SWC75
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Defensive Line
Seniors: Josh Black 6-3-282 (up from 270), Chris Elmore 6-0 288, Kingsley Jonathan 6-3 264, Cody Roscoe 6-1 258, McKinley Williams 6-4 291
Juniors: Curtis Harper 6-2 296, Zach Morton 6-4 248, Caleb Okechukwu 6-4 257
Sophomores: Cooper Dawson 6-5 255,
Freshmen: Patrick Alberga 6-3 250, Kevon Darton 5-11 281, Latarie Kinsler 6-2 213, Kevin Lemieux 6-4 252, Leon Lowery 6-4 225, Jason Muñoz 6-3 243, (down from 255), Joe Rondi 6-4 272; Drew Tuazama 6-5 244, Elijah Wright 6-3 256
Gone: Brandon Berry, Kendall Coleman, Ishmael Goulbourne, Shaq Grosvenor, Steve Linton, Alton Robinson, Tyrell Richards, Kenneth Ruff. Berry, Coleman, Grosvenor, Robinson and Ruff all graduated. (McKinley Williams would have as well but he was granted an extra year due to his injury last season.) Goulbourne, Linton and Richards are all listed as linebackers this season.
The one positon we were most proud of going into last season was defensive end. Nobody –and I mean nobody - had two defensive ends to match our Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman. They were like two guns aimed at the quarterback’s head from opposite sides of the line. In 2018 those two had totaled 29 TFLs: tackles for a loss for a total of 173 yards including 20 sacks for 130 yards. And their back-ups, Brandon Berry and Kingsley Jonathan, (no, not Jonathan Kingsley), were very nearly as good. We had both quality and depth at that position.
But they got help to put up those gaudy numbers from the two big tackles: Chris Slayton, probably the strongest man ever to play football for Syracuse, (he once squatted 710 pounds), and McKinley “Bear” Williams who ate up blockers so Robinson and Coleman could do their dance. Slayton graduated and Williams got injured before the season began and only played the last three games of the season. Their replacements, Ken Ruff and Josh Black did the best they could but were not on the level of Slayton and Williams. And because of that Robinson and Coleman didn’t play at the level they did the year before, recording 20 TFLs for 71 yards, including 8.5 sacks for 44 yards. Ironically, they actually had more tackles, Robinson going from 39 to 48 and Coleman from 32 to 48. Between them they went from having 41% of their tackles being for a loss to 21%. That meant that the offense was coming at them rather than them coming at the offense. Now both Robinson and Coleman are gone and so is Brandon Berry.
With only three positions to fill, (if they stick with the 3-3-5 concept), we certainly have numbers here with 17 players competing for the three up front positions. But with Robinson, Coleman, Berry and Ruff not among them, we are going to have get used to hearing some new names here. Jonathan, Williams and Black will provide three experienced starters but after that there will be a high learning curve. It’s the same problem as the offensive line: we can put together pretty good starting line but we can’t replace those guys like Clemson or the other better teams in the conference could and our two deep won’t be up to their level. And all three starters will be seniors so we need to work some of the younger guys into the game to prepare for next year. Will we find another Robinson or Coleman? It will be tough to get two guys that good at the same time again.
Reading about the 3-3-5, there doesn’t really seem to be a place for a Robinson or a Coleman in this offense. In fact, one article referred to all three spots as “tackles”. The middle positon, nose tackle, (they once called it middle guard), is the most thankless positon in football. You are right in the middle of the action, taking the brunt of the offensive charge so that other players can get the glory. It’s sort of a one man Battle of the Little Big Horn. That will be Williams’ job and he’s going to set himself up over the center’s shoulder in a slanted positon like Joe Klecko used to do for the Jets. Black and Jonathan will be the ‘ends’ but their greater responsibility will be to tie up blockers so the linebackers and defensive backs can get the glory. Williams is 291. Black has added 12 pounds to come in at 282. Jonathan at 264 might have a harder time of it in this defense. The strength of the 3-3-5 will be its versatility: the linebackers will literally back the line on running plays and will often join the pass rush. At times a d-back might blitz to make it seven guys. But the linebackers can also give us 8 guys to defend against the pass. But I think that we will be vulnerable to a power running game, trying to meet Boston College, Pittsburgh or Clemson at the point of attack with three down linemen and some linebackers and defensive backs.
