sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Ice Cream Sundae Day!
Ice cream sundaes—which are ice cream desserts with one or more scoops of ice cream with sauces or syrups, often with other toppings such as fruits, maraschino cherries, nuts, sprinkles, and whipped cream—are enjoyed on National Ice Cream Sundae Day. The "classic" ice cream sundae has vanilla ice cream topped with a flavored sauce or syrup, such as chocolate or strawberry, as well as whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. Some variations of the sundae include the banana split, knickerbocker glory, turtle sundae, and tin roof sundae. Sundaes are also often topped with heated sauces or syrups such as hot fudge, butterscotch, and caramel.
Different places say they are where the ice cream sundae was invented but Ithaca, NY has the earliest documented proof. Upstate NY has invented most of the best things in life.
The Official Home of the Ice Cream Sundae
Official Home of the Ice Cream Sundae. Author Michael Turback's Collection of Works on America's Greatest Dessert
SU News
Justin Platt of Pope John (53) applies pressure against Rich Belin of Cardinal Hayes (3) during the Battle for the Bridge football game at SHI Stadium in Piscataway on Sunday, September 18, 2022.John Jones | For NJ Advance Media
Rich Belin’s athleticism sparks curiosity, but Syracuse football commit is intent on playing QB (PS; $; Carlson)
Rich Belin is a dual-threat quarterback. He comes from a family of football players. He is athletic enough that, over the course of his football career, he has spent seasons at running back and wide receiver.
Still, Belin said, he knows where he wants to play at Syracuse. The subject of a position change, he said, didn’t come up over the course of his recruitment by the Orange football program. And that was a good thing.
“It didn’t come up at all,” said Belin, the reigning Gatorade State Player of the Year in New York who verbally committed to the Orange in its Class of 2025 on June 27. “They offered me only as a quarterback.”
Belin’s dabbling at other positions has always come so that he could get on the field alongside his older brother, Henry IV, now a quarterback at Duke.
Outside of that, Belin said, he’s been playing quarterback for nearly his whole life. A student at Cardinal Hayes in the Bronx, Belin has been training with former Syracuse quarterback Madei Williams since he was about 10 years old.
Williams, who played quarterback at Syracuse from 1998 to 2000, said Belin has the intangibles to thrive at the position at the Power-Four level despite his short stature and the fact SU was the only Power-Four school to offer a scholarship during his recruitment.
Williams said he believes it was Belin’s size — he is just over 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds — that scared away bigger suitors and helped Syracuse win a recruitment where the biggest challengers were Delaware and Princeton.
“If he was 6-foot-2, if he had those traditional measurables, he would have way more Power-Four offers,” Williams said.
“I had some real low lows about it,” Belin said. “I’d be in coach’s office or with Madei as well. It’s funny how the recruiting world works. I’ve always trusted God so I never let it weigh me down. You can only control what you can control.”
Fran Brown’s staff first got in touch with Belin during the spring. They offered a scholarship in late May. He visited the school in June and committed last week.
Williams said he believes playing quarterback is about finding ways to win. He said Belin is capable of doing that in all three ways that are critical to being a successful quarterback in modern football.
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Syracuse football beats out regional recruiting rival, other Power 4 for 3-star defensive lineman (PS; Leiker)
Syracuse football beat out one of its regional recruiting rivals and another Power 4 school for the commitment of 3-star defensive lineman Elijah Crawford on Friday.
Crawford had a top three of Syracuse, Rutgers and West Virginia and announced his commitment via his social media. He visited all three programs in June.
Crawford is the seventh player in the Orange’s class to choose Syracuse while also holding a Rutgers offer, according to offer listings on 247Sports. The two schools have been neck-and-neck this recruiting cycle.
Hailing from Owings Mills, Maryland — the same hometown as former SU running back Sean Tucker — Crawford is rated as the No. 44 player in the state and No. 137 defensive lineman nationally by the 247Sports Composite.
He (6-foot-2.5, 285 pounds) attends the McDonogh School and finished his junior season with 39 total tackles and two sacks, according to the school’s MaxPreps page. As a sophomore, he had 32 tackles.
Crawford is the 28th member of Syracuse’s current recruiting class. There are five other defensive linemen verbally committed.
The addition of Crawford keeps the Orange one digit behind Rutgers for the most commitments in the country. A key difference, though, is the Scarlet Knights having seven four-star prospects pledged to their program. Syracuse lost its lone four-star by the 247Sports Composite last weekend in Sharlandiin Strange.
Neither program has a five-star commitment.
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Syracuse Wins Recruiting Battle For Three-Star Lineman (orangefizz.net; Papillo)
I’m sure SU fans will never get tired of this. Another day, another successful recruiting story for Fran Brown and Syracuse football as of late. This time around though, the Orange landed a prospect that had mutual interest from regional recruiting rival Rutgers, which has a bigger meaning than you may think right now.
On Friday, three-star defensive lineman Elijah Crawford announced his commitment to the 315. Crawford had settled on a top three of Syracuse, Rutgers, and West Virginia after visiting all three in June, so a win here for Brown is a pretty good one for the class of 2025.
