sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Wordsmith Day!
Wordsmith Day is celebrated annually on May 3. This holiday celebrates the weavers of words. If you have ever read something and it stuck in your head or you had to go back to soak the words in then you have experienced the joys of carefully crafted words. Books, articles, and dialogue in movies have all inspired people and that is all thanks to wordsmiths. Let us dive into the magical world of words and appreciate the people who work with them.
The term ‘wordsmith’ is derived from ancient phrases like ‘blacksmith,’ ‘goldsmith,’ ‘silversmith,’ and ‘locksmith,’ all of which refer to a high level of competence and expertise in a particular technique. Wordsmiths possess mastery in the use of words and are in the profession of weaving words like magic that leave an imprint on others.
So, let’s take a closer look at the genesis of the term ‘wordsmith.’ It is easy to see how this word came to be associated with those who work with words to generate new things if we break it down into the terms ‘word’ and ‘smithing.’ According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, ‘smithing’ is the process of creating metalwork for manufacturing or repair. It is the thought of forging something anew from metal bars that comes to mind when we think about this old trade. Authors twist and mold words to form thoughts and ideas, much like a blacksmith does with iron or steel while creating a new tool or piece of jewelry.
SU News
Quarterback Braden Davis visits Penn State as a high school recruit Oct. 5, 2019. Davis, now in the transfer portal after leaving the University of South Carolina, would be a good candidate to join Syracuse's QB corp. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com
5 quarterbacks Syracuse should target in the transfer portal (PS; $; Leiker)
Garrett Shrader and Carlos Del Rio-Wilson are poised to be the names on the Syracuse football depth chart at quarterback this fall for the second consecutive season.
But after losing JaCobian Morgan to Justin Lamson to the transfer portal and missing out on signing LaNorris Sellers to the class of 2023 when he flipped his commitment, there’s only one player behind them — non-scholarship QB Luke MacPhail.
The Orange is in dire need of some depth in its quarterback corp, someone who could reasonably lead the offense in case of emergency this fall.
So what would Syracuse be looking for in an ideal transfer portal QB?
The most important factor is age. Whoever SU brings in has to be young — a class of 2021 or 2022 player.
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Where SU football's 2023 scholarship roster stands after spring ball (PS; $; Leiker)
After the spring football season and the second NCAA transfer portal window closed, Syracuse football will have an estimated 75 players on scholarship entering fall camp.
There’s room to add more, as NCAA rules cap FBS rosters at 85 scholarship players.
Including walk-ons, SU should have at least 91 total players on its roster this summer.
That and the scholarship number both include the 11 additional incoming freshmen and junior college transfers who signed with the program earlier this year but did not join for spring ball.
Syracuse lost three players during the second transfer portal window: quarterbacks JaCobian Morgan and Justin Lamson, and defensive lineman Jatius Geer. Morgan did not go through spring practice with SU, but the other two did and were significant contributors.
Though the portal closed Sunday, schools have 48 hours to enter players’ names, meaning there could be more news of players entering through the end of Tuesday. Players can exit the portal by committing to a school at any time.
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Syracuse quarterback Garrett Shrader looks to throw a pass against Boston College on Nov. 26. Shrader came in at No. 10 on PFF's list of highest graded returning quarterbacks for the upcoming season. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)AP
Shrader one of PFF's highest graded returning QBs for 2023 (PS; Leiker)
Garrett Shrader is the 10th-highest graded quarterback returning in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Syracuse football starter finished the 2022 season with an overall offensive grade of 86.1.
The list features three other current or former ACC quarterbacks in Florida State’s Jordan Travis at No. 1, University of North Carolina’s Drake Maye at No. 3 and Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman (formerly of Wake Forest) at No. 6.
Shrader started all but one game for Syracuse last season. He completed 205 passes for 2,640 yards and 17 touchdowns with seven interceptions. His passing grade from PFF was an 80.2.
