sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to The Epiphany!
Epiphany is a Christian feast day celebrating God coming into the flesh as Jesus Christ. It is celebrated differently in Western and Eastern churches, and there are various customs around the world. The word "epiphany" comes from a Greek word meaning "to appear." Epiphany may have originated in the eastern half of the Roman Empire as a feast to honor Jesus' baptism, and then expanded to include a celebration of his birth, the visit of the Magi, and the events of Jesus' childhood. The day began being celebrated in the latter half of the fourth century.
In Western churches the day commemorates the visit of the Magi—the day that Jesus was revealed to Gentiles. In some Western denominations, Epiphany starts the liturgical season of Epiphanytide, and the night before is many times celebrated as Twelfth Night.
SU News
Where does Kyle McCord stand in early 2025 NFL Draft quarterback rankings? (PS; Mink)
Kyle McCord capped a record-setting season with another big-time performance in Syracuse’s 52-35 victory in the Holiday Bowl last week.
Coming off a year in which he broke the ACC record for most passing yards in a season and rewrote the school record book, the senior quarterback has made a jump in the eyes of NFL draft analysts.
McCord sits in the Top 10 of several NFL draft quarterback rankings at the start of January.
Pro Football Focus’s lead NFL draft analyst has McCord at No. 9, behind Miami’s Cam Ward, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Ohio State’s Will Howard, Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard, Georgia’s Carson Beck and Texas’s Quinn Ewers.
McCord, who transferred to Syracuse after playing three seasons at Ohio State, is petitioning the NCAA for a fifth season of eligibility to boost his options in 2025.
If he is granted a waiver to continue playing in college, he faces a decision to turn pro in what some experts characterize as a weak quarterback class, or return to school at a time top-tier quarterbacks are reportedly commanding pay that stretches well into seven figures.
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Syracuse football is top contender for 4-star DL; top-125 overall player to visit SU (itlh; Adler)
James Johnson, a top-flight defensive lineman in the 2026 class from talent-rich Florida, plans to visit Syracuse football, according to a media report.
Top national analyst Tom Loy of 247Sports recently published an article on some upcoming visits for the 6-foot-4, 280-pound Johnson, a standout junior at North Fort Myers High School in North Fort Myers, Fla.
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Loy's piece is a subscriber-exclusive, so as always, I will respect Tom's fabulous work. However, in a post on X, he tagged 247Sports' Mike McAllister, who is the top analyst out there covering Syracuse football recruiting. This story also resides on the 247Sports Web site for 'Cuse sports, SyracuseOn247.
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Syracuse Football: Michigan DL transfer, a former 4-star prep recruit, one to watch (itlh; Adler)
I'd keep an eye on Michigan freshman defensive lineman Owen Wafle, a three-star transfer prospect who is in the portal and held a scholarship offer from Syracuse football while in prep school in New Jersey.
The 6-foot-2, 298 pound Wafle, who is from Middletown, N.J., entered the transfer portal on January 2, according to his bio on the 247Sports Web site. He did not appear in any games for Big Ten Conference member Michigan during the 2024 season, and media reports suggest that he will take a redshirt for this past term and should have four years of collegiate eligibility left.
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As a member of the 2024 cycle, Wafle was rated four stars by several recruiting Web sites. In that class, had him as the No. 21 defensive tackle and the No. 4 prospect coming out of New Jersey.
Wafle was a standout at The Hun School in Princeton, N.J., and in his tenure there, he won various awards and honors. Per his bio on the Michigan athletics department Web site, in 2023 as a senior, Wafle had 16 total tackles and 10 tackles for a loss.
As a junior at The Hun School, he was dominant, collecting 64 total tackles, 24 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks.
By the way, in the recently completed 2024 campaign, the Wolverines went 8-5 overall, including a 19-13 win over No. 11 Alabama late last month at the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Fla.