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College football: Syracuse has reasons for adding so many recruits (nny360; Carlson)
The Syracuse football program has 27 verbal commitments in the Class of 2025, the second-most in the country trailing only Rutgers.
In recent years, that large number of commitments would mean the Orange was finished with recruiting. Until a rule change in 2023, schools were limited to taking 25 new players in a single year. The limit was changed, in part because schools needed to be able to accept and replace transfers.
While Syracuse doesn’t necessarily need to stop recruiting in the Class of 2025, the Orange already appears to be facing a numbers crunch. Each additional high school commitment, or added transfer, could mean one more player on the 2024 roster will be gone the following year.
Syracuse has 17 seniors on its roster. Those are the players who would traditionally be expected to run out of college eligibility and create space for the 2025 recruiting class.
In addition to departing seniors, there are juniors who can declare early the NFL draft, including tight end/receiver Oronde Gadsden II and running back LeQuint Allen. Other players may decide to pursue a graduate degree or a better shot at playing time elsewhere.
For now, the math doesn’t add up to the 85-player scholarship cap imposed by the NCAA. Syracuse doesn’t have the space to take 27 high school recruits without anticipating a measure of changes later this year.
Brian Dohn, a national college football recruiting analyst with 247Sports, suggested multiple reasons why Syracuse has accepted verbal commitments from such a substantial number of recruits.
They are:
— Recruits committing earlier in their careers.
— Efforts by Fran Brown and his staff to overhaul the roster.
— An uncertainty around roster sizes starting in 2025.
“The easy thing to do is sit here and say this is the reason,” Dohn said. “The reality is there are a lot of different factors in play, especially at Syracuse. There’s not just one.”
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New Syracuse football 3-star DL commit raves about coaches; scout details skill set (itlh; Adler)
New Syracuse football 2025 three-star commit Elijah Crawford from the Baltimore area is an intriguing prospect, experts say, and the talented defensive lineman is excited to down the line join a 'Cuse program that appears to be ascending.
On Friday night, the 6-foot-4, 280-pound Crawford verbally pledged to the Orange over other finalists Rutgers and West Virginia. He had officially visited all three squads, including an official visit to Syracuse football from June 7 to June 9.
Leading up to his commitment announcement, the 'Cuse possessed some analyst buzz for Crawford on recruiting Web sites, and the Orange staff ultimately prevailed for the rising senior and captain at the McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Md.
In an interview with 247Sports national analyst Brian Dohn, Crawford detailed why he picked Syracuse football, and he provided thoughts on head coach Fran Brown and assistant coach/defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson, both of whom joined the 'Cuse from Southeastern Conference schools.
Syracuse football landed a solid commitment this past Friday from 2025 3-star DL Elijah Crawford.
Crawford, who also took an unofficial visit to the Hill in late March of this year, was offered a scholarship by the Orange staff on December 12 of 2023.
His full offer sheet also included college groups such as Connecticut, Indiana, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Temple, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Charlotte, Akron, Liberty, Delaware, Coastal Carolina, Howard and Dartmouth.
When I wrote this article on Saturday, within the 2025 cycle, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite placed Crawford at No. 1,322 nationally, No. 137 at defensive lineman and No. 44 in Maryland.
The 247Sports recruiting service rates him as the No. 174 defensive lineman and the No. 51 player in Maryland within his class. , meanwhile, ranks Crawford as the No. 31 prospect in Maryland.
In his interview with Dohn, Crawford said, "It's great to have coach Elijah as my coach because, for one, he's had years of experience in the SEC and worked with and produced some of the top guys. Him being a DC, he really sees the whole field and can help me understand what the whole defense is trying to do on certain plays."
The new Syracuse football verbal commit added, "I chose them for a bunch of reasons but the biggest is how secure I feel with coach Elijah and coach Fran. At the end of the day, I'm putting a portion of my future in their hands and just talking with them over the recruiting process, I'm 100 percent certain that leaving Syracuse and going to the league or not, will have helped me be set for life."
In late May, Crawford suited up at an Under Armour camp in Baltimore. As I previously noted, while there, he caught the attention of rankings director and national transfer portal analyst Adam Friedman.
Additionally, 247Sports national scouting analyst Hudson Standish was also on hand at this Under Armour event. Standish says that Crawford plays with a lot of effort, is a high-energy prospect and boasts "promising football instincts."
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Three-star WR with Syracuse football in top 4 set to decide; suitors have analyst buzz (itlh; Adler)
Isaiah Mizell, a 2025 three-star wide receiver from Florida who has Syracuse football among his quartet of finalists, will announce his college decision on July 10.
The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Mizell, who took an official visit to the Hill from May 31 to June 2, has a final four of the 'Cuse, Kansas State, Arizona and fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Georgia Tech.
On Saturday, I came across several predictions in Mizell's recruitment on various recruiting Web sites. Over at 247Sports, there were at least two projections in Georgia Tech's direction. Via the On3 Web site, the Yellow Jackets had at least one prediction and a heavy lead per On3's recruiting prediction machine.
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https://www.sportskeeda.com/us/high...25-top-3-recruits-fran-brown-bought-offseason (sportskeeda.com; Mali)
The Syracuse Orange have landed 28 commits from the class of 2025.However, none of those players is rated higher than three stars. FranBrown hopes to improve on that and land some top-rated prospectsgoing forward.