On the ground, Shrader added an additional 453 yards and nine touchdowns. His run grade was a 75.2.
Though he struggled more toward the end of the season while battling a lower body injury, Shrader attracted praise for the overall improvement he’d made in his game early in 2022. He was PFF’s Offensive Player of the Week in each of the two opening weeks, tabbing 72% and 87% completion percentages against Louisville and University of Connecticut, respectively.
Shrader finished the season with a 147.9 efficiency rating, the fourth-highest in the ACC, behind Travis, Hartman and Maye.
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https://www.si.com/college/syracuse...ie-seabourn-schedules-syracuse-official-visit (SI; McAllister)
Syracuse football is still looking to add talent to its roster for the 2023 season. The Orange will host junior college defensive back Jakobie Seabourn for an official visit the weekend of May 12th. Seabourn, a 6-1, 190 pound safety, has spent the last two seasons at Santa Barbara Community College and has two years of eligibility remaining. He starred for Cyprus Ranch High in Texas as a high schooler.
Seabourn says he does not have an offer, yet.
"Not yet," Seabourn said. "They are waiting till I go on my visit to meet the head coach."
Seabourn says he has been in contact with the defensive coaches and special teams coordinator for the last two weeks or so. Their message to him is simple.
"They need to bulk up in their secondary and they see me coming in and competing for a spot," Seabourn said.
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(youtube.com; video; ACC DN)
The spring, Syracuse football fans got introduced to a lot of new players looking to take over key roles for the Orange in the fall. Playing this Spring without quarterback Garrett Shrader, redshirt sophomore quarterback Justin Lamson was given a change to show his talents. Lamson finished the game completing 16 of 23 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown. Former Florida transfer quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson threw two touchdown passes and completed 10 of 16 passes for 95 yards. Oronde Gadsden II had four catches in limited snaps, giving a chance for other receivers to shine. Umari Hatcher caught four passes for 55 yards with two touchdowns, and Kendall Long had a game-high 65 receiving yards on five receptions and a touchdown. Take a look at some of these new need-to-know names in Syracuse with the 2023 Spring Football Game.
https://www.si.com/college/syracuse...vid-wohlabaugh-offered-syracuse-looking-visit (SI; McAllister)
Kentucky transfer offensive lineman David Wohlabaugh Jr. (6-6, 321 lbs) has been offered by Syracuse and is looking to visit in the next week, he tells All Syracuse. David played in eight games with one start last season after redshirting in 2021. He has three years of eligibility remaining. His father, Dave Wohlabaugh Sr., was a guard and center for the Orange from 1992-94.
Junior says he has spoken to a bunch of schools since entering the portal, and that he is also looking to visit Oklahoma.
The younger Wohlabaugh signed with Kentucky in the 2021 recruiting class out of Walsh Jesuit High School in Ohio. He picked the Wildcats over offers from Arizona State, Maryland, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Purdue and West Virginia, among many others. He was rated a three star prospect, the 69th best offensive tackle and 24th best player in Ohio by 247Sports. Rivals also rated him as a three star prospect that was the 69th best player at his position, but ranked him 28th best in the state.
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Syracuse football: Matthew Bergeron nearly selected in first round by Dallas Cowboys (TNIAAM; Chiappone)
Reports of Syracuse Orange offensive tackle Matthew Bergeron’s rising stock prior to the 2023 NFL Draft proved to be true.
Bergeron, who was selected with the 38th pick by the Atlanta Falcons became Syracuse’s highest draft selection since the New York Giants drafted tackle Justin Pugh 19th overall in 2013. The Falcons trading up to get him seemed confusing to some last week, but according to this published conversation within the Dallas Cowboys’ draft room you can see that Atlanta wasn’t the only team coveting the former Syracuse captain.
Bergeron was that close to being a 1st round pick for Dallas, who instead opted to take Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith in the 26th slot.