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https://247sports.com/college/syrac...-defenders-visit-syracuse-football-243483185/ (247sports.com; McAllister)
Toney is a former two star prospect out of Arlington High in Texas. Listed at 6-0, 195 lbs, Toney is being recruited as a safety to Syracuse. He spent two seasons at Nevada before transferring to TCU last offseason. In 2023 for the Wolfpack, Toney had 65 tackles, one pass defensed, one sack, and two interceptions. Both interceptions were returned for touchdowns. Last season at TCU, he had nine tackles and one pass defensed.
Syracuse currently has seven players committed from the transfer portal this offseason.
Top247 DL James Johnson sets three offseason visits
North Fort Myers (Fla.) High Top247 defensive lineman James Johnson is a talented prospect in the class of 2026. The 6-2, 260-pounder is ranked as the No. 200 overall player in the nation, No. 26 defensive lineman nationally, and No. 27 prospect in the state of Florida.
Tom LoyJan 3rd, 6:36 PMVIP0
North Fort Myers (Fla.) High Top247 defensive lineman James Johnson is a talented prospect in the class of 2026. The 6-2, 260-pounder is ranked as the No. 200 overall player in the nation, No. 26 defensive lineman nationally, and No. 27 prospect in the state of Florida.
On the recruiting front, he has offers from all over the country. Johnson is being heavily pursued by the best of the best.
However, as of today, there are a couple of schools to keep an eye on. Johnson tells 247Sports he has locked in three offseason visits.
On Jan. 18, Johnson will be at Florida State.
On Feb. 1, he's headed to Alabama.
In March, with the date still being finalized, he's headed to Syracuse.
Regarding a decision, don't look for Johnson to rush into his final decision. He'll take unofficial and official visits this offseason and then potentially make a commitment prior to the start of his senior year.
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Syracuse Football GREATLY BENEFITS if NCAA Grants 5th Year of Eligibility | Syracuse Orange Podcast (youtube; podcast; Locked on Syracuse)
CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported on Friday morning the NCAA is considering granting everyone a 5th year of eligibility, per an NCAA official. Syracuse Orange Football, as well as all other Syracuse sports teams, would greatly benefit if the NCAA grants everyone a 5th year of eligibility. Kyle McCord, Jackson Meeks and Alijah Clark could all in theory comeback to Fran Brown's squad if they so choose. The NCAA doesn't have a timetable, but it's in their best interest to decide before February 7th, the deadline to opt-out of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Jackson Holzer talks about how Syracuse benefits from everyone potentially getting a 5th year on this edition of the Locked On Syracuse Podcast.
How Syracuse Football REPLACES LeQuint Allen, Jackson Meeks & Oronde Gadsden | Syracuse Podcast (youtube; podcast; Locked on Syracuse)
Syracuse Orange Football is long three key skill position players on offense to the 2025 NFL Draft: LeQuint Allen, Jackson Meeks, and Oronde Gadsden. However, Fran Brown's squad has quality reserves waiting for the opportunity to start. Yasin Willis and Will Nixon could work as a tandem to replace Allen's production at running back. Wide Receiver Darrell Gill improved significantly from 2023 to 2024, and could be a focal point of Jeff Nixon's offense next season. 2024 four-star tight-end Jamie Tremble could become a high quality replacement given his profile.
Jackson Holzer goes over possible replacement for Allen, Meeks and OG on this edition of the Locked On Syracuse Podcast.
0:00- Replacing Allen, Meeks & OG
2:57- Two RBs
9:55- Darrell Gill
17:33- Jamie Tremble
Want bowl games to matter? Have a fun theme (itlh; Fiello)
Let's be honest, there has been criticism for years about the abundance of bowl games. Teams with .500 records (or sometimes even worse) getting bowl bids to fill slots. Most of it is likely generated by the TV revenue as executives know football brings better ratings than most other options, even if it's teams who barely had winning seasons.
For many programs, the sign of success is often tied to whether the team was bowl-eligible or what bowl game they were able to play in that season. Or in the case of the Syracuse Orange football program, the bowl win gave the Orange a 10-win season and that's something to be proud of, and the Holiday Bowl had an Eggnog dump overseen by famed competitive eater Joey Chestnut.