They have 27 verbal commits, the second most in the country, after only Rutgers. The Orange can add more players, but that would mean more players will leave at the end of 2024. They will have to be wary of that.
Let's take a look at the program's top three recruits at the moment.
Syracuse's top 3 recruits so far
#3. Terrell Wilfong
New Jersey's three-star wide receiver Terrell Wilfong committed to the Orange April. The 6-foot-4 wideout chose the New York-based school over programs such as Penn State, Boston and Maryland.Wilfong expressed his feelings after committing to Syracuse.
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Syracuse football likely a long shot for 5-star WR, but making list cut still awesome (itlh; Adler)
It's likely a long shot that Syracuse football is going to ultimately prevail for 2025 five-star wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. from Florida.
He's got a ton of big-time suitors, so if the 5-foot-10, 172-pound Watkins ends up picking a college program besides the Orange, that's understandable and wouldn't be terribly surprising.
At the same time, the top-20 national prospect per , on July 4, disclosed a top 16 via X that does include the 'Cuse, and I think that's an awesome thing for Syracuse football coaches.
It's better to be on this list than not, right?
Watkins, rated by as the country's No. 2 wide receiver in the 2025 cycle, has a top 16 of the Orange, Michigan, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Florida State, Indiana, Texas, Ohio State, Colorado, Penn State, South Carolina and Ole Miss.
That top 16 boasts some recent national champions and numerous participants in the College Football Playoff. So for me, head coach Fran Brown and his top-flight staff even being in this list cut for Watkins speaks to how they have elevated the program from a recruiting standpoint.
Syracuse football faces a huge challenge in trying to win out for 2025 5-star WR Winston Watkins Jr.
Per 247Sports, Watkins has amassed more than 30 offers throughout his recruitment. The 'Cuse staff offered a scholarship to him on December 26, 2023, according to his X account.
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Why It's NOT A BIG DEAL Syracuse Football Does Not Have a 2025 4/5-Star Recruit (youtube; podcast; Locked on Syracuse)
Syracuse Football does not have a four or five star player in its 2025 recruiting class. However, Fran Brown has scored the second most commits in the country (only behind Rutgers) and has the 31st best class in the NCAA. The Orange are also in the running for four-star CJ May and five-star Winston Watkins.Jackson Holzer tells you it's no big deal that Syracuse Football does not have a four/five star player in its 2025 class on this week's edition of Poll Friday on the Locked On Syracuse Podcast.
Fran Brown Secures ANOTHER COMMITMENT in Syracuse Football's 2025 Recruiting Class | Elijah Crawford (youtube; podcast; Locked on Syracuse)
Syracuse Football landed its 28th commitment in its 2025 recruiting class, three-star defensive lineman Elijah Crawford. Crawford chose the Cuse over regional rival Rutgers and West Virginia. The d-lineman said his relationship with head coach Fran Brown and defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson won him over. The Orange are also in contention for three-star wide receiver Isaiah Mizell along with Georgia Tech, Kansas St. and Arizona.Jackson Holzer gives you a Cuse FB recruiting update on this edition of the Locked On Syracuse Podcast.
The IMPACT of Elijah Crawford's Commitment to Syracuse Football | Syracuse Football 2025 Recruiting (youtube; podcast; Locked on Syracuse; premieres at noon today)
Syracuse Football landed its 28th commitment in its 2025 recruiting class, three-star defensive lineman Elijah Crawford. Crawford chose the Cuse over regional rival Rutgers and West Virginia. Fran Brown has now got the second most commits in the country for 2025, and the class is ranked 32nd on 247sports.Jackson Holzer gives you a Cuse FB recruiting update.
Ole Miss football is looking to flip this talented Syracuse commit (olehottytotty.com; Merritt)
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and his staff are looking to dip into Florida again, working to flip one of their outstanding talents. The Rebels issued an offer to current Syracuse commit Demetres Samuel Jr., the Sunshine State's No. 17-ranked player.
Samuel Jr. is a 2026 four-star prospect and ranked the No.9 safety in the nation by 247Sports Composite Rankings. The Palm Bay native has been committed to Syracuse since March 30.
A 6-foot-0, 185-pound athlete, Samuel Jr. can play anywhere in the secondary and has played on both sides of the ball. Syracuse will need to work hard to ensure they keep hold of his commitment, as there is still a long way to go in his recruitment.
Ole Mis isn't the only team looking to flip the Florida native. Home state teams Miami, Florida State, and Florida are interested in his services, and the Gators sent an offer in March.
Ole Miss make top 12 for 2026 wide receiver
Another top 2026 recruit narrowed his recruiting to 12 teams, with Ole Miss making the talented wide receivers list. Jordon Gidron is among the nation's top wideouts, ranked the No. 6 wide receiver per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
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Syracuse football's 10 best quarterbacks of all-time per ChatGPT (247sports.com; McAllister)
ChatGPT is A somewhat I...
