SWC75
Bored Historian
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Quarterbacks
Seniors: Rex Culpepper 6-3 221
Juniors: Tommy DeVito 6-2 221
Freshmen: Drew Gunther 6-2 204, Dillon Markiewicz 6-5 216; Luke McPhail 6-4 215, JaCobian Morgan 6-4 203, David Summers 6-2 214
Gone: Clayton Welch, who graduated
There was a lot of excitement when Tommy DeVito was recruited. He was our highest rated quarterback recruit since Donovan McNabb and the first big one of the Dino Babers era, the kind of QB recruit we’d hoped would want to come here with Dino’s souped –up offense. We had to wait two years to really see what he could do. He red-shirted his first year and then backed up Eric Dungey for a year. Even then he was acknowledged as a better passer than Dungey, with a stronger, more accurate arm and when he came into the North Carolina game to lead the team to an overtime win with three touchdown passes after Eric had been ineffective, some people wanted the DeVito era to begin immediately. Eric responded by getting back on track and leading the team to that 10-3 record.
The DeVito Era began in earnest last year but most people were disappointed. We expected Tommy to own the SU record book after one year but those records are still standing. He was on the run constantly because of the offensive line troubles and wound up getting sacked 43 teams. He seemed to be unable to “feel the pressure” and know which direction to run to avoid it. He also lacked Dungey’s ability to pass on the run and also his ability to keep the defense honest by running the ball himself. He was built, it seemed to stand in a reliable pocket and run the plays the way they were diagrammed so he could make his pretty passes to wide-open receivers.
The thing is, Tommy had a pretty darn good year if you take a closer look at it. He completed 213 of 337 passes, (63%) for a credible 19 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions, despite the defensive pressure. Top quarterbacks today have 30+TD passes but the other numbers were quite good. Tommy also was encouraged by the coaching staff to take off and run when he saw an opening, which he started to do in mid-season. He wasn’t as big and strong as Dungey, who was almost Csonka-like in his running style but he’s not small and he is faster than Eric was and broke off some big runs as the season progressed, one a 60 TD run. With his style of avoiding contact and going into a slide when there wasn’t an opening, he should be able to stay healthier than Eric did- if we can fix our line problems. Dungey had 18 TD passes and 9 interceptions in his ‘great’ 2018 season compared to 19/5 for Tommy in his ‘disappointing’ season last year.
From NunesMagician.com: “This season, with a better line in front of him and a year of valuable lessons under his belt, the hope is that we see a more consistent and efficient passer. In 2019, he was accurate (63.2%), but also averaged just seven yards per pass. His 19 touchdowns were impressive compared to most previous single-season totals in Syracuse history, yet he threw zero scores in four full games, and three of the first five games (garbage time vs. Maryland, WMU and Holy Cross) accounted for 11 of those — and three of his top five yardage totals of 2019.
This year, the hope is that the better protection leads to going through progressions more to involve the full complement of receivers, and maybe turn that into more consistent big downfield completions. He still has a solid deep ball, as we saw when he connected on those. If DeVito can join the ability he displayed to utilize the sideline with more throws to the middle of the field and a more effective screen game, it doesn’t take much imagination to see how this offense takes off. Some big “ifs” there, obviously. Though even progress in one aspect could pay some major dividends.”
My hope is that before he leaves, Tommy will not only own the SU record but put up the kind of numbers that Heisman candidates have. That’s not outlandish. Read what Brent Axe had to say about him in point one of this article:
Axe: 20 questions for SU football in 2020 (part one)
“Since 2010, only two Power 5 quarterbacks have completed 63 percent of their throws, accounted for 20 touchdowns and had fewer than eight turnovers while being sacked at least 35 times. One is Baker Mayfield. The other is DeVito…. DeVito was the one quarterback in FBS who had multiple touchdowns on throws of 50+ yards downfield in 2019. Longest downfield TD pass in 2019: 1. Tommy Devito, Syracuse - 53 yds 2. Justin Fields, OSU – 52 2. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson – 52… DeVito didn’t throw an interception in his final 170 attempts of the season, the third-longest active streak in the FBS… DeVito ranked in the Top 5 in college football last season in fewest passes dropped by his receivers.” I guess the later means he threw it right into their hands, which means they could catch it in stride. I still think this guy is going to put up big numbers here, helped by the emergence of the talent in the receiving corps and a decent offensive line. Will this be the year?
The big issue is who will be his back-up and, ultimately, who will follow him? The only other quarterback on the roster with any experience is Rex Culpepper, who was at one time thought to be Dungey’s eventual replacement until he got sidetracked by testicular cancer, which he overcame and the arrival of DeVito, which he did not. At one point they were switching Rex to tight end. But they decided they needed him back at QB. But it’s significant that Clayton Welch, who did everything so slowly he looked as if he was posing for pictures, beat Rex out for the back-up spot. Rex threw one pass on the year and it was incomplete. In 2017 he threw 75 passes and completed 45, but for 2TDs and 3 interceptions. If one of the young guys they’ve brought in starts looking good in practice, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rex moves down the depth chart again in factor of someone who will have a bigger role to play in the future.
