his ACL midseason against Notre Dame right after he also missed time with a thigh bruise.
This time around, Williams is the No. 8 cornerback on Kiper’s list. He recently signed with talent agency WME Sports.
Tucker did not crack Kiper’s top-10 running backs but was the first listed in the “Just Missed” category. Tucker is training for the draft in Florida with his long-time trainer Daniel Harper Sr.
The 2023 NFL Draft is set for April 27-29 in Kansas City.
David Fawcett/InsideNoVa
2023 DL Ty Gordon discusses Syracuse commitment (247sports.com; Finneral)
2023 defensive lineman Ty Gordon signed with Syracuse in December after flipping his commitment from Old Dominion. When Gordon visited Syracuse, he felt an instant connection with the program.
“When I got there for my visit, I just loved the people,” Gordon said. “It's a great and big opportunity that I couldn’t say no to.”
Gordon played his high school football at Battlefield in Haymarket, Virginia. Gordon had an excellent season where he was named the Cedar Run District co-defensive player of the year and first-team all-region. He said the culture around the program is what drew him to Syracuse.
“The coaching staff is great and they really treat me like family,” Gordon said. “They want what’s best for me as a player and as a man.”
Battlefield went 10-1 this season and lost in the first round of the playoffs. At six-foot-two, 267-pounds, Gordon has a great build for a defensive lineman. He does a nice job at using his size and speed to get into the backfield quickly. Gordon is still looking to step up his game before joining the Orange for the 2023 season.
“I will need to work on my pass rush and the speed heading to college because it’s totally different,” he said.
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Transfer portal players had mixed results after leaving Syracuse - The Juice Online (the juice; Gustin)
Though Syracuse finished with its best record since 2018 at 7-6, several key players entered the transfer portal once the season ended, including defensive backs Duce Chestnut and Ja’Had Carter.
With these departures in mind, we checked in on how the 2022 transfers from Syracuse were fairing across college football.
Tommy Devito, QB: The most well known transfer from Syracuse heading into last season was QB Tommy Devito, who was under center for the Orange for four seasons before entering the portal for Illinois. Devito played in the Big 10 and did not disappoint for an overachieving Illinois team. The fifth year senior led the Fighting Illini to the ReliQuest Bowl against Mississippi State and finished 8-5 on the season. Devito threw for 2,650 yards at a 69.6% completion rate, the best numbers of his college career. After losing the starting spot at QB for the Orange to Garrett Shrader, Devito brought Illinois their first winning season in over ten years.
Cooper Lutz, RB: After failing to see much playing time at Syracuse in two seasons with the Orange, running back Cooper Lutz transferred to Vanderbilt. After getting 43 carries in his freshman year at Syracuse, Lutz struggled to get playing time in the SEC. At Vanderbilt last season, he only had 24 rushing yards in total and a touchdown. The senior has one more year of eligibility with the Commodores.
Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, LB: One of the most impactful players following his transfer from Syracuse, Cantin-Arku was with the Orange for three seasons. He had over 100 total tackles during his time at Syracuse with five sacks. He transferred to Memphis, and the LB had a breakthrough season for a struggling Memphis team. Cantin-Arku had 41 solo tackles and the most combined total tackles in his career. He now enters his senior year in position to be an important piece of Memphis’ defense.
Taj Harris, WR: After spending four years at Syracuse, four star recruit Taj Harris went into the transfer portal for his fifth year of eligibility. Harris had over 500 receiving yards in three years at Syracuse, with 733 receiving yards and five touchdowns in his junior year. After transferring to Rutgers, the senior did not see much time on the field.With the Scarlet Knights, he finished with just one reception on the year with minimal playing time and he left the team shortly after for personal reasons.
Jarveon Howard, RB: After receiving limited playing time at Syracuse for three seasons, Howard transferred to Alcorn State. In the SWAC, Alcorn State finished at 5-6 on the year, just missing out on bowl eligibility. The transfer to a mid-major program worked well for Howard. With more opportunities, Howard had 253 carries for over 1,200 rushing yards. He led the way at running back for the Braves with 12 TDs on the year. The RB still can play one year of college football after his senior year with the COVID season.