Syracuse football has had some memorable quarterbacks throughout its history. Some for very positive reasons, some for not so very positive reasons. The hope that in 2024 another positive memory is created with Kyle McCord running the show in Fran Brown's first year as head coach. That said, we are starting a series where we look back at the best players at each position in Orange history. Specifically the 10 best players at each position.
However, simply doing our ranking of the 10 best players at a specific position is too stale. It has been done a million times, and so we are doing so with a little twist to make it more fun. We are utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to come up with the list.
That's right. We asked ChatGPT who the 10 best players in Syracuse history at each position to come up with the list. We used the phrase (Syracuse football's 10 best [Position]), and will display the results here. Some are straightforward and expected. They make perfect sense and fit in line with what most Syracuse fans would have. Some results, however, are quite the opposite. It makes for an entertaining list that will provoke thoughts and laughter alike.
We start with quarterbacks and count backwards from 10. Note that we displayed the results exactly as ChatGPT produced them, not correcting for errors or duplicates.
10. NO ONE
That's right. ChatGPT put out a whopping blank for the 10th best quarterback in Syracuse football history. I could list options on who could, or perhaps should, appear here based on who is on the rest of the list. However, doing so would provide some spoilers as to the list because there is at least one omission that will surprise people. Someone who would be on nearly everyone's list of the best Syracuse quarterbacks of all-time. That is part of the fun of an exercise like this. Let's venture forward as the 10th spot, while funny, is a little boring.9. DON MCPHERSON
Player: Don McPhersonYears: 1984-1987
Stats: 367-686, 5,812 yards, 46 TDs, 26 INTs, 139.2 Rtg, 1,284 rushing yards, 19 rushing TDs, 1 receiving TD
ChatGPT Comments: He was a key player in the Orange's success in the 1980s.
Our thoughts: Don McPherson was undoubtedly one of the best quarters in Syracuse history. He led the Orange to its last undefeated season and had them in National Championship contention despite having little fanfare entering the season. He was snubbed of the Heisman Trophy in 1987 but still ushered in one of the best seasons for a Syracuse signal caller. He deserves to be on the list, but number nine seems very low.
8. DON MCPHERSON
Player: Don McPhersonYears: 1984-1987
Stats: 367-686, 5,812 yards, 46 TDs, 26 INTs, 139.2 Rtg, 1,284 rushing yards, 19 rushing TDs, 1 receiving TD
ChatGPT Comments: Led Syracuse to an undefeated season in 1987 and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting that year.
Our thoughts: We knew ninth was too low, so ChatGPT comes through and ALSO puts him at eight! The comments were a little more detailed as well. Like I previously said, this is the fun of using ChatGPT. We are three spots in and we already have a blank and a duplicate. That said, McPherson deserves to be on every list of top quarterbacks in Syracuse history.
7. GREG PAULUS
Player: Greg PaulusYears: 2009
Stats: 193-285, 2,024 yards, 13 TDs, 14 INTs, 1 rushing TD
ChatGPT Comments: Known for his unique career transition from Duke basketball to Syracuse football, he quarterbacked the team in the late 2000s.
Our thoughts: I think the season Greg Paulus had is a bit underappreciated. He had not played football since high school, was a high major college basketball player for years, and had a solid season getting back into football after that time away. I do not believe, however, that means he belongs on the list of ten best quarterbacks in Syracuse football history. Solid season that helped set the foundation for Doug Marrone, but not one of the best in an Orange uniform.
6. DANTLEY DAVIS
Player: Dantley DavisYears: ???
Stats: ???
ChatGPT Comments: Quarterbacked Syracuse in the early 1980s and was known for his efficient passing.
Our thoughts: After extensive google searching, I have no idea who ChatGPT is talking about here. I found no one named Dantley Davis that accumulated any stats for Syracuse football in the 1980s, nor was able to locate anyone with that name who played college football in that decade period. Could it have meant Todd Norley, who started from 1982-84? Possibly, but he had 11 touchdowns to 28 interceptions. Not a great choice. Could it have meant Cameron Dantley? Maybe, but he played in the 2000s and only had one year of extensive playing time. That year was OK but nothing more.
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Get to Know Your Orange Man: #23 RB, Yasin Willis (TNIAAM; De Guzman)
It’s time to start preparing for the 2024 Syracuse Orange football season. We’re going through the roster to take a look at each Syracuse player as we get to know a lot of new faces to kick off the Fran Brown Era.
Next up is...
Name: Yasin Willis
Position: Running Back
Year: Freshman
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 215 lbs.
Hometown: Newark, NJ
High School: St. Joseph Regional
2023 stats: Ran for 682 yards and 13 touchdowns in his senior year of high school.
2024 projections: It’s always impressive when a true freshman can seemingly crack the two-deep. That seems to be the case for Willis, who projects to be the primary backup to LeQuint Allen. His different bruising running style could provide a nice and unique change of pace for opposing defenses to adjust to.
How’d he get here?: Willis was originally a Pitt commit. He also had offers from major Power Five schools like Alabama, Michigan and Penn State, among others.
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Get to Know Your Orange Man: #23 DB, Devin Grant (TNIAAM; DeGuzman)
Name: Devin Grant
Position: Defensive Back
Year: Junior
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 190 lbs.