There has been much publicity over the last couple of years about Dino’s staff’s frustration about not being able to bring in a quarterback prospect rated as highly as DeVito but they’ve still managed to bring in four prospects over two years and fifth for next year who look pretty interesting as a group. You’ve got to figure that someone will emerge from this group to be ‘the next guy’, (and that those that don’t will likely look elsewhere for potential playing time).
Here’s what I said about the two guys they recruited last year, both of whom red-shirted and neither of whom played in a game, (which doesn’t necessarily follow these days):
David Summers was going to go to Maryland, (our second opponent), but flipped to SU after their coaching scandal and Chance Amie transferred out. Per Syracuse.com, “is rated three stars and the No. 37 pro-style quarterback this cycle by 247Sports.com's composite rankings. As a senior at St. Joseph, Summers completed 56.4 percent of his passes for 2,631 yards, 39 touchdowns and 10 interceptions en route to being named Connecticut High School Coaches Association Player of the Year. He racked up 3,227 yards and 49 touchdowns during his junior year, completing 65.1 percent of his passes while throwing just five interceptions. Summers also logged five rushing touchdowns in each campaign. "I think one of the biggest things is he’s a competitor," St. Joseph head coach Joe Della Vecchia said. "That was one of the things that I found out about him early. He’s going out there to compete. He wants to win, he wants to be good. We talk about being great all the time at practice. He’s certainly one of those guys who wants to be the best on the field all the time."
His highlights: I love his ability to throw deep, even flicking the ball forward when off balance. He can throw fly balls or line drives equally well. His running highlights come at the end. He’s no Lamar Jackson or even an Eric Dungey but he does OK on the quarterback draw.
Drew Gunther is a preferred walk-on from Ryan Nassib’s old school, Malvern Prep. “Threw for 2,136 yards and 24 TDs as a senior to lead the Friars to the second 11-0 season in Inter-Ac League history.” (Cuse.com). Syracuse.com: “described the quarterback as a smart decision-maker, able to call out protections, check the team out of unfavorable plays and use his savvy in the run-pass-option game. He led a hurry-up offense each of the last two years …A lack of elite arm talent is likely what kept the Power-Five offers away, Gueriera said, but Gunther has added 15 pounds since the end of his senior year and gets up at 5:30 a.m. daily to work out. Going into a college strength and conditioning program starting this summer, it’s likely he will only continue to grow into his frame.” He was going to go Virginia Tech but flipped when they got some transfers.
Highlights: Drew Gunther Varsity
He looks OK but this almost all short passes. Update: Gunther has entered the transfer portal.
The newcomers for this year are:
Dillon Markiewicz is a 3 star from Texas, (which means he would have been a 4 star if he’d gone to Texas). He was ranked the #69 pro-style QB recruit in the country. “Markiewicz completed 72 percent of his passes for 4,187 yards, 45 touchdowns and six interceptions during his senior season. He also ran for seven scores” (Syracuse.com) I’ll take that, thank you. We out-recruited Boise State to get him, which says something about his ability. Here are his senior highlights:
I like his mobility, his ability to make decisions and throw on the run and his quick release.
Luke McPhail is a preferred walk-on from Massachusetts, who is a ‘pro-style quarterback’. He was “the fifth most productive passer in Massachusetts history in touchdowns (85) and yards (7,195)” and the “All-New England Player of the Year”, which sounds pretty good to me. Here are his highlights:
He’s got good size, can make all the throws, can scramble to buy time and throw on the run and runs the ball with determination and some speed. I like how his long throws have some air under them and gives his receivers time to run under them. He also hits guys in stride. What more do you want?
Jacobian Morgan is a 3 star from Mississippi, (Which means he’d be a 4 star if he went to Mississippi). He was ranked the #79 pro-style QB recruit. “As a senior, threw for 2,487 yards and accounted for 30 touchdowns (27 passing, 3 rushing)”, (Cuse.com). ““Jacobian is a born leader,” (his coach Calvin) Bolton said. “Outstanding QB with a strong arm. He’s very knowledgeable at this position. Syracuse found a diamond in the rough.” His highlights:
He’s good at throwing the long ball and giving his receivers a chance to run under it. His short passes have a bit of a loop too them, as well, which is not always a good thing. The pace of the offense seemed a little slower than with Markiewicz, who looks like had has a better fastball. I didn’t see a lot of running in this clip.