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Syracuse football: how recent transfers affect team depth (TNIAAM; Ostrowski)
With the transfer portal now closed to any more players, Syracuse Orange fans can breathe a soft sigh of relief. After Jatius Geer and Justin Lamson both unexpectedly decided to explore other options, SU thankfully did not have any other last-minute departures (Ed. note: We hope). But where does the duo’s absence leave the team now?
The Defensive Line, which was already a bit thin in terms of experience, is now without its breakout starter from last season. As a redshirt freshman, Geer appeared in all 13 games, starting 12 at Defensive End. He tallied 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a blocked PAT in what should have been a stepping stone for Syracuse's biggest position of concern at the time. Instead, the Orange will once again turn to the youth to try and find a solution here.
Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff, Kevin Jobity Jr., and Chase Simmons are all internal options who had some playing time last year. There’s also Alabama transfer Braylen Ingraham in the mix - although he was very sparingly seen in spring camp.
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Syracuse Football: Some May musings on the Orange football program (itlh; Fiello)
Hello, Syracuse football fans and welcome to May 2023 (cue NSYNC and “It’s Gonna Be May”). Normally, I pick a subject and write about one topic, but there’s been a few items hit lately that I wanted to touch briefly on and share what’s going on.
Here are my May musings on Syracuse football.
2023 NFL Draft and signees
First, congratulations to some of the Syracuse football players now on NFL teams. Offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft (although it appears the Dallas Cowboys almost drafted him in the first round).
Then a round later, cornerback Garrett Williams was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round.
Then when the draft was completed, three other players signed UFA (Undrafted Free Agent) deals with NFL teams. Kicker Andre Szmyt signed with the Chicago Bears, linebacker Mikel Jones signed with the Los Angeles Chargers and running back Sean Tucker signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Good luck to all…you all worked hard to get this opportunity so I hope you continue to work and it pays off.
WWE has a draft, too
And speaking of drafts, does anyone remember former Syracuse football offensive lineman Omari Palmer? Well for the last couple of years, Omari had been wrestling in WWE’s “developmental brand” called NXT under the name Odyssey Jones.
I believe Omari said in an interview that he had someone sending clips of him in a gym to former WWE wrestler and current AEW employee Mark Henry who saw his workout and got him a tryout with WWE.
He was out for a while due to injury but recently returned and just this past Monday was “drafted” to the WWE Raw brand. I look forward to seeing him on Raw in the future and wonder if one day we might see more former Orange players in the WWE system.
Transfer portal losses
Unfortunately with that good news comes news of a transfer as Syracuse football quarterback Justin Lamson has entered the NCAA’s transfer portal. He joins fellow QB JaCobian Morgan and defensive lineman Jatius Geer, who it was speculated would see a lot of playing time this season.
The Lamson & Morgan news means the quarterback room lost one guy who two years ago saw game action in a backup role in Morgan and a guy competing with Carlos Del Rio-Wilson as the backup to Garrett Shrader.
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SU long snapper Bolinsky receives Buffalo Bills mini camp invite (PS; Leiker)
Syracuse football long snapper Aaron Bolinsky received a mini camp invite from the Buffalo Bills, the SU program shared Tuesday via Twitter.
Bolinsky started 55 total games for the Orange, including every game from 2019-22. In that time, he snapped for three different All-Americans in Szmyt, Sterling Hofrichter and Nolan Cooney.
CNYWNY@aaron53bolinsky has a mini camp invite with the @BuffaloBills#ProOrange pic.twitter.com/yh5MPwfQlF
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) May 2, 2023
He was a team captain in 2022 and a nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy, which honors the FBS player who most exemplifies community service and team leadership.
Bolinsky is originally from Frackville, Pennsylvania.
The Bills have one rostered long snapper in Reid Ferguson. He’s been with Buffalo since the 2017 season.