But along with all of those bowl games now, you also have players declaring for the draft and opting out or in some cases, entering the transfer portal (or coaches leaving for other jobs or fired) and not attending the games. I mean what is the incentive for a player who is leaving anyway, right?
I know many in my generation especially will point to team camaraderie but when it becomes about money and financial security, those lines can often be blurred. So unless you have some incentives financially or otherwise for those players to play, be prepared for more to opt-out.
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Syracuse Football on Instagram: "HUNNIT OUT ✌️ "
cusefootball on January 2, 2025: "HUNNIT OUT ✌️ ".
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Hunnit on Instagram: "1Love"
11K likes, 532 comments - lequintallenjr on January 2, 2025: "1Love".
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ACC News
ACC Bowl Season Recap + CFB Playoff Thoughts (youtube; podcast; Gramich & Mac Lain)
What did we learn from the ACC's abysmal bowl season? And do bowl games even matter anymore? Plus, our thoughts on the CFB Playoff and which ACC teams underachieved, overachieved and hit expectations this season.
ACC Program Gets Great News from Portal (theclemsoninsider.com; Oliver)
This ACC football program got some great news from the transfer portal on Saturday.
The Miami Hurricanes added a significant piece to their secondary for next season when they landed a top cornerback from the portal with the addition of Washington State star transfer Ethan O’Connor.
O’Connor is regarded as one of the best corners and a top-100 overall player in the portal by multiple outlets. The 6-foot-1, 172-pounder heads to Miami with three years of eligibility left.
The Hurricanes beat out other programs like Georgia, Colorado, Oklahoma and UCLA for O’Connor, a redshirt freshman who played in 13 games across two seasons at Washington State, including 12 in his breakout 2024 season when he tallied 32 tackles, 12 passes defended and four interceptions.
The California native figures to help revamp a Miami secondary that is certainly in need of a boost heading into 2025.
https:/twitter.com/Manny_Navarro/status/1875652355821334649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1875652355821334649%7Ctwgr%5E8925b86d90e4610bea813635a957763b5d0cfc88%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheclemsoninsider.com%2F2025%2F01%2F05%2Facc-program-gets-great-news-from-portal%2F
–Photo courtesy James Snook-Imagn Images
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Why the panic surrounding the ACC postseason is ridiculous (saturdayblitz.com; Lloyd)
This bowl season has had quite a lot of ups and downs, but for the ACC, it’s been mostly downs.
With Virginia Tech’s loss to Minnesota in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, the Atlantic Coast Conference has finished 2-11 in postseason play. That’s swiftly become a hefty talking point for many, with one conclusion going as far as saying that this bowl slate is the final nail in the coffin for the conference’s era as a power league.
However, I’m here to assert that such a stance is completely unfair, with multiple aspects of the ACC’s recent displays being undersold, if not flat-out ignored. The first of said aspects should need little explanation: Just how heavy of a bowl presence the conference had.
In total, we need to remember the basic fact that 13 of the Atlantic Coast’s 17 teams made postseason appearances, with not one, but two of them making the College Football Playoff; that’s a respectable showing regardless of what the league does with it. And it’s not like all the non-CFP teams were barely bowl-eligible, as even without Clemson and SMU, the ACC had four schools finish with nine wins or more. Not great, but not terrible.
We also have to keep in mind the quality of opposition some of these guys faced. Starting with the Tigers and Mustangs, not only did they face playoff-level foes on the road, but they were names that are still in the hunt today (Texas and Penn State). Beyond them, we had Miami and Duke taking on ranked names in Iowa State and Ole Miss—while attempting to overcome absences at QB, no less.
Speaking of the Canes, they were just one of five ACC squads that lost their games by single-digit margins, so even some of the defeats dealt in smaller bowls, by smaller teams, could have turned out significantly worse.
Ranking Bill Belichick's five best draft picks all-time with the New England Patriots
No, I’m not exactly clicking my heels over the ACC winning such a small percentage of its bowls. But, with the narrative surrounding the league being rather unfavorable before this season even began (and how early into it we noticed that things were going to be worse than usual), we can’t pretend that this is, in any way, some unpredictable—or irreparable—offense. It was a bad year, and nothing more. You’ll live.