Nunes expects all three true freshmen to redshirt this year. We’ll see…
He won’t be on this year’s team but Justin Lamson, a 6-3 210, 3 star from California, (which means that he’d be a 4 star if he went to USC), will be competing with these guys next year in race to eventually replace DeVito, who will be a senior by then, so I decided to include him. He’s rated the #31 dual-threat QB in his class. “He accounted for 3,576 total yards and 29 total touchdowns as a junior for Oak Ridge, completing 66.3% of his passes for 3,114 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Lamson added 462 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 134 carries.” (Syracuse.com) Here are his highlights:
He’s certainly much more run-conscious than the others and showed the ability to create and make lemonade, (or orange Juice?) out of lemons. Some people compare him to Eric Dungey and that’s not a negative but my impression from the numbers Dino’s teams put up at Eastern Illinois and Bowling Green that he prefers the Tommy DeVito type: a guy who will pick you apart from the pocket and occasionally burn you with a QB draw but who tends to avoid physical contact if he can to stay healthy. At least we’ve got the old Dungey playbook if we need it.
It will be interesting to see the completion between these guys over the next couple of years. It will also be interesting to see how aggressively the coaching staff tries to recruit someone more highly rated. Are they satisfied with this group?
Seniors: Rex Culpepper 6-3 221
Juniors: Tommy DeVito 6-2 221
Freshmen: Drew Gunther 6-2 204, Dillon Markiewicz 6-5 216; Luke McPhail 6-4 215, JaCobian Morgan 6-4 203, David Summers 6-2 214
Gone: Clayton Welch, who graduated
There was a lot of excitement when Tommy DeVito was recruited. He was our highest rated quarterback recruit since Donovan McNabb and the first big one of the Dino Babers era, the kind of QB recruit we’d hoped would want to come here with Dino’s souped –up offense. We had to wait two years to really see what he could do. He red-shirted his first year and then backed up Eric Dungey for a year. Even then he was acknowledged as a better passer than Dungey, with a stronger, more accurate arm and when he came into the North Carolina game to lead the team to an overtime win with three touchdown passes after Eric had been ineffective, some people wanted the DeVito era to begin immediately. Eric responded by getting back on track and leading the team to that 10-3 record.
The DeVito Era began in earnest last year but most people were disappointed. We expected Tommy to own the SU record book after one year but those records are still standing. He was on the run constantly because of the offensive line troubles and wound up getting sacked 43 teams. He seemed to be unable to “feel the pressure” and know which direction to run to avoid it. He also lacked Dungey’s ability to pass on the run and also his ability to keep the defense honest by running the ball himself. He was built, it seemed to stand in a reliable pocket and run the plays the way they were diagrammed so he could make his pretty passes to wide-open receivers.
The thing is, Tommy had a pretty darn good year if you take a closer look at it. He completed 213 of 337 passes, (63%) for a credible 19 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions, despite the defensive pressure. Top quarterbacks today have 30+TD passes but the other numbers were quite good. Tommy also was encouraged by the coaching staff to take off and run when he saw an opening, which he started to do in mid-season. He wasn’t as big and strong as Dungey, who was almost Csonka-like in his running style but he’s not small and he is faster than Eric was and broke off some big runs as the season progressed, one a 60 TD run. With his style of avoiding contact and going into a slide when there wasn’t an opening, he should be able to stay healthier than Eric did- if we can fix our line problems. Dungey had 18 TD passes and 9 interceptions in his ‘great’ 2018 season compared to 19/5 for Tommy in his ‘disappointing’ season last year.
From NunesMagician.com: “This season, with a better line in front of him and a year of valuable lessons under his belt, the hope is that we see a more consistent and efficient passer. In 2019, he was accurate (63.2%), but also averaged just seven yards per pass. His 19 touchdowns were impressive compared to most previous single-season totals in Syracuse history, yet he threw zero scores in four full games, and three of the first five games (garbage time vs. Maryland, WMU and Holy Cross) accounted for 11 of those — and three of his top five yardage totals of 2019.
This year, the hope is that the better protection leads to going through progressions more to involve the full complement of receivers, and maybe turn that into more consistent big downfield completions. He still has a solid deep ball, as we saw when he connected on those. If DeVito can join the ability he displayed to utilize the sideline with more throws to the middle of the field and a more effective screen game, it doesn’t take much imagination to see how this offense takes off. Some big “ifs” there, obviously. Though even progress in one aspect could pay some major dividends.”