Hometown: Elmont, NY
High School: Holy Cross HS
Previous School: Buffalo
2023 stats: Earned First Team All-MAC honors after leading the conference with five interceptions.
2024 projections: Cornerback is somewhat of a mystery right now for Fran Brown’s team. Grant seemed to be at the very least in the initial mix on the two-deep. A strong summer and fall practice could see him jump from the portal right into a starting spot for the Orange.
How’d he get here?: Michigan State, Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt wanted Grant’s services out of the portal, but he chose the Orange and stayed in New York.
What’d recruiting sites say?: Three stars as a transfer. Out of high school, 247Sports gave Grant four stars as the No. 2 player out of New York.
Twitter feed: @DevinGrant2022
Instagram feed: @showtime.dev
Interesting nugget o’interest: Nothing like getting thrown into the fire. Grant’s first collegiate start was in the Camellia Bowl for Buffalo in 2022.
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MSN (msn.com;Wall)
It’s time to start preparing for the 2024 Syracuse Orange football season. We’re going through the roster to take a look at each Syracuse player as we get to know a lot of new faces to kick off the Fran Brown Era.
Next up is...
Name: Braheem Long, Jr
Position: Defensive Back
Year: Freshman
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 170 lbs.
Hometown: Camden, NJ
High School: Camden
2023 stats: Played corner and wide receiver for Camden last season. Long totaled 9 touchdowns (4 receiving, 3 returns and 2 defensive scores). He made 37 tackles and had 3 interceptions.
2024 projections: Long joins a number of players pushing for time at the cornerback position. It’s one of the interesting battles in camp to watch since the safety spots seem locked in.
How’d he get here?: Chose Syracuse over offers from West Virginia, Boston College and Pitt. Long committed to the previous staff last June and stayed on board after the transition.
What’d recruiting sites say?: Three stars across the board. Top 40 player in NJ according to 247, Rivals and ESPN
Twitter feed: @BraheemLong
Instagram feed: @bj1.x_
Braheem Long Jr on Instagram: "Walk By Faith"
Interesting nugget o’interest: Braheem is one of four Camden High alums on the Syracuse roster this season.
Let’s get a look at ya: Some footage of Long at Camden
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Fran Brown Ranked Lowest Among ACC Coaches By CBS Sports (orangefizz.net; Horning)
CBS Sports recently released its ACC coach rankings ahead of the 2024 college football season, and the well-recognized sports website didn’t do Syracuse justice.
CBS Sports ranked first-year head coach Fran Brown dead last in the 2024 ACC Coach Rankings. This places him 17th overall in the conference, as there are 17 teams in the ACC, and and 67th overall in college football.
The reason CBS Sports ranked the former Georgia defensive backs coach last is that he is “a coach making his power conference debut.” Coaches in this position “will often appear near the bottom of a ballot in this process, and when it’s also the first head coaching job it’s going to be an even tougher hurdle to clear for a high ranking.”
While this is a fair point for CBS Sports to make, the new Syracuse head coach has become the number one recruiter in the country. It’s understandable as to why CBS would rank Coach Brown last since Syracuse hasn’t been consistently relevant in the ACC over the past several years, but there seems to be a new type of energy taking over in Central New York.
CBS Sports does acknowledge the off-field success that Syracuse has had, but it wants that success to translate on the field before they move Coach Brown up the rankings.
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Former Syracuse football DB who did not play in 2023 season finds new home in FAMU (PS; $; Leiker)
A former Syracuse football defensive back who missed most of the past season has found a new home through the transfer portal.
Bralyn Oliver announced he’ll transfer to Florida A&M (FAMU) on his Instagram on Wednesday afternoon. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Oliver did not appear in any games last season for the Orange and fell off the roster midseason before entering the portal in December. Asked Sept. 11 why Oliver, who’d appeared in nine games in 2022, was absent, ex-head coach Dino Babers said it was not an injury issue but declined to provide additional details.
Oliver had five tackles in 2022 and appeared on special teams. He came to the Orange in fall 2021 after originally enrolling at Louisville. He did not play that season.
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ACC News
5 ACC football coaches on the hot seat for the 2024 season (fightinggobbler.com; Roche)
As there is with every college football season, there are coaches who begin the campaign on the hot seat. In fact, some of those seats can be scolding hot. That is the case again when camps open in less than a month.
The ACC welcomes SMU, California, and Stanford into the conference this season and it will be interesting to see how those teams end up competing in their first season. Of those three schools, there are no coaches who are considered on the hot seat, but that is not the case for some of the other teams. Here are four ACC coaches who begin the season on the hot seat with a ton of pressure for not only this season, but also the future.
Five ACC football coaches on the hot set in 2024
1 Mario Cristobal
Ok, so let's get the most obvious one out of the way. Things have not gone as planned in Mario Cristobal's first two seasons in South Florida with the Hurricanes. He is 12-13 with Miami and is coming off a 7-6 season that saw him have one of the biggest hiccups by any head coach last season against Georgia Tech. Leading 20-17 in the final seconds, instead of taking a knee, Cristobal handed the ball off and the Yellow Jackets recovered a fumble, which led to a 44-yard touchdown pass from Haynes King to Christian Leary with two seconds left for a 23-20 win over the No. 17 Hurricanes.