Josh Black has the right shoulders for the job. I saw him in a video last year and he had the most impressive upper body development I’ve seen in a football player. He looked like a cartoon character.
(go to the 4:30 mark)
But at 270 I’m not sure how much of that strength was in the lower body. At 282 this year, he’s gotten stronger. Like Chris Slayton, he’s squatted 700 pounds. He’s played in 37 games at both end and tackle.
Cuse.com: “In 37 games (25 starts) over four seasons, has 82 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and two blocked kicks.“ Nunes: “With Bear back and healthy inside, it looks like Black is moved out to the starting defensive end role in the 3-3-5. This end role plays as a bit of a hybrid end/three-technique role, which should fit someone who has played both traditional tackle and end through the course of his career.”
McKinley “Bear“ Williams had the right name for the job but didn’t have the foot for it as an injury kept him out of the first 9 games. With the loss of Chris Slayton to graduation, it punched a big hole in the center of the defense. Cuse.com: “One of the most physically-gifted players on the team (can do a back handspring). In 39 games (15 starts) over four seasons, has 64 tackles (36 solo), including 10 for a loss, 1.5 sacks and one fumble recovery”. Nunes: “Bear” is one of the keys to this team’s success on defense. Along with being SU’s top run-stopper, he’s a veteran presence for a front six/seven that will lack a ton of starting experience. He won’t blow up the box score, but will make it a lot harder for opposing teams to run on the Orange (a very clear problem for much of last year).”
Kingsley Jonathan has played in 33 games but now he gets a chance to start. Cuse.com: “One of the team’s most effective pass rushers … Has tallied 49 tackles (25 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.” Nunes: “Now a starter, the speedy pass-rusher could really wind up having a breakout campaign as a senior. Having McKinley Williams back for a full season should make for a strong group up front that makes it hard to keep track of everyone when forced to double-team.”
I put Chris Elmore with the defensive linemen because I’ve always thought he’d win up there. At 6-0 288, he seems to have a nose tackle-like body. But on the plays he was in there towards the end of last season, he looked kind of overmatched. He may remain in the lead-blocker mode. The underclassmen are the future of the D-line.
Cody Roscoe is a transfer from our old friends at Middle Tennessee State. He didn’t play in that 2017 upset but was on their roster and has been playing in Scot Shafer’s defense since then. He started 22 games for them and played in 8 more, recording 94 tackles, 22.5 for a loss, including 16 sacks. But he wasn’t playing in the ACC and we had that bad experience with a grad transfer offensive lineman from South Alabama last year. It left me with the feeling that grad transfers should be from the level of completion of our primary opponents. It will be interesting to see if Cody changes that opinion. Nunes: “When you look at Roscoe’s tape, he has some great speed right when the ball snaps and there’s a real ability to shed blockers with some simple moves. He seems to take good angles at opposing pass-rushers to avoid over-pursuit, and is incredibly disruptive while going after passers as well (hence the high number of pass break-ups).”
Curtis Harper saw a lot of action last year. He had 13 tackles and two sacks. Nunes: “Harper should factor in along the defensive front, but probably won’t end up as one of the 3 starters. That said, the new 3-3-5 system means that everyone gets a fresh chance to prove the new system works best for them, and Harper’s size is promising for the defensive tackle position.” He was a three star recruit (of course!) and has the needed size at 296 pounds.
Zach Morton was another 3 star. At 248 he’s more the size of a 4-3-4 defensive end. Nunes: “Morton was listed as the backup to Josh Black on the spring depth chart, however that may change when Kingsley Jonathan comes back from a spring injury. It’s still nice to see his name on the two-deep and his name should be in the conversation for some decent playing time.” Black out-weighs Morton by 34 pounds. He played in four games last year but didn’t record any stats.
