Future of SU Football

[721Comstock]

plus, our special teams were incredible in 2018, best in the country, and we had, I believe, the second best turnover ratio in the country. We did a lot right that year, as much as I absolutely love Dungey it wasn't just him.

Our D was also among the national elite on 3rd down in terms of getting off the field.

As you said, a LOT we did well on O, D, and ST's, and it wasn't solely Dungey making it happen.

 

[SWC75]

I predict that all decisions will continue to be made on the same basis: $$$$$$$$$$

We are not walking away from ACC money but ACC money does not give us an advantage over ACC teams that get the same money. They are mostly southern teams with better weather, more glamorous places and bigger, more interested fan bases so they will be hard to compete with in football.

I think the football pattern will be that we can do pretty well if we have a veteran team and good luck with injuries and above average players in key positions, which we had in 2018. But we'll have to build up to that. there will be no undefeated seasons or 15 year streaks of winning seasons for us in ACC football. That doesn't mean there won't be some fun times - if you are willing to stick it out until they get here.

 

[SWC75]

Two quick opinions here:

1. People thinking NIL could be the death of Cuse Football are making rash, uneducated statements.

2. Biggest mistake Dino has made, in my opinion, is not hammering the transfer portal. We should be bringing in 5-10 of these transfers per year. That’s where we are at as a program and what we need to win sooner. I’d also add that this is even more important because high school recruiting is not Dino’s forte.

We don't know the impact of the NIL will be. it may be that "college only" towns like Syracuse will pay more for ads than a city with pro sports. We may have an advantage.

 

[Pyle]

plus, our special teams were incredible in 2018, best in the country, and we had, I believe, the second best turnover ratio in the country. We did a lot right that year, as much as I absolutely love Dungey it wasn't just him.

What? Dungey did everything. I remember one time Dungey went with his family to Sea World. They were watching Shamu the whale when Dungey got splashed. So Dungey yells, ‘I’m Eric Dungey and no one gets me wet!’ So he climbs into the tank, grabs Shamu, and throws the whale into the audience, splashes him and yells, ‘How do you like it?’ And then damn if Dungey didn’t step in there and finish the show.

 

[RandomGuy]

We don't know the impact of the NIL will be. it may be that "college only" towns like Syracuse will pay more for ads than a city with pro sports. We may have an advantage.

Its possible. Boston is a pro town, and with 118 colleges? Little old BC, could struggle with NIL deals. Most folks just don't care. LA has over 200 colleges. Does that hurt them, despite the population?

NYC has 200 alone. Fair to see why NY's college team might be a stretch. Although, possible outside of the City. Compared to the SEC teams? Well, no, but it may not be as poor as those in Pro towns.

 

[djorange1989]

What? Dungey did everything. I remember one time Dungey went with his family to Sea World. They were watching Shamu the whale when Dungey got splashed. So Dungey yells, ‘I’m Eric Dungey and no one gets me wet!’ So he climbs into the tank, grabs Shamu, and throws the whale into the audience, splashes him and yells, ‘How do you like it?’ And then damn if Dungey didn’t step in there and finish the show.

you joke, Pyle, but that totally happened

 

[EuclidBred]

High School recruiting was not good under Grob, Marrone, Shafer, or Dino

I think the common denominator is Syracuse is a hard place to recruit to

It’s certainly not the easiest place to recruit but none of those 4 were proven recruiters anywhere. This is why I think the next hire needs to be some young gun ace recruiter. Maybe he can do things differently to get kids to play in the Dome. Well worth the risk/reward at this point.

 

[kcsu]

It’s certainly not the easiest place to recruit but none of those 4 were proven recruiters anywhere. This is why I think the next hire needs to be some young gun ace recruiter. Maybe he can do things differently to get kids to play in the Dome. Well worth the risk/reward at this point.

We are always going to get 3 star recruits. Pound the portal and hire excellent coaches. We can't rely upon HS recruits. We need good coaches.

 

[SoBristol]

I predict that all decisions will continue to be made on the same basis: $$$$$$$$$$

We are not walking away from ACC money but ACC money does not give us an advantage over ACC teams that get the same money. They are mostly southern teams with better weather, more glamorous places and bigger, more interested fan bases so they will be hard to compete with in football.