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https://www.jconline.com/story/spor...to-purdue-football/77479131007/(jconline.com; King)
Malachi Thomas has been on the on the field against Purdue football.
Now he'll suit up for the Boilermakers.
Thomas joins new Purdue coach Barry Odom's roster from Virginia Tech.
The former three-star running back from Hartwell, Georgia, played in 38 career games with the Hokies, including Purdue's trip to Blacksburg in 2023.
More: Purdue football transfer portal tracker: Who's in, who's out for Boilers' 2025 roster
Thomas was recruited to Virginia Tech by Vance Vice, who is now Purdue's offensive line coach.
With the Hokies, Thomas averaged 4.4 yards per carry over his career. He had 1,132 yards and 7 touchdowns on 256 carries. Thomas also caught 28 career passes for 198 yards and a touchdown.
Thomas' best performance of the 2024 season came in the regular season finale in which he rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown in an overtime loss to Syracuse.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
LSU Football Set to Host Prized ACC Transfer Defensive Back for a Visit (SI; Nagy)
Brian Kelly and the LSU football staff rermain in pursuit of additional bodies in the defensive backfield as the program navigates the NCAA Transfer Portal.
The Tigers will have a myriad of newcomers set to battle it out for snaps at the cornerback position, but the safety room remains razor thin.
Kelly and Co. have filled positions of need defensively this offseason with edge rushers putting pen to paper along with a pair of cornerbacks and an SEC defensive lineman.
But the safety room is a spot that will need competition heading into spring camp in March with only Javien Toviano, Jardin Gilbert, Dashawn Spears and Austin Ausberry expected to round out the unit.
LSU has been linked to Auburn defensive back Keionte Scott over the last few days with a new name now added to the "interest list" for the program: North Carolina State's Tamarcus Cooley.
A look into Cooley, when he's expected in town and his overall recruiting process:
The Visitor: North Carolina State's Tamarcus Cooley
The highest-rated defensive player on the North Carolina State squad in 2024, Cooley departed the Wolfpack program after logging 30 tackles, nine passes broken, three interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles.
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2024-25 ACC Bowl Season Review (RX; HM)
2024-25 ACC Bowl Season Review
ACC football just wrapped up last night when Virginia Tech lost the Duke's Mayo Bowl to Minnesota. That means the conference as a group finished with a postseason record of 2-11 this year. If you think bowls are still important (a big "if"), this was an unmitigated disaster!
2024-25 Bowl Summary
Wednesday, December 18, 2024Art of Sport LA Bowl
California 13 L
#24 UNLV 24
Saturday, December 21, 2024
CFP 1st Round
#12 Clemson 24 L
#5 Texas 38
CFP 1st Round
#11 SMU 10 L
#6 Penn St 38
Thursday, December 26, 2024
GameAbove Sports Bowl
Pittsburgh 46 L
Toledo 48 (6OT)
Friday, December 27, 2024
DirecTV Holiday Bowl
21 Syracuse 52 W
Washington St 35
Birmingham Bowl
Georgia Tech 27 L
Vanderbilt 35
Saturday, December 28, 2024
Pop-Tarts Bowl
#18 Iowa State 42
#13 Miami 41 L
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
UConn 27
N Carolina 14 L
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
Boston College 15 L
Nebraska 20
Go Bowling Military Bowl
E Carolina 26
NC State 21 L
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Louisville 35 W
Washington 34
Thursday, January 2, 2025
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Duke 20 L
#14 Ole Miss 52
Friday, January 3, 2025
Duke's Mayo Bowl
Minnesota 24
Virginia Tech 10 L
My Thoughts
Decisions by some teams made it pretty clear that they were treating the non-playoff bowl games as scrimmages - practice for next season. Look no further than Miami's decision to play Cam Ward only for the first half. Unless there is a change to the Transfer Portal calendar, I see this only getting worse, until watching bowls will be like watching preseason NFL games - pointless.Question to ponder: will all this losing have a negative impact on TV contract negotiations this month, or will ESPN view it as the next step in the professionalization of college football?