Caleb Okechukwu is 257 pounds, closer to what will be needed up front but probably still less than ideal. He’s also a 3 star who has yet to play into a game due to a redshirt season, (under the old rules) and an unspecified illness. Nunes: “He’s currently penciled in behind Drew Tuazama at one of the defensive end positions in the 3-3-5. His body style fits that well, a larger defensive end, as opposed to the hybrid role. He’s a flexible fit that should get a good number of snaps on the year.”
Cooper Dawson has announced that he will be opting out of this season due to Covid 19.
Patrick Alberga, a late edition, is a preferred walk-on from Saranac Lake.
Kevon Darton has the size at 281 but was a preferred walk-on with no stars. But he’s made his presence felt. Nunes: “Darton was listed on the depth chart as the backup defensive tackle for the spring season. We’ll see where he ends up slotting in, with Chris Elmore and the rest in the mix, but he seems to have worked himself into the discussion behind McKinley Williams as a tackle.”
Latarie Kinsler got 4 stars from one service and 3 from the rest. Nunes: “Kinsler was on campus with the Syracuse Orange in January, starting to learn the new scheme. But he wasn’t on the two-deep depth chart that was released prior to spring ball. That likely means he’s a redshirt candidate — right now, anyway. Obviously he could wind up playing if he progresses this offseason.” That high rating and early start could give him the inside track on some playing time but being only 213 pounds could hold him back or suggest a positon switch.
Kevin Lemieux was only a 2 star but is bigger than most of the freshmen. Nunes: “The defensive line is nowhere near nailed down, especially in a transition year as the Orange begin their 3-3-5 scheme. However, it’s a pretty good bet Lemieux will see limited action in an all ACC schedule, playing in only a handful of games before redshirting unless depth takes a hit.”
Leon Lowery is another well rated, (3 stars “all around”) but smallish, (6-4 225), freshman who will need to be built up to be effective. We got him from Virginia Tech. Nunes: “At his current size, Lowery may be more in the outside linebacker mold, but if he puts on some weight, his frame could play a weak side defensive end, like a Tyrell Richards. Both positions could use some depth moving forward, but I would say that the hope is that Leon comes in and is able to redshirt, take advantage of the strength and conditioning system and move forward in whatever position that the staff decides to utilize him in.”
Jason Muñoz was “A consensus 3-star recruit and 56 strong-side defensive end” who “dropped about 10 pounds from when he came into the program, and could very well become a ‘tweener in the new 3-3-5 system the Syracuse Orange are expected to implement. While he may not see much action along the line in 2020, there’s a good chance he will get to compete for time on special teams.” For a defensive linemen, dropping weight is not the way to prepare for the 3-3-5. But we got this kid away from Miami so he could turn out to be a good one.
Joe Rondi played in a couple of games under the new redshirt rule but had no stats. He’s another 3 star who already has the size for this position in this defense. Nunes: “It’s a stacked defensive line all around that’s filled not only with talent but with experience as well. Rondi’s probably fighting an uphill battle for a backup position, especially with some reinforcements on the way. That’s not necessarily a bad thing - he’s got a lot of time left to move up the depth chart. But for this season, Rondi’s probably looking at limited game action once again.” I wonder if his size might give him an edge over the other freshmen.
Drew Tuazama also played under the redshirt rule and got a couple of tackles vs. Holy Cross. He’s only 244 but at 6-5 has plenty of room for growth. Nunes: “The Syracuse Orange’s new 3-3-5 scheme should make things relatively interesting on the line, reducing the number of players you really need in the trenches. McKinley Williams and Kingsley Jonathan would figure to have two of those spots. That leaves the other for Josh Black and Tuazama, among others.“
Elijah Wright is an All-State defensive end from Solvay who opted to walk-on with his home town team rather than playing for one of the area small colleges.