Adrian Cole, DB: Following his sophomore campaign at Syracuse, Cole transferred to Florida International for the 2022 season. Cole had his best year while playing for the Panthers at defensive back. Although Florida International went 4-8 in the C-USA, Cole’s decision to transfer saw him with more opportunity on the field, finishing the season with 36 total tackles, a sack, and a defensive TD.
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Newhouse At Night 1-25-23 (ESPN; radio; Newhouse at Night)
Jack Gordon and Andrew Della Piana start Newhouse at Night discussing the questionable officiating in Syracuse’s close loss to North Carolina. Then, Dylan Beyer and Rahill Jaiswal continue the conversation, drawing on a positive for Jim Boeheim’s squad.
On The Block On Demand 1-25-23 (ESPN; radio; Axe)
Brent discusses the impact the refs had on last night’s loss. Later, he does a dramatic reading of the best tweets from the game.
Locked On Syracuse - Daily Podcast On Syracuse Orange Football & Basketball: Syracuse Falls Just Short Of A Season Defining Win Against UNC on Apple Podcasts (apple.com; podcast; Locked on Syracuse)
Matt Bonaparte and Owen Valentine discuss a heartbreaking loss in The Dome for Syracuse Basketball as they played host to UNC. Who should have had the ball down the stretch? Chris Bell came to play? Where do things go from here? It's your Locked On Syracuse Wednesday Episode.
ACC News
Louisville football: 3 second-year players who’ll become stars in 2023 (saturdayblitz.com; Muldowney)
Louisville football is undergoing plenty of changes this offseason with Scott Satterfield leaving for Cincinnati and Purdue’s Jeff Brohm taking over at his alma mater.
The Cardinals had a slightly disappointing 2022 season and will rely on some second-year players to turn things around in Brohm’s first season as head coach. It’s not going to be easy to make this a seamless transition, but enough top prospects from the Cardinals’ 2022 class stuck around that we could see Louisville bowling in 2023, at the very least.
Here are a few top prospects from the 2022 class that could star for Louisville in 2023.
3 CHRIS BELLWR Louisville
There were three receivers ranked ahead of Chris Bell in Louisville’s 2022 class, but Chris Bell had the biggest immediate impact of the group as a freshman.
The Cardinals had four-star Devaughn Mortimer and three-stars Chance Morrow and Maurice Turner to work with in the 2022 class, but Bell stood out above that talented group and earned some serious playing time. Oh, and it helped that one of those guys actually moved to running back because the receiver room was set.
Bell finished sixth on the team with 105 yards on seven receptions in nine games. It wasn’t exactly the most productive season but he showed flashes of what he could contribute.
And Jeff Brohm is no stranger to producing elite receivers from the ranks of the underrated and that’s exactly what Bell is.
2 POPEYE WILLIAMSDE/LB Louisville
We didn’t see a ton of Popeye Williams last season for Louisville, but you can bet Jeff Brohm is going to utilize the former top-200 edge rusher more than Scott Satterfield did before he left. Brohm is going to utilize all of the top talent on the roster that he can to get Louisville turned back in the right direction.
Williams fits that bill.
Coming to Louisville as the No. 180 recruit in the country as well as the 17th-best edge rusher, Williams probably expected to contribute right away but he played in just six games and had three total tackles. He didn’t quite have the impact that he, or anyone else, expected, but it’s not easy for freshmen to become stars.
With another year in the program and with a new coaching staff getting fresh eyes on the depth chart, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Williams crack that starting lineup or, at the very least, the two-deep.
He’s just far too talented to keep off the field for too long. And we’ll see that in 2023.
1 MAURICE TURNERRB Louisville
Maurice Turner wasn’t exactly the highest-rated recruit in Louisville’s average 2022 class, ranking as the No. 146 receiver in the nation, but he had one of the bigger impacts of any freshman.
And no, it wasn’t at the position everyone was expecting him to play.