Miami had a huge offseason in terms of the transfer portal with quarterback Cam Ward coming from Washington State, running back Damien Martinez from Oregon State and others as they look for their first ACC championship. It certainly feels like championship or bust for the Hurricanes in 2024.
2 Pat Narduzzi
The Panthers are just two years removed from an ACC title, but things have fallen fast including last season's 3-9 campaign. After a loss at Virginia Tech in September, Pat Narduzzi made some changes, including benching quarterback Phil Jerkovic before giving him some snaps at tight end. It wasn't an ideal situation for the Boston College transfer for Narduzzi.
To make matters worse, defensive edge Dayon Hayes transferred to Deion Sanders and Colorado because he didn't think Pittsburgh was going to win this upcoming season. Sheesh. Another three or even four-win season in 2024 could really create some uneasiness for Narduzzi.
3 Mack Brown
The last couple of seasons, the Tar Heels could be considered one of the more underachieving teams in the ACC and there is some pressure on head coach Mack Brown going into 2024. North Carolina had NFL quarterbacks Sam Howell and Drake Maye but never went where they wanted to go because of their defense.
This season is a big one for the veteran Brown who will turn 73 years old before the season begins. After opening the season at Minnesota, the Tar Heels have a very doable ACC schedule with Florida State and North Carolina State being their toughest opponents.
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https://athlonsports.com/college-fo...avel-schedule-with-over-20000-miles-projected (athlonsports.com; Shoemaker)
The ACC is set to look a bit different this season thanks to the addition of three new members. Joining the East Coast conference will be SMU from the AAC, and Cal and Stanford from the Pac-12.
SMU officially joined the ACC on July 1. Cal and Stanford will officially join on Aug. 2.
The additions of the former Pac-12 schools give the ACC an uneven 17 members, not to mention making the conference now bi-coastal. Louisville was the last team to join the conference in 2014 out of the AAC.
The ACC was more or less forced into adding the three new schools thanks to the influx of widespread conference realignment, which has all but eliminated regionality from conferences.
For teams from the West Coast that will be playing in a mostly East Coast centralized conference now, they'll be racking up frequent flyer miles. But no team will be tallying them up like Cal.
Cal is already preparing for its initiation into the ACC. On Sunday, the team posted on their X account the field crew painting the new conference logo on the field.
Late Kick's Josh Pate had a little fun at the expense of the ACC's new member when he said, "Cal will travel a combined 24,000 miles for their 5 road games this season. The Earth's circumference is 24,900 miles."
x.com
twitter.com
UVa amps up efforts in ACC football facilities arms race (247sports.com; Oakes)
When Bronco Mendenhall was hired as head coach at Virginia, among the first things he talked about was the administration’s commitment to upgrading the facilities.
It’s been quiet on that front since November of 2015 until today, when VirginiaSports tweeted that fundraising and planning for a Football Operations Center has been approved.
The start date of such a project will depending on the study and the fundraising for the project but this is a step in the right direction for UVa, which has fallen behind in the ACC facilities arms race.
From the press release provided by VirginiaSports:
A new football operations center will include an expanded academic suite to support tutoring, individual and group study to help reach a 100 graduation rate goal. Student athletes will have their own lounge and meeting spaces where they can build community and strengthen team relationships. Players will have access to state-of-the-art football specific equipment and training. Portions of the McCue Center will be repurposed to provide a dedicated weight room and training facility for Olympic sports.
The University is currently in the midst of a North Grounds master planning study that includes the Athletics district. The likely site for the football operations center is to the east side of McCue, and north of the George Welsh indoor practice facility overlooking the practice fields. Final siting and programming will be determined at the conclusion of the planning study.
The estimated square footage for the new football specific facility is 140,000 GSF.
The estimated cost for the project is $55-60 million.
Best Returning ACC Receivers (lastwordonsports.com; Jordan)
Who are the best-returning receivers in the ACC? The conference is returning an array of top-notch pass catchers for the 2024 season. Returning are three of the top five receivers from last season. The conference, however, lost some great talent that must be replaced. In 2023, Virginia’s Malik Washington led the way with 110 receptions and 1,426 yards with nine touchdowns. Louisville will be looking for a new playmaker with Jamari Thrash no longer on campus. Here at Last Word on College Football continue our look ahead to the season by breaking down the best returning ACC receivers.