The young linemen need to grow up – in more ways than one – fast to give us necessary depth this year and to take over the two deep the next year
Seniors: Josh Black 6-3-282 (up from 270), Chris Elmore 6-0 288, Kingsley Jonathan 6-3 264, Cody Roscoe 6-1 258, McKinley Williams 6-4 291
Juniors: Curtis Harper 6-2 296, Zach Morton 6-4 248, Caleb Okechukwu 6-4 257
Sophomores: Cooper Dawson 6-5 255,
Freshmen: Patrick Alberga 6-3 250, Kevon Darton 5-11 281, Latarie Kinsler 6-2 213, Kevin Lemieux 6-4 252, Leon Lowery 6-4 225, Jason Muñoz 6-3 243, (down from 255), Joe Rondi 6-4 272; Drew Tuazama 6-5 244, Elijah Wright 6-3 256
Gone: Brandon Berry, Kendall Coleman, Ishmael Goulbourne, Shaq Grosvenor, Steve Linton, Alton Robinson, Tyrell Richards, Kenneth Ruff. Berry, Coleman, Grosvenor, Robinson and Ruff all graduated. (McKinley Williams would have as well but he was granted an extra year due to his injury last season.) Goulbourne, Linton and Richards are all listed as linebackers this season.
The one positon we were most proud of going into last season was defensive end. Nobody –and I mean nobody - had two defensive ends to match our Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman. They were like two guns aimed at the quarterback’s head from opposite sides of the line. In 2018 those two had totaled 29 TFLs: tackles for a loss for a total of 173 yards including 20 sacks for 130 yards. And their back-ups, Brandon Berry and Kingsley Jonathan, (no, not Jonathan Kingsley), were very nearly as good. We had both quality and depth at that position.
But they got help to put up those gaudy numbers from the two big tackles: Chris Slayton, probably the strongest man ever to play football for Syracuse, (he once squatted 710 pounds), and McKinley “Bear” Williams who ate up blockers so Robinson and Coleman could do their dance. Slayton graduated and Williams got injured before the season began and only played the last three games of the season. Their replacements, Ken Ruff and Josh Black did the best they could but were not on the level of Slayton and Williams. And because of that Robinson and Coleman didn’t play at the level they did the year before, recording 20 TFLs for 71 yards, including 8.5 sacks for 44 yards. Ironically, they actually had more tackles, Robinson going from 39 to 48 and Coleman from 32 to 48. Between them they went from having 41% of their tackles being for a loss to 21%. That meant that the offense was coming at them rather than them coming at the offense. Now both Robinson and Coleman are gone and so is Brandon Berry.
With only three positions to fill, (if they stick with the 3-3-5 concept), we certainly have numbers here with 17 players competing for the three up front positions. But with Robinson, Coleman, Berry and Ruff not among them, we are going to have get used to hearing some new names here. Jonathan, Williams and Black will provide three experienced starters but after that there will be a high learning curve. It’s the same problem as the offensive line: we can put together pretty good starting line but we can’t replace those guys like Clemson or the other better teams in the conference could and our two deep won’t be up to their level. And all three starters will be seniors so we need to work some of the younger guys into the game to prepare for next year. Will we find another Robinson or Coleman? It will be tough to get two guys that good at the same time again.
Reading about the 3-3-5, there doesn’t really seem to be a place for a Robinson or a Coleman in this offense. In fact, one article referred to all three spots as “tackles”. The middle positon, nose tackle, (they once called it middle guard), is the most thankless positon in football. You are right in the middle of the action, taking the brunt of the offensive charge so that other players can get the glory. It’s sort of a one man Battle of the Little Big Horn. That will be Williams’ job and he’s going to set himself up over the center’s shoulder in a slanted positon like Joe Klecko used to do for the Jets. Black and Jonathan will be the ‘ends’ but their greater responsibility will be to tie up blockers so the linebackers and defensive backs can get the glory. Williams is 291. Black has added 12 pounds to come in at 282. Jonathan at 264 might have a harder time of it in this defense. The strength of the 3-3-5 will be its versatility: the linebackers will literally back the line on running plays and will often join the pass rush. At times a d-back might blitz to make it seven guys. But the linebackers can also give us 8 guys to defend against the pass. But I think that we will be vulnerable to a power running game, trying to meet Boston College, Pittsburgh or Clemson at the point of attack with three down linemen and some linebackers and defensive backs.