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Links, News and Rumors 2025 Jan 3 (RX; HM)
Links, News and Rumors 2025 Jan 3
The final ACC bowl game is tonight at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN: Virginia Tech vs Minnesota. Gobblers vs Gophers. The Duke's Mayo Bowl, from Charlotte, NC. Watch it before the curtain comes down on the 2024-25 season and you're all like "when does college football season start?"
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From The Clemson Insider: Swinney Moves on From Goodwin at Defensive Coordinator
The Tigers definitely need to improve on the defensive side of the ball - maybe this will make that happen?
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UConn’s Next Move: Big 12 or ACC? (youtube; podcast; Locked on UConn)
UConn’s Next Move: Big 12 or ACC?
Other
The Cancun dip with chorizo and shrimp at Margarita's Mexican Cantina, Syracuse, N.Y. (Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmail.com)Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmail.com
There’s nothing modest about Margarita’s Mexican Cantina in Armory Square (Dining Out Review) (PS; Paventi)
Modest is not a word you would use to describe Margarita’s Mexican Cantina.
It certainly doesn’t apply to the decor. A brightly lit floor-to-ceiling cabinet filled with tequila bottles greets you at the host’s station, while tables and booths are adorned with brightly-colored murals.
And there’s nothing reserved or unassuming about the food.
The Rio Grande burrito ($18) was a 12-inch flour tortilla stuffed with carnitas, rice, black beans, guacamole and sour cream, and topped with queso. Rich and juicy, the shredded pork retained its flavor, standing out when forked with the other ingredients that spilled out of the fork-and-knife burrito. This massive burrito reminded me of the show-stopping version that used to be served at The Mission — a long-departed favorite near Columbus Circle.
It was our second visit to Margarita’s, having dined outdoors on Walton Street during the pandemic summer of 2020. Since then, owner Alejandro Gonzalez has doubled the size of the restaurant, expanding west on Walton Street to unite the former Ambrosia and Tavern on the Square with what once was Daisy Duke’s. The five-year-old restaurant has thrived as a dual threat. The Cantina is open seven days a week with a lengthy, family-friendly menu of familiar Mexican dishes and potent margaritas. And on weekend nights, it becomes Margarita’s After Dark, a lively dance club featuring nationally-touring DJs.
Not unlike Italian-American restaurants, most Americanized Mexican restaurants offer a fairly standard lineup of tacos, burritos and enchiladas. As a challenge to ourselves, we ordered items marked as house favorites or dishes we didn’t think we could find at other Mexican spots in town.
The only food item we ordered that you will find at other restaurants was the guacamole dip ($9). Served in a small tortilla bowl, it tasted fresh with a good blend of salt, onion, lime juice, tomato and avocado.
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Demolition of the former Syracuse Developmental Center
Demolition of massive Syracuse Developmental Center progresses (photos) (PS; Boyer)
City officials expect to have the sprawling former Syracuse Developmental Center cleared by the spring, with a groundbreaking ceremony for the first phase of a 510-unit housing complex expected by the end of 2025.
The Syracuse Common Council recently received an update on the housing project at the city-owned 48-acre site off South Wilbur Avenue. Syracuse acquired the property in a tax foreclosure in 2019 and selected Long Island-based developer Albanese Organization Inc. to acquire the site from the city and turn the property into a housing complex.
Demolition of the site’s 660,000 square feet of dilapidated buildings began last spring and is being funded by the state. Site preparation work, also covered by the state, will start soon after demolition is completed by the end of April.
The council on Dec. 23 unanimously approved a 30-year, $14 million tax-break package for the construction project’s first phase, which will include 261 units of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. Home HeadQuarters, a partner in the project, will build 27 townhouse units, as well. The city will receive more than $10 million in payments-in-lieu-of-taxes over the term of the agreement.