Two Syracuse players were selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, and another three signed as undrafted free agents after the draft’s conclusion. Bolinsky is the first unsigned player to have received a camp invitation.
Why Undrafted?: Sean Tucker, RB, Syracuse (walterfootball.com; Campbell)
This series was created a number of years ago in response to questions about why certain well-known prospects went unselected in NFL drafts. For these articles, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to pass on that prospect. The positive response to "Why Undrafted" and questions from readers about why prospects were drafted lower than the media expectations led us to create the parallel series "Why the Slide?"
Both series are back this year. Feel free to email me requests for Why the Slide? and Why Undrafted? at draftcampbell@gmail.com. I can't promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.
During the 2022 college football season, there was a good amount of media hype about Syracuse running back Sean Tucker. He had produced well in 2021, and he followed that up with a respectable 2022 season. While Tucker played well for the Orange over the past few seasons, NFL teams were not impressed enough to select him in the 2023 NFL Draft, so he slid into the undrafted ranks.
NFL sources shared with WalterFootball.com that the the biggest factor for Tucker's falling undrafted was because teams had him graded as a backup. Players with backup grades are on Day 3 of draft boards. Starters are first- or second-rounders, while many third-round picks are assessed as backup-caliber players who could potentially develop into starters. Tucker faced some medical concerns as well, but teams felt that he lacked a defining trait, which caused them to view him as a future backup. They saw Tucker as not overly powerful or fast for the next level and likely to also struggle in pass blocking. Those thing, in combination with the medical questions, led to Tucker ending up as an undrafted free agent.
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ACC News
ACC By The Numbers: 2023 NFL Draft (youtube; video; ACC DN)
At the end of the 3-day 7-round 2023 NFL Draft, the ACC saw 32 players get drafted into the league. 13 of the 14 ACC football schools had at least one player selected in the draft. For the fourth time in five drafts, the Clemson Tigers had multiple players taken in the first round. Boston College has a player selected in the first round for the second year in a row. The Hurricanes had their active streak of having at least one player drafted grow to 49 consecutive drafts. Check out all the interesting notes coming out of the 2023 NFL Draft as we go By The Numbers.
North Carolina Football: 3 Things To Know Post Spring (youtube.com; video; ACC DN)
The North Carolina Tar Heels have wrapped up spring practice and fans of the team are anxiously awaiting the start of the 2023 season. Excitement for Drake Maye's redshirt sophomore season is off the charts, and one thing we learned from spring practice and the spring game is that Maye looks ready. The Heisman favorite was as efficient as ever in the spring game, completing 10-13 passes for 159 yards with 2 touchdowns. It appears that the Heels have reloaded at WR. Transfers Tez Walker and Nate McCollum both scored in the game, with Walker looking like a new favorite target for Maye and McCollum showing the ability to go up and get the deep ball and make defenders miss after the catch. Find out the 3rd thing to know about your UNC Tar Heels following spring practice here.
Stacked Safeties Room Provides Leadership on the Backend - Wake Forest University Athletics (godeacs.com; Johns)
The Wake Forest safety room is suddenly loaded with talent and experience — so much so that defensive coordinator Brad Lambert and safety coach James Adams will have to find creative ways to get more than a couple of them on the field at the same time this season.
"They're flying around and having fun," Adams said. "They're doing a good job by taking ownership of our defense. They make all the adjustments. They know what's going to happen before the offense knows. It's really cool sitting back and listening to them, as they have those conversations pre-snap.
"They're putting themselves in a position to make plays, although we have been leaving a few out there."
Once the pads went on after the first week of camp, the defensive sideline was loud, both pre-snap and after the play was over. They're demonstrative, boisterous and celebratory.
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If the new 12-team CFP had been in 2022... (RX; HM)
If the new 12-team CFP had been in 2022...
The CFP is teasing the new playoff format (starting NEXT season - sorry!), and I LOVE it!