As I said, Turner came in as a receiver and the third-best at that position in Louisville’s 2022 class. But he was just 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds which doesn’t exactly scream receiving threat at the FBS level. He just didn’t have the prototypical receiver size and that opened the door for a position change.
Scott Satterfield decided to move Turner to running back to help out a somewhat thin room. He had an immediate impact.
Turner was fourth on the team with 314 yards on 65 carries and he also had 12 catches for 72 yards. Nearly 400 yards of total offense as a freshman? Not too shabby. Plus, he has shown he can make plays in the passing game because he does have those receiver skills ingrained in him.
Tiyon Evans is gone so that opens a door for Turner to be the RB2 to Jawhar Jordan’s RB1 in 2023 and potential have a breakout season.
Well-traveled Jurkovec happy to come home to Pittsburgh (apnews; Graves)
Phil Jurkovec committed to Notre Dame as a sophomore in high school back in the spring of 2016, a decision the quarterback described as difficult because it meant choosing the Fighting Irish over the hometown Pittsburgh Panthers.
It was understandable at the time. Pat Narduzzi was still attempting to find his footing entering his second season at Pitt and the Panthers were stuck in the middle of the pack in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Fast forward nearly seven years, and things have changed.
The former four-star recruit is still looking to deliver on the considerable promise he showed as a high schooler after stints at both Notre Dame and Boston College. The Panthers, meanwhile, have emerged from the pack to carve out a niche near the top of the ACC.
No wonder Jurkovec wanted to come home for the final stop in his nomadic career. He entered the transfer portal shortly after finishing up last season with the Eagles and wasted little time joining a team that finished 2022 ranked No. 22 after a dramatic Sun Bowl win over UCLA, offering proof that the ACC title they captured in 2021 with former quarterback Kenny Pickett wasn’t a fluke.
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ACC football: Every team's best transfer portal signee in 2023 cycle (247sports.com; Lucas Jr)
The ACC as a whole struggled in 2022, failing to get a team to the College Football Playoff, which had been a regular occurrence for the conference, particularly Clemson. The ongoing 2023 offseason has seen a handful of players migrate to new teams in the ACC, with a significant portion of the players either defensive backs or wide receivers. With February nearing its arrival, we listed the top-ranked incoming transfer for every team in the conference.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has not been shy about his feelings in the past regarding the portal. He has consistently echoed that there needs to be stricter guidelines. Ahead of the Orange Bowl, he explained why and also detailed his stance on eliminating signing day.
"… Kids are committed for a long time and then all of the sudden the portal opens up and people see this portal guy and they call the high school kid back and say, 'Hey, you don't have a scholarship here anymore.' So, I think it ought to be early so those kids can lock into their school. ... You should sit a year (if you transfer). Right now, we have no pain or consequence," Swinney said last month.
Below is the top-ranked transfer for every ACC team in the 2023 cycle, according to the 247Sports Transfer Portal rankings.
PITTSBURGH: DB DONOVAN MCMILLON
Formerly: FloridaIn 2020 as a recruit, Donovan McMillon was projected to land between the fourth and seventh rounds of the NFL Draft. He was a four-star prospect before signing with Florida, ranking No. 125 nationally, No. 6 at safety and No. 6 in Pennsylvania. McMillon chose to take his talents to Pittsburgh where he looks to elevate the Panthers secondary.
“Big safety that appears to have the frame to land at linebacker or rover depending on development,” McMillon’s breakdown on his 247Sports profile says, originally written in 2020.” Has a can’t-miss presence on the field. Physical and aggressive. Plays fast, particularly as a downhill defender. Has a good feel in curl-flat coverage. Tackles well on perimeter. Shows wide-receiver skills in high school. Ball skills and downfield playmaking are there. Good all-around athlete with a wrestling background. Doesn’t show much man coverage and could struggle against college receivers. More of a run-support safety than a cover safety. Shows some stiffness in transition. Instincts, size and developmental trajectory point to a Power Five impact starter with some positional versatility who we view as a future mid-round NFL Draft pick.”