Best Returning ACC Receivers
#4: Jordan Moore, Duke
2024 will be a season of change for the Blue Devils with new head coach Manny Diaz replacing Mike Elko. Also new with Duke will be the signal caller with the arrival of Maalik Murphy from Texas. What will not be different is the top target for whoever is throwing the football. Jordan Moore returns for his senior season. Moore led the team last season with 62 receptions and 835 yards. He was no stranger to the endzone with eight scores on the season. Moore closed out the 2023 regular season with back-to-back games with 100 yards or more. He hauled in three catches for 41 yards in the Birmingham Bowl win over the Troy Trojans to aid in the 17-10 victory.#3: Jacolby George, Miami
A dark horse contender in the ACC could be the Miami Hurricanes due to all the offensive weapons that will be on the field. Senior Jacolby George was third in the conference last season with 864 yards along with 57 catches and eight touchdowns. Despite losing 27-20 against Florida State, George broke out with five catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns. In the second game of the season, he found the endzone three times against Texas A&M in the 48-33 victory. George can be All-ACC at the end of the season and may not be the best receiver on the Hurricanes. (Spoiler: More on that later in this article.)#2: Elic Ayomanor, Stanford
The ACC has three newcomers for the 2024 season in Cal, SMU, and Stanford. All have fantastic players that will garner notice this season, but Stanford receiver Elic Ayomanor is already a standout. Last season, Ayomanor was seventh in the Pac-12 with 1,013 yards. College football fans know how loaded that league was at the position, so placing seventh is a great accomplishment. He hauled in 62 receptions and found the endzone six times. What is more impressive is that Ayomanor did that on the team that won just three games last season. He had three games with 100 yards or more, but his biggest performance was in a double overtime win versus Colorado. Ayomanor caught 13 passes for 294 yards and found the endzone three times in the 46-43 victory.#1: Xavier Restrepo, Miami
New Miami quarterback Cam Ward should be very excited about the receiver talent he has to work with this season. Having a receiver the caliber of George is great, but then there is Xavier Restrepo. He was second in the conference last season with 1,092 yards and 85 receptions. Those 85 catches were a school record for a program that has plenty of great receivers over the years. Restrepo had five games with 100 yards or more in 2023. His best performance was in a 38-31 loss to Louisville. In that game, Restrepo caught eight passes for 193 yards and one touchdown. He had two games with 10 or more catches too. He had 12 against Georgia Tech and 11 against North Carolina. Unfortunately, both of those games ended in losses. For Miami to take a big step up he will need to be one of the best returning ACC receivers....
Last Minute Links 2024 July 5th (RX; HM)
Last Minute Links 2024 July 5th
This week is not done yet!
Then and now... from AP Making sense of college sports realignment. Which schools are changing conference affiliation?, here's a summary of changes to the makeup of the ACC (in bold):
ACC
1996 (9): Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, Virginia.Of course, the $130M to $570M question is: what will it look like in, say, 2027?
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From AllSportsDiscussion: Five Bold predictions for ACC Football in 2024
Yes, these are bold - but not unreasonable. To catch his reasons, check out the OP.
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From CBS Sports' ACC coach rankings 2024:
To see WHY, click the link and read the OP! (Hint: Syracuse Coach Fran Brown has never been a head coach at this level, so he's pretty much 17th by default).
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Speaking of Syracuse... if you REALLY want something outside the box, check out what CFBKings has to say about the Orange in this video:
CFBKings Show Ep. 8: Syracuse is an ACC & CFP Dark Horse
Description: "I highlight the Syracuse Orange and break down why they might be one of the biggest dark horses in College Football and could be in the ACC Championship and 12-team College Football Playoff conversations in December."
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Future ACC(N) expansion targets? (RX; HM)
Future ACC(N) expansion targets?
Rumor has it that ESPN wants the ACC to agree to only expand if they can add lots of new ACCN subscribers - and that means populous states. Here are the states ranked according to 2023 population:
| Rank | State or territory | 2023 Pop. | Rank | State or territory | 2023 Pop. | |
| 1 | California | 38,965,193 | 27 | Oregon | 4,233,358 | |
| 2 | Texas | 30,503,301 | 28 | Oklahoma | 4,053,824 | |
| 3 | Florida | 22,610,726 | 29 | Connecticut | 3,617,176 | |
| 4 | New York | 19,571,216 | 30 | Utah | 3,417,734 | |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 12,961,683 | 31 | Iowa | 3,207,004 | |
| 6 | Illinois | 12,549,689 | 32 | Puerto Rico | 3,205,691 | |
| 7 | Ohio | 11,785,935 | 33 | Nevada | 3,194,176 | |
| 8 | Georgia | 11,029,227 | 34 | Arkansas | 3,067,732 | |
| 9 | North Carolina | 10,835,491 | 35 | Kansas | 2,940,546 | |
| 10 | Michigan | 10,037,261 | 36 | Mississippi | 2,939,690 | |
| 11 | New Jersey | 9,290,841 | 37 | New Mexico | 2,114,371 | |
| 12 | Virginia | 8,715,698 | 38 | Nebraska | 1,978,379 |
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ACC FB Most All-Time Wins (RX; HM)
ACC FB Most All-Time Wins
Now that we have some new teams, it's time to look at all-time wins again...
I've added Notre Dame to make the data more complete - and to make a point. Here are the win totals in table format:
| Team | Wins | Team | Wins | |
| Notre Dame | 948 | Virginia | 685 | |
| Clemson | 798 | Stanford | 670 | |
| Virginia Tech | 773 | Miami | 655 | |
| Pittsburgh | 761 | NC State | 640 | |
| Georgia Tech | 756 | Florida State | 581 | |
| Syracuse | 743 | Louisville | 550 | |
| North Carolina | 729 | Duke | 537 | |
| Boston College | 698 | So. Methodist | 537 | |
| California | 694 | Wake Forest | 492 |
OBSERVATIONS:
Is anyone surprised that Notre Dame is #1? Probably not. Are you surprised that they have 150 more wins than #2 Clemson? I was!Raise your hand if (a) you are not a Hokies fan, but (b) you knew Virginia Tech was #3. Don't lie!