How the 2022 Playoffs would've looked under the new CFP-12 plan:
First Round:
#9 Kansas State at #8 Tennessee (Knoxville, TN)#12 Tulane at #5 TCU (Ft. Worth, TX)
#11 Penn State at #6 Ohio State (Columbus, OH)
#10 USC at #7 Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL)
Second Round:
K-State/Tenn. winner vs #1 Georgia at Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, LA)...
2022 UNC Revenue Data (RX; HM)
2022 UNC Revenue Data
From 247Sports - Next Level: The Money Side of UNC Athletics by Greg Barned - here are some insights and observations...Here are some highlights from the OP:
| Media Rights Fees (TV) | $31.50 million |
| Other ACC Revenue | $6.20 million |
| NCAA Units Revenue | $4.00 million |
| Duke's Mayo Bowl Rev. | $1.60 million |
| TOTAL Conf. Distribution | $43.3 million |
That tv revenue number has really gone up, and it isn't all from the ACC Network - although that's probably about $9 - $10 million of it. That said, the T1 is also escalating by a little over $1M/year.
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UNC Football: Mack Brown revisits his feelings about the Tar Heels’ 2023 schedule (tarheelblog.com; Hood)
LOL. Hey Mack, take a look at the Syracuse schedule if you want to see a tough 3 game stretch...
Around the time that the ACC football schedule was being announced, Mack Brown had some choice words for a schedule that had Carolina ending their season at home against Duke, going to Clemson, then going to NC State. In fact, he called it “unfair” to have stacked their schedule to that degree.
Since then, Carolina and Brown has focused on spring practices and doing what they can to get the likes of Josh Downs and others drafted. On Monday, Brown was invited on The Adam Gold Show to talk about some of these things. Gold got Brown to talk about most of the hot button issues — NIL, recruiting, and so on — and then ended the interview with a simple question: do you like the new division less format?
Mack Brown definitely does not.
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Other
State budget includes $300 million to pave way for Micron in Central New York (PS; $; Weiner)
The state budget that lawmakers are expected to pass today includes $300 million to help lay the groundwork for Micron Technology’s computer chip manufacturing plants in Central New York.
The funding represents a milestone for the planned $100 billion Micron campus in Syracuse’s northern suburbs, setting aside the first government incentives promised for the massive project.
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office confirmed the budget includes $200 million to pay for roads and other infrastructure improvements for Micron’s 1,400-acre campus at White Pine Commerce Park in the town of Clay.
Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that the state money would likely be used to improve access to the Micron campus.
McMahon said he has talked with state officials about adding new exits and on-ramps to Interstates 81 and 481 to handle the increased traffic to the Micron site at Route 31 and Caughdenoy Road.
The budget also sets aside $100 million from the state toward a $500 million community investment fund aimed at making sure the Micron project provides economic benefits for all of Central New York, according to the governor’s office.
Micron has agreed to provide an additional $250 million for the community fund, with the remaining $150 million coming from other local, state and national partners.
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Plans to raze the Collegian Hotel, formerly the Genesee Grande, in Syracuse and build student housing in its place are off. (Google Maps)
Longtime Syracuse hotel saved from the wrecking ball (PS; $; Moriarty)
The longtime Syracuse hotel formerly known as the Genesee Grande will live on.
Plans to demolish the nearly 70-year-old hotel and replace it with student housing are off.
The owner of Collegian Hotel & Suites, formerly the Genesee Grande, said in a news release the property will remain a hotel “for the foreseeable future.”
“We are pleased to announce that the Collegian Hotel & Suites will remain, and we look forward to welcoming guests from all over the world to experience the charm and character of our historic property,” said Gary Brandeis, CEO of Scholar Hotel Group.
Ronald Balle, vice president of sales and marketing for Scholar Hotel Group, said Tuesday that Opus Development Co., the company behind the student housing project, decided not to go forward with the development.
Opus did not give a reason for the decision, he said. Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard has reached out to the company for comment.
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