BOSTON COLLEGE: DB ALEX WASHINGTON
Formerly: HarvardIn the modern era of football, you aren’t going to win many games if you can’t stop the pass. So Boston College bolstered its secondary by landing corner back Alex Washington, who previously starred at Harvard. In 2022, he totaled 24 tackles, broke up three passes and recorded two interceptions. In 2021, he plucked away four interceptions. He saw action in 27 games during his time with the Crimson and looks to build on his production as he makes the leap to the FBS level and into the Power Five.
GEORGIA TECH: WR ABDUL JENNAH
Formerly: DuquesneThe transfer that made the most headlines was former Texas A&M quarterback Haynes King becoming a Yellow Jacket. But the highest-rated player is wide receiver Abdul Janneh, who formerly starred at Duquesne. Standing at 6-foot-3, Janneh adds a weapon to Georgia Tech’s offense as the program looks to get back to its winning ways. The pass-catcher comes off an impressive sophomore campaign, catching 44 passes for 604 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games. One of those scores came against Florida State.
LOUISVILLE: DB MARQUIS GROVES-KILLEBREW
Formerly: Texas A&MLouisville is one of the handful of teams that benefited from Texas A&M’s mediocrity. A number of Aggies players transferred and the Cardinals ended up with Marquis Groves-Killebrew, a former four-star recruit. Groves-Killebrew appeared in just three games during his freshman season in 2022, meaning his redshirt status remained intact. He logged two tackles against Ole Miss. He was the No. 15 cornerback in the Class of 2022, ranking No. 12 in the state of Georgia overall.
WAKE FOREST: WR WALKER MERRILL
Formerly: TennesseeThe Tennessee wide receiver room is crowded, leading Walker Merrill to pursue a better opportunity, which he hopes comes at Wake Forest. A former three-star recruit, Merrill caught eight passes for 116 yards and three touchdowns in 2022. It was his second season as a collegiate athlete, playing in 10 games as a freshman when he registered five catches. The depth of the Vols' receiving corps remains steep even with Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman departing for the NFL Draft. Merrill didn’t log an offensive snap in the Orange Bowl victory over Clemson. He ranked No. 65 at wide receiver coming out of high school and No. 11 in Tennessee overall.
VIRGINIA: WR MALIK WASHINGTON
Formerly: NorthwesternVirginia has seen success in its wide receiver room as of late and Malik Washington looks to continue that trend by joining the ACC ranks after spending time at Northwestern. He entered the portal as a grad transfer and has been impactful through his career, totaling 109 catches for 1,272 yards and three touchdowns in the last two seasons. Star quarterback Brennan Armstrong is no longer around but Washington should make life easier for UVA’s offense.
SYRACUSE: DB JAEDEN GOULD
Formerly: Nebraska
The 2022 season was a disaster for Nebraska, but Jaeden Gould finds himself in a different setting with new opportunities after transferring to Syracuse. He was a four-star recruit coming out of the Class of 2022 and was regarded as the No. 36 cornerback and No. 3 player in New Jersey. He appeared in one game this past season for the Huskers — Nebraska's 49-14 loss to Oklahoma — and did not record a tackle during his time on the field.
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Can Florida State overtake Clemson? Will Notre Dame take the next step? | Always College Football (youtube; video; ESPN College Football)
Can Florida State overtake Clemson? Will Notre Dame take the next step? | Always College Football Is Florida State the favorite in the ACC heading into 2023 or can Clemson maintain their dominance in the conference?
There were several quarterbacks that transferred out of the ACC, while some stayed in the conference. Also, can Notre Dame take the next step with their best quarterback since Brady Quinn?
ESPN analyst calls Florida State the ‘best team returning’ in ACC (on3.com; Vessels)
ESPN analyst Greg McElroy is a big believer in Florida State heading into the 2023 season. The Seminoles had a breakthrough year in 2022 to finish 10-3, and McElroy expects them to take another leap.