Josh Black has the right shoulders for the job. I saw him in a video last year and he had the most impressive upper body development I’ve seen in a football player. He looked like a cartoon character.
(go to the 4:30 mark)
But at 270 I’m not sure how much of that strength was in the lower body. At 282 this year, he’s gotten stronger. Like Chris Slayton, he’s squatted 700 pounds. He’s played in 37 games at both end and tackle.
Cuse.com: “In 37 games (25 starts) over four seasons, has 82 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and two blocked kicks.“ Nunes: “With Bear back and healthy inside, it looks like Black is moved out to the starting defensive end role in the 3-3-5. This end role plays as a bit of a hybrid end/three-technique role, which should fit someone who has played both traditional tackle and end through the course of his career.”
McKinley “Bear“ Williams had the right name for the job but didn’t have the foot for it as an injury kept him out of the first 9 games. With the loss of Chris Slayton to graduation, it punched a big hole in the center of the defense. Cuse.com: “One of the most physically-gifted players on the team (can do a back handspring). In 39 games (15 starts) over four seasons, has 64 tackles (36 solo), including 10 for a loss, 1.5 sacks and one fumble recovery”. Nunes: “Bear” is one of the keys to this team’s success on defense. Along with being SU’s top run-stopper, he’s a veteran presence for a front six/seven that will lack a ton of starting experience. He won’t blow up the box score, but will make it a lot harder for opposing teams to run on the Orange (a very clear problem for much of last year).”
Kingsley Jonathan has played in 33 games but now he gets a chance to start. Cuse.com: “One of the team’s most effective pass rushers … Has tallied 49 tackles (25 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.” Nunes: “Now a starter, the speedy pass-rusher could really wind up having a breakout campaign as a senior. Having McKinley Williams back for a full season should make for a strong group up front that makes it hard to keep track of everyone when forced to double-team.”
I put Chris Elmore with the defensive linemen because I’ve always thought he’d win up there. At 6-0 288, he seems to have a nose tackle-like body. But on the plays he was in there towards the end of last season, he looked kind of overmatched. He may remain in the lead-blocker mode. The underclassmen are the future of the D-line.
Cody Roscoe is a transfer from our old friends at Middle Tennessee State. He didn’t play in that 2017 upset but was on their roster and has been playing in Scot Shafer’s defense since then. He started 22 games for them and played in 8 more, recording 94 tackles, 22.5 for a loss, including 16 sacks. But he wasn’t playing in the ACC and we had that bad experience with a grad transfer offensive lineman from South Alabama last year. It left me with the feeling that grad transfers should be from the level of completion of our primary opponents. It will be interesting to see if Cody changes that opinion. Nunes: “When you look at Roscoe’s tape, he has some great speed right when the ball snaps and there’s a real ability to shed blockers with some simple moves. He seems to take good angles at opposing pass-rushers to avoid over-pursuit, and is incredibly disruptive while going after passers as well (hence the high number of pass break-ups).”
Curtis Harper saw a lot of action last year. He had 13 tackles and two sacks. Nunes: “Harper should factor in along the defensive front, but probably won’t end up as one of the 3 starters. That said, the new 3-3-5 system means that everyone gets a fresh chance to prove the new system works best for them, and Harper’s size is promising for the defensive tackle position.” He was a three star recruit (of course!) and has the needed size at 296 pounds.
Zach Morton was another 3 star. At 248 he’s more the size of a 4-3-4 defensive end. Nunes: “Morton was listed as the backup to Josh Black on the spring depth chart, however that may change when Kingsley Jonathan comes back from a spring injury. It’s still nice to see his name on the two-deep and his name should be in the conversation for some decent playing time.” Black out-weighs Morton by 34 pounds. He played in four games last year but didn’t record any stats.