I think the football pattern will be that we can do pretty well if we have a veteran team and good luck with injuries and above average players in key positions, which we had in 2018. But we'll have to build up to that. there will be no undefeated seasons or 15 year streaks of winning seasons for us in ACC football. That doesn't mean there won't be some fun times - if you are willing to stick it out until they get here.

That is fair, and our fans should realize that 2021 is a season where we do have a veteran team. It is a good test of the theory that we can take average 3 star recruits and develop them in the program. Look at the veterans in the DL and OL; the young LBs of 2020 have had the year of development in the program. The QB room, the RBs, the WRs — lots of playing experience. We don’t have to build up to a veteran team — it is right there, this year. We may not be rich in talent, our starting QB is a question, but experience we have.

 

[tipphill]

Let’s be realistic here. There is no way SU can compete financially or athletically with the top football schools in the US, let alone the ACC and it is quite evident in recruiting and wins. With the NIL now in place, it will be more difficult to right our ship for I feel the major college sports are now doomed to fail.
Would SU ever consider leaving the ACC for the Big East in all sports except football and become an independent like BYU, ND, UMass and UConn? Hoops would flourish again and SU wouldn’t have to worry about beating Clemson or FSU every 15 years. Time for a change is needed for I do not see the football program ever completing on a national level like hoops. There are plenty of teams that would play SU in football and it would be exciting for road game travel.
I am so tired of our losing and want something to be done in a positive manner for all signs are pointing that our losing seasons will continue. SU is now bunched with the lowest rated football teams in America which is sad considering we were 10 - 3 several years ago. It sounds crazy and as an ex Cuse player, I am open to what you have to say. Cheers!

i have said previously(with remorse) that i have no issue with the football program going the way of the fcs. unfortunately su has never invested big time in football. i have multiple reasons for saying this but have said it before.
su has never been able to change with the landscape.
we originally built the dome because the state backed it and it was DO or DIE. we did not build (rebuild) to have a retractable roof which was a big mistake--no matter who was to blame. the reasons go on and on.
we do not have the academic/RESEARCH standing of bc,duke, vanderbilt,wake forest ,northwestern etc etc etc . to get the financial support to sustain a football program.
i am and together with my son are sth and have been for several years..
that will not continue for much longer.

 

[OrangeAl]

i have said previously(with remorse) that i have no issue with the football program going the way of the fcs. unfortunately su has never invested big time in football. i have multiple reasons for saying this but have said it before.
su has never been able to change with the landscape.
we originally built the dome because the state backed it and it was DO or DIE. we did not build (rebuild) to have a retractable roof which was a big mistake--no matter who was to blame. the reasons go on and on.
we do not have the academic/RESEARCH standing of bc,duke, vanderbilt,wake forest ,northwestern etc etc etc . to get the financial support to sustain a football program.
i am and together with my son are sth and have been for several years..
that will not continue for much longer.

This will free you up to get those Rutgers season tix that you've always wanted!

 

[IthacaMatt]

Let’s be realistic here. There is no way SU can compete financially or athletically with the top football schools in the US, let alone the ACC and it is quite evident in recruiting and wins. With the NIL now in place, it will be more difficult to right our ship for I feel the major college sports are now doomed to fail.
Would SU ever consider leaving the ACC for the Big East in all sports except football and become an independent like BYU, ND, UMass and UConn? Hoops would flourish again and SU wouldn’t have to worry about beating Clemson or FSU every 15 years. Time for a change is needed for I do not see the football program ever completing on a national level like hoops. There are plenty of teams that would play SU in football and it would be exciting for road game travel.
I am so tired of our losing and want something to be done in a positive manner for all signs are pointing that our losing seasons will continue. SU is now bunched with the lowest rated football teams in America which is sad considering we were 10 - 3 several years ago. It sounds crazy and as an ex Cuse player, I am open to what you have to say. Cheers!

Financial suicide. We are capable of being competitive. We have been competitive. We need better recruits, and better coaching and development.

 

[orangepassion]

We are always going to get 3 star recruits. Pound the portal and hire excellent coaches. We can't rely upon HS recruits. We need good coaches.

Need to follow the Dave Clawson blueprint at Wake Forest. Find under the radar guys and develop them

 

[tipphill]

This will free you up to get those Rutgers season tix that you've always wanted!

totally expected

 

[OburgOrange]

Need to follow the Dave Clawson blueprint at Wake Forest. Find under the radar guys and develop them

Sigh. Hasn’t this been the blueprint for the last 20 years? How’s that worked out for us?