With names such as Jared Verse and Jordan Travis set to return, it’s hard to argue. In a recent episode of his podcast, Always College Football, McElroy tabbed FSU as the best returning team in the ACC, predicting it to surpass Clemson.
“I think they’re the best team returning in the ACC,” McElroy said. “You’re gonna say, ‘Greg, how can you say that? They lost to NC State. They lost to Clemson.’ I understand that, but you look at what’s returning. You’ve got seven back on offense. You’ve got nine back on defense. They have already proven to be a team that can not just attract guys in the portal, but can take the guys they brought in and put them in a great situation to make a legitimate leap forward. I think that’s what they’ll do this year.”
Verse, a transfer from Albany, was the most impactful addition for Florida State in 2022. He had a breakout season to finish with 48 tackles (17 for loss) and nine sacks, opting to return to Tallahassee despite being a projected first-round pick. The Seminoles also got big seasons from transfer receivers Johnny Wilson and Mycah Pittman, the former of whom led FSU with 43 catches for 897 yards and five touchdowns.
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COLUMN: Robert Anae and what he brings to NC State football’s offense (technicianonline.com; Robinson)
Wolfpack fans, you’ve got your guy. Welcome new football offensive coordinator Robert Anae. Widely respected for his offensive prowess, Anae arrives in Raleigh following an impressive stint as the offensive coordinator at Syracuse and, before that, the University of Virginia.
Anae is a very progressive offensive mind with a knack for developing quarterbacks. Some QBs Anae has developed include Super Bowl-winner Nick Foles and now-senior transfer Brennan Armstrong. Under Anae, Armstrong broke single-season UVA records for touchdown passes at 31, passing yards at 4,449 and total offense at 4,700 yards.
Hopefully Anae can bring some variety and excitement to the Wolfpack offense as the past year was dreadful. Under former offensive coordinator Tim Beck, the offensive unit ranked 94th in the country in points per game and 116th in yards per play. Looking at the big picture, there are only 131 FBS teams, making these statistics hard to look at if you're a Wolfpack fan.
Beck's main criticism is he was too conservative. Wolfpack fans are used to this conservative play calling with Dave Doeren as the head coach, but this year, it was especially noticeable. This conservative approach appears on the scoreboard and the stat sheet as Pro Football Focus (PFF) graded the NC State offense as 91st in the country.
Beck was extremely conservative because his offense was centered around quarterback Devin Leary, and when Leary went down, he had no solution. With Anae at the helm, there should be a solution and significant changes in this stagnant offense.
Some changes to expect from Anae include a real run game that’s not predicated on screens, an increase in quarterback development and a shift from the traditional NFL-style offense to a more spread-based team.
Run game
The first problem Anae will have to address is the run game, which must be on point for a spread offense to be successful. This is seen around the country with lethal passing-attack teams like Tennessee, Ohio State and USC. These teams’ rushing attack is undervalued, but it opens up the offense and allows playmakers to get in space as the defense is trying to stop the run. All of these teams rank in the top-20 in the PFF Grade for rushing.
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Know the Foe: Virginia Tech football’s 2023 home opponents - Virginia Tech Athletics (hokiesports.com)
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Let's take a look at which teams will be making the trek to Blacksburg this upcoming football season.
NC State
Though the Wolfpack (8-5, 4-4 ACC) welcome in a new quarterback, he is no stranger to Tech fans, as former Virginia gunslinger Brennan Armstrong has taken his talents to Raleigh. Head coach Dave Doeren, with Armstrong in the fold, has a new offensive coordinator in Robert Anae, who used to be Armstrong's OC before going to Syracuse last year as its OC. Known for its strong defense, the Wolfpack return all-ACC performer Payton Wilson at linebacker and cornerback Aydan White, who had four interceptions last season, and are coming off of a year of ranking No. 11 nationally in rush defense (100.7 ypg).