Caleb Okechukwu is 257 pounds, closer to what will be needed up front but probably still less than ideal. He’s also a 3 star who has yet to play into a game due to a redshirt season, (under the old rules) and an unspecified illness. Nunes: “He’s currently penciled in behind Drew Tuazama at one of the defensive end positions in the 3-3-5. His body style fits that well, a larger defensive end, as opposed to the hybrid role. He’s a flexible fit that should get a good number of snaps on the year.”
Cooper Dawson has announced that he will be opting out of this season due to Covid 19.
Patrick Alberga, a late edition, is a preferred walk-on from Saranac Lake.
Kevon Darton has the size at 281 but was a preferred walk-on with no stars. But he’s made his presence felt. Nunes: “Darton was listed on the depth chart as the backup defensive tackle for the spring season. We’ll see where he ends up slotting in, with Chris Elmore and the rest in the mix, but he seems to have worked himself into the discussion behind McKinley Williams as a tackle.”
Latarie Kinsler got 4 stars from one service and 3 from the rest. Nunes: “Kinsler was on campus with the Syracuse Orange in January, starting to learn the new scheme. But he wasn’t on the two-deep depth chart that was released prior to spring ball. That likely means he’s a redshirt candidate — right now, anyway. Obviously he could wind up playing if he progresses this offseason.” That high rating and early start could give him the inside track on some playing time but being only 213 pounds could hold him back or suggest a positon switch.
Kevin Lemieux was only a 2 star but is bigger than most of the freshmen. Nunes: “The defensive line is nowhere near nailed down, especially in a transition year as the Orange begin their 3-3-5 scheme. However, it’s a pretty good bet Lemieux will see limited action in an all ACC schedule, playing in only a handful of games before redshirting unless depth takes a hit.”
Leon Lowery is another well rated, (3 stars “all around”) but smallish, (6-4 225), freshman who will need to be built up to be effective. We got him from Virginia Tech. Nunes: “At his current size, Lowery may be more in the outside linebacker mold, but if he puts on some weight, his frame could play a weak side defensive end, like a Tyrell Richards. Both positions could use some depth moving forward, but I would say that the hope is that Leon comes in and is able to redshirt, take advantage of the strength and conditioning system and move forward in whatever position that the staff decides to utilize him in.”
Jason Muñoz was “A consensus 3-star recruit and 56 strong-side defensive end” who “dropped about 10 pounds from when he came into the program, and could very well become a ‘tweener in the new 3-3-5 system the Syracuse Orange are expected to implement. While he may not see much action along the line in 2020, there’s a good chance he will get to compete for time on special teams.” For a defensive linemen, dropping weight is not the way to prepare for the 3-3-5. But we got this kid away from Miami so he could turn out to be a good one.
Joe Rondi played in a couple of games under the new redshirt rule but had no stats. He’s another 3 star who already has the size for this position in this defense. Nunes: “It’s a stacked defensive line all around that’s filled not only with talent but with experience as well. Rondi’s probably fighting an uphill battle for a backup position, especially with some reinforcements on the way. That’s not necessarily a bad thing - he’s got a lot of time left to move up the depth chart. But for this season, Rondi’s probably looking at limited game action once again.” I wonder if his size might give him an edge over the other freshmen.
Drew Tuazama also played under the redshirt rule and got a couple of tackles vs. Holy Cross. He’s only 244 but at 6-5 has plenty of room for growth. Nunes: “The Syracuse Orange’s new 3-3-5 scheme should make things relatively interesting on the line, reducing the number of players you really need in the trenches. McKinley Williams and Kingsley Jonathan would figure to have two of those spots. That leaves the other for Josh Black and Tuazama, among others.“
Elijah Wright is an All-State defensive end from Solvay who opted to walk-on with his home town team rather than playing for one of the area small colleges.
The young linemen need to grow up – in more ways than one – fast to give us necessary depth this year and to take over the two deep the next year