Now raise your hand if you knew that Cal has more all-time wins than Stanford, Miami, or Florida State. The Seminoles are a special case (see below), but you others are just looking up at the Bears.
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What if... Magnolia League (RX; HM)
What if... Magnolia League
Believe or not, there's more than one way to run a college athletic department. Some colleges consider academics more important than football and basketball (I know, right!). If you're new to the ACC, or just new to this world, you may not have heard about the idea of "The Magnolia Conference". Here's a nice primer:
What If... the Magnolia Conference was Formed?
What If... the Magnolia Conference was Formed?
When it comes to academics and athletics, one might point to the Ivy League's early string of dominance in the sport as the primary example of a conference o...
youtu.be
Can the ACC increase the TV value of its ND agreement? (RX; HM)
Can the ACC increase the TV value of its ND agreement?
Seminole fan Garrettabc posted this on CSNBBS in the thread "Notre Dame ACC FSU & Clemson":
Could the ACC work within these parameters so that the ACC can increase revenue? Theoretically I believe so, but ESPN has to see the value in it since they would be the ones paying. My solution would have ND play Stanford, Pitt and BC annually since these are traditional opponents and should draw in more casual viewers. Clemson, FSU, Miami would be left out of the rotation because they have no problems securing high end OOC games...
Here's my reply:
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Other
Tech Talk | Final Jeopardy! | JEOPARDY!
Let's talk about tech, baby #Jeopardy!Find Your Station: http://bit.ly/2BIOtxcWant to be on the show? It all starts with the Jeopardy! Anytime Test!Take t...
youtu.be
Who is she? Central NY woman becomes ‘Final Jeopardy!’ answer (PS; Herbert)
Who is Jean Polly? If you know the answer, then you may know the Central New York woman herself — or maybe you would’ve done well on “Jeopardy!” this past week.
Jean Armour Polly, of Jamesville, N.Y., was part of “Final Jeopardy!” on the Thursday, July 4, episode of the long-running game show. Host Ken Jennings gave the contestants the following “Tech Talk” clue:
“In 1992 Jean Polly told new web users to do this & later explained, ‘they need some skill... never know if there are going to be sharks,” Jennings said.
Two of the three contestants got the “Final Jeopardy!” question correct, and Isaac Hirsch won the episode with a final total of $28,801. He also won Wednesday’s episode and returned Friday night.
The correct response: What is “surf the web?”
But how did Polly popularize the phrase?
Polly, a Syracuse University alumna, was an early adopter of what became the world wide web when she was an assistant librarian at the Liverpool Public Library. In 1981, the library set up a black Apple 2 Plus, becoming one of only two libraries in the country with a computer.
Not all librarians loved the idea of expanding beyond books, but she embraced it. In 1992, she published “Surfing the Internet: An Introduction,” a beginner’s guide to using the net for a library journal in the Wilson Library Bulletin.
She told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard in 2019 that she came up with the article title after seeing a picture of a surfer, a wave and the phrase “information surfing” on a mousepad.
“I said, ‘That’s my metaphor.’ It’s hard. You need some skill. You never know if there are going to be sharks,” Polly said.
Polly, who is now retired, also co-founded PUBLIB, the first online listserv for public librarians and later worked for NYSERnet, a nonprofit research group that was one of the state’s first internet providers. She also wrote books to help parents find safe websites for kids and families, earning the nickname “Net-Mom.”
In 2019, Polly was inducted into the Global Internet Hall of Fame. She is the first librarian to be honored.
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Heat wave across US expected to persist, shatter records (PS; AP)
A long-running heat wave that has already shattered previous records across the U.S. will persist, baking parts of the West with dangerous temperatures that will soar into the 100s and holding the East in its hot and humid grip throughout the week, forecasters said Sunday.
An excessive heat warning — the National Weather Service’s highest alert — was in effect for about 36 million people, or about 10% of the population, said NWS meteorologist Bryan Jackson. Dozens of locations in the West and Pacific Northwest were expected to tie or break previous heat records, he said.
That was certainly the case over the weekend: Many areas in Northern California surpassed 110 degrees (43.3 C), with the city of Redding topping out at a record 119 (48.3 C). Phoenix set a new daily record Sunday for the warmest low temperature: it never got below 92 (33.3 C).
Las Vegas on Saturday tied the record of 115 (46 C), last reached in 2007, and on Sunday the city was flirting with a record high of 118 (47.7 C).
In an effort to beat the heat, Natasha Ivory took four of her eight children Sunday to a water park in Mount Charleston, outside Las Vegas.
“They’re having a ball,” Ivory told Fox5 Vegas said. “I’m going to get wet too. It’s too hot not to.”
Jill Workman Anderson also was at Mount Charleston, taking her dog for a short hike and enjoying the view.
“We can look out and see the desert,” she said. “It was also 30 degrees cooler than northwest Las Vegas, where we live.”
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