Old Dominion
Beginning its season with the Monarchs for the second year in a row, Virginia Tech will play host to ODU this time around at Lane Stadium in its season opener. Former coordinators together at Penn State, ODU head coach Ricky Rahne and Tech head coach Brent Pry will face off for the second time, following last year's game in Norfolk. The Monarchs, who went 3-9 (2-6 Sun Belt) last season and ranked No. 12 nationally in red zone defense, return their leading tackler in linebacker Jason Henderson, an All-American who tallied a nation-leading 186 tackles. Conversely, the Hokies welcome former All-Sun Belt wide receiver Ali Jennings from ODU.
Pitt
Following a 37-35 bowl win in the Sun Bowl over then-No. 18 UCLA, Pitt (9-4, 5-3 ACC) enters 2023 on a five-game winning streak and welcomes another fellow ACC quarterback to its roster, like NC State, in Boston College transfer Phil Jurkovec. But it loses a bevy of All-ACC picks, including running back Israel Abanikanda (1,805 all-purpose yards, 21 TDs). Pat Narduzzi, who will coach his ninth season at Pitt this fall, is one of the ACC's longest-tenured head coaches and faced Pry when he was the defensive coordinator at Penn State. With Abanikanda off to the NFL, the Panthers will lean on Rodney Hammond Jr. (460 yds, 5 TDs) to be the go-to guy at running back.
Purdue
The Boilermakers (8-6, 6-3 B1G) enter their first season with Ryan Walters, formerly the defensive coordinator at Illinois, as their head coach. He was named the 247Sports Defensive Coordinator of the Year last month and hired Graham Harrell (offensive coordinator; formerly West Virginia's OC) and Kevin Kane (defensive coordinator; formerly Illinois' LB Coach). Purdue is coming off a Big Ten West division championship and Big Ten title game appearance, but loses its starting quarterback, No. 1 wide receiver and first-string tight end. Its new play-caller Harrell will look to build around Texas transfer Hudson Card at quarterback, while Walters and Kane will expect safety Sanoussi Kane, the team's top tackler in 2022 (72), to carry the torch defensively.
Syracuse
It was a fascinating tale of two halves for the Orange (7-6, 4-4 ACC) last season, winning their first six games and then falling in six of their last seven. Head coach Dino Babers, who enters his eighth season with 'Cuse, welcomes two new coordinators while losing his star running back in Sean Tucker. Tucker finished his career as Syracuse's third all-time leading rusher (3,182 yards) and will be big shoes to fill heading into 2023, but the Orange do return their quarterback in Garrett Shrader (2,640 passing yards, 26 TDs). Defensively, the Orange have new defensive coordinator Rocky Long, a respected coach who has 20 years of head coaching experience at the FBS level, and he will look to maintain the 3-3-5 defense 'Cuse has executed recently and will lean heavily on star linebacker Marlowe Wax (team-high 91 tackles) to lead the defense
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What could a 2023 FSU football schedule look like? (tomahawknation.com; News)
The ACC will officially release its 2023 football schedules on January 30th, solidifying matchups for the upcoming season.
It’s the first year that the conference will be switching over to a new structure for both scheduling and determining a conference champion, with the top two teams making the title game and divisions completely eliminated.
As part of the new arrangement, Florida State will be facing off against the Clemson Tigers, Miami (FL) Hurricanes, and Syracuse Orange yearly, and from 2023 to 2026 will face off against the following opponents:
ONE WEEK until our 2023 Football Schedule Release show on @accnetwork
3 - 5 - 5 on deckpic.twitter.com/Iov4wlNrUz
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) January 24, 2023
Countdown to the 2023 ACC Football Schedule Release continues!pic.twitter.com/FgFztr8wP8
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) January 24, 2023
In 2023, Florida State has four non-conference opponents locked in — the Florida Gators, LSU Tigers, Southern Miss Golden Eagles and North Alabama Lions.
With those games already scheduled out, the only gaps left to fill in projecting a 2023 FSU football schedule are where the ACC games will take place.
Additionally, with no Week 0 game this season, the chances of FSU playing in a Friday game are relatively slim. Since 2016, the ACC has had Florida State play a conference game outside of Saturday four times (2016, 2017, 2018, 2022).