 

[TheCusian]

Sigh. Hasn’t this been the blueprint for the last 20 years? How’s that worked out for us?

Well, for one we may have only made 1 or 2 hires capable of that, spent half the time getting things closer to respectable on the AD side

(Side note: those pining for Clawson - never had a 10 win season, never beat Dabo)

 

[SUDadx2]

Two quick opinions here:

1. People thinking NIL could be the death of Cuse Football are making rash, uneducated statements.

2. Biggest mistake Dino has made, in my opinion, is not hammering the transfer portal. We should be bringing in 5-10 of these transfers per year. That’s where we are at as a program and what we need to win sooner. I’d also add that this is even more important because high school recruiting is not Dino’s forte.

Be careful with the transfer portal. Not everyone is a fit. Some guys are running from things, others are running to things.

 

[money3189]

Sigh. Hasn’t this been the blueprint for the last 20 years? How’s that worked out for us?

How have other teams done it? I havent seen many struggling programs turn their programs around by loading up with ace recruiters. You have to show that you can develop under rated talent and get them to the NFL. You do that by finding kids that are the right fit and work hard within your culture. Get two or 3 winning seasons in a row then you can sell a winning product. We would have had that with Marrone but he left.

 

[orangepassion]

Sigh. Hasn’t this been the blueprint for the last 20 years? How’s that worked out for us?

The blueprint is simple-It's finding the right coach to actually carry it out. I think Marrone was on his way until he left. Clawson has done a great job at Wake, a school with less history and resources than us. There's no one who we can hire that's bringing in top 20 classes (at least without cheating, if that's even possible anymore). Mike Locksley was supposed to be a great recruiter, particularly in the MD/DC area. How's Maryland been doing with him at the helm?
I think our recruiting on Defense has been good enough the last few years, particularly in the back 7. The DL recruiting has picked up since White joined the staff. Surprisingly with Dino, the weakness in recruiting has been on Offense, particularly at QB and OL.

 

[money3189]

Well, for one we may have only made 1 or 2 hires capable of that, spent half the time getting things closer to respectable on the AD side

(Side note: those pining for Clawson - never had a 10 win season, never beat Dabo)

Clawson has done a good job despite the big splash win. There is steadiness in his program. 4 straight winning seasons. I rather have that then a 10 win season surrounded by 4-8 seasons. It would be a lot easier to sell us to recuits if we were coming off 4 straight winning seasons.

 

[orangepassion]

Well, for one we may have only made 1 or 2 hires capable of that, spent half the time getting things closer to respectable on the AD side

(Side note: those pining for Clawson - never had a 10 win season, never beat Dabo)

Would you rather have Wake's record or our record from the past 4 years? To me, it's a no-brainer-Consistently good, not occasionally great.

 

[SWC75]

Be careful with the transfer portal. Not everyone is a fit. Some guys are running from things, others are running to things.

My initial reaction to this post was to think "I'm sure the staff is doing their due diligence on this." But then I remember that Desko's staff didn't. And he was under pressure to win, just as Babers is.

I also remember that Tom Osbourne didn't win national championships until he started to recruit players with great ability but questionable character and that Penn State became State Penn when JoPa realized that he couldn't dominate in the Big Ten as he did in the east. Would we want to win with bad dudes? Would it blow up in our faces?

 

[SWC75]

How have other teams done it? I havent seen many struggling programs turn their programs around by loading up with ace recruiters. You have to show that you can develop under rated talent and get them to the NFL. You do that by finding kids that are the right fit and work hard within your culture. Get two or 3 winning seasons in a row then you can sell a winning product. We would have had that with Marrone but he left.

It's easier to be a recruiting genius at Alabama than it is at Maryland.

 

[SWC75]

Would you rather have Wake's record or our record from the past 4 years? To me, it's a no-brainer-Consistently good, not occasionally great.

I'd like consistently good and occasionally great but I don't know if that's possible any more.

 

[OburgOrange]

How have other teams done it? I havent seen many struggling programs turn their programs around by loading up with ace recruiters. You have to show that you can develop under rated talent and get them to the NFL. You do that by finding kids that are the right fit and work hard within your culture. Get two or 3 winning seasons in a row then you can sell a winning product. We would have had that with Marrone but he left.

Marrone hated recruiting. It’s well documented. But you’re saying, without any proof, that he would have brought us out of the doldrums? Speculation at best