(There is a small chance that the conference has FSU play a Week 0 conference game, as ACC commissioner Jim Phillips has expressed previously that starting the season a week earlier makes sense ahead of playoff expansion.)
So how do we start to fill in the blanks? We have a little bit of help with other already-scheduled games.
- Boston College has games scheduled for September 2 (NIU), September 9 (Holy Cross), October 7 (at Army) and October 28 (UConn).
- Clemson has games scheduled for September 9 (Charleston Southern), September 16 (FAU), November 4 (Notre Dame) and November 25 (at South Carolina)
- Duke has games scheduled on September 9 (Lafayette), September 16 (Northwestern), September 23 (at UConn) and September 30 (Notre Dame).
- Miami has games scheduled on September 2 (Miami of Ohio), September 9 (Texas A&M), September 14 (Bethune-Cookman) and September 23 (at Temple).
- Pitt has games scheduled on September 2 (vs. Wofford), September 9 (vs. Cincinnati), September 16 (at West Virginia) and October 28 (at Notre Dame).
- Syracuse has games scheduled on September 2 (Colgate), September 9 (Western Michigan), September 16 (at Purdue) and September 23 (Army)
- Virginia Tech has games scheduled for September 2 (Old Dominion), September 9 (Purdue), September 16 (at Rutgers), September 23 (at Marshall) and November 25 (at Virginia).
- Wake Forest has games scheduled for August 31 (Elon), September 9 (Vanderbilt), September 16 (at Old Dominion) and November 18 (at Notre Dame).
Projected 2023 Florida State football schedule
Sunday, September 3: LSU Tigers (Orlando)Saturday, September 9: Southern Miss
Saturday, September 16: at Boston College
Saturday, September 23: at Wake Forest
Saturday, September 30: Syracuse Orange
Saturday, October 7: Duke Blue Devils
Saturday, October 14: Miami Hurricanes
Saturday, October 21: at Pitt Panthers
Saturday, October 28: at Clemson Tigers
Saturday, November 4: BYE
Saturday, November 11: Virginia Tech
Saturday, November 18: North Alabama Lions
Saturday, November 25: at Florida Gators
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Sapakoff: Beamer's third South Carolina football season vs. SEC, ACC trends (P&C; Sapakoff)
Will Muschamp went backsliding. Twice.
Dabo Swinney turned things around from hot seat to elite. Nick Saban set the dominant tone.
Brian Kelly made major strides, and again, and once more.
The third time is a charm. A curse.
Or worse.
Shane Beamer is off to a better-than-expected start two seasons in as South Carolina head coach: 7-6 and 8-5 with two bowl appearances. Upsets of Auburn, Florida and North Carolina in 2021, knocking Tennessee and Clemson out of the College Football Playoff in 2022.
“I would hope the progress that we’ve made is extremely evident,” Beamer said.
Independent audits concur.
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Other
Screen shot from 2021 live stream of nest camera shows red-tailed hawks SU-Sue (left) and Otto (right) refurbishing their nest.Photo by Anne Marie Higgins
Otto, Syracuse University’s widowed red-tailed hawk, dies five days after mate (PS; Featherstone)
Otto, the Syracuse University red-tailed hawk, died last week, five days after the death of his mate, SU-Sue.
On Friday, Jan. 19, SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry students walking in Oakwood Cemetery reported a red-tailed hawk dead on the ground. They messaged Anne Marie Higgins, an avid birder who runs the Red-Tailed Hawk Tales Facebook page. Higgins confirmed that the dead hawk was Otto.
A wildlife rehabilitator who examined Sue determined that the bird had symptoms consistent with head trauma before she died. It’s unclear what caused Otto’s death. Higgins took the corpses of both birds to Cornell University’s Animal Health Diagnostic Center for analysis and will post updates on her Facebook page when available.
The oldest known wild red-tailed hawk was a 30-year-old Michigan bird, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Scientific studies put the average lifespan of wild red-tailed hawks somewhere between 10 and 20 years. Otto and Sue were believed to be 13-14 years old.
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