My hope is that before he leaves, Tommy will not only own the SU record but put up the kind of numbers that Heisman candidates have. That’s not outlandish. Read what Brent Axe had to say about him in point one of this article:
Axe: 20 questions for SU football in 2020 (part one)
“Since 2010, only two Power 5 quarterbacks have completed 63 percent of their throws, accounted for 20 touchdowns and had fewer than eight turnovers while being sacked at least 35 times. One is Baker Mayfield. The other is DeVito…. DeVito was the one quarterback in FBS who had multiple touchdowns on throws of 50+ yards downfield in 2019. Longest downfield TD pass in 2019: 1. Tommy Devito, Syracuse - 53 yds 2. Justin Fields, OSU – 52 2. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson – 52… DeVito didn’t throw an interception in his final 170 attempts of the season, the third-longest active streak in the FBS… DeVito ranked in the Top 5 in college football last season in fewest passes dropped by his receivers.” I guess the later means he threw it right into their hands, which means they could catch it in stride. I still think this guy is going to put up big numbers here, helped by the emergence of the talent in the receiving corps and a decent offensive line. Will this be the year?
The big issue is who will be his back-up and, ultimately, who will follow him? The only other quarterback on the roster with any experience is Rex Culpepper, who was at one time thought to be Dungey’s eventual replacement until he got sidetracked by testicular cancer, which he overcame and the arrival of DeVito, which he did not. At one point they were switching Rex to tight end. But they decided they needed him back at QB. But it’s significant that Clayton Welch, who did everything so slowly he looked as if he was posing for pictures, beat Rex out for the back-up spot. Rex threw one pass on the year and it was incomplete. In 2017 he threw 75 passes and completed 45, but for 2TDs and 3 interceptions. If one of the young guys they’ve brought in starts looking good in practice, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rex moves down the depth chart again in factor of someone who will have a bigger role to play in the future.
There has been much publicity over the last couple of years about Dino’s staff’s frustration about not being able to bring in a quarterback prospect rated as highly as DeVito but they’ve still managed to bring in four prospects over two years and fifth for next year who look pretty interesting as a group. You’ve got to figure that someone will emerge from this group to be ‘the next guy’, (and that those that don’t will likely look elsewhere for potential playing time).
Here’s what I said about the two guys they recruited last year, both of whom red-shirted and neither of whom played in a game, (which doesn’t necessarily follow these days):
David Summers was going to go to Maryland, (our second opponent), but flipped to SU after their coaching scandal and Chance Amie transferred out. Per Syracuse.com, “is rated three stars and the No. 37 pro-style quarterback this cycle by 247Sports.com's composite rankings. As a senior at St. Joseph, Summers completed 56.4 percent of his passes for 2,631 yards, 39 touchdowns and 10 interceptions en route to being named Connecticut High School Coaches Association Player of the Year. He racked up 3,227 yards and 49 touchdowns during his junior year, completing 65.1 percent of his passes while throwing just five interceptions. Summers also logged five rushing touchdowns in each campaign. "I think one of the biggest things is he’s a competitor," St. Joseph head coach Joe Della Vecchia said. "That was one of the things that I found out about him early. He’s going out there to compete. He wants to win, he wants to be good. We talk about being great all the time at practice. He’s certainly one of those guys who wants to be the best on the field all the time."
His highlights: I love his ability to throw deep, even flicking the ball forward when off balance. He can throw fly balls or line drives equally well. His running highlights come at the end. He’s no Lamar Jackson or even an Eric Dungey but he does OK on the quarterback draw.
Drew Gunther is a preferred walk-on from Ryan Nassib’s old school, Malvern Prep. “Threw for 2,136 yards and 24 TDs as a senior to lead the Friars to the second 11-0 season in Inter-Ac League history.” (Cuse.com). Syracuse.com: “described the quarterback as a smart decision-maker, able to call out protections, check the team out of unfavorable plays and use his savvy in the run-pass-option game. He led a hurry-up offense each of the last two years …A lack of elite arm talent is likely what kept the Power-Five offers away, Gueriera said, but Gunther has added 15 pounds since the end of his senior year and gets up at 5:30 a.m. daily to work out. Going into a college strength and conditioning program starting this summer, it’s likely he will only continue to grow into his frame.” He was going to go Virginia Tech but flipped when they got some transfers.
Highlights: Drew Gunther Varsity
He looks OK but this almost all short passes. Update: Gunther has entered the transfer portal.
The newcomers for this year are:
Dillon Markiewicz is a 3 star from Texas, (which means he would have been a 4 star if he’d gone to Texas). He was ranked the #69 pro-style QB recruit in the country. “Markiewicz completed 72 percent of his passes for 4,187 yards, 45 touchdowns and six interceptions during his senior season. He also ran for seven scores” (Syracuse.com) I’ll take that, thank you. We out-recruited Boise State to get him, which says something about his ability. Here are his senior highlights:
Luke McPhail is a preferred walk-on from Massachusetts, who is a ‘pro-style quarterback’. He was “the fifth most productive passer in Massachusetts history in touchdowns (85) and yards (7,195)” and the “All-New England Player of the Year”, which sounds pretty good to me. Here are his highlights:
Jacobian Morgan is a 3 star from Mississippi, (Which means he’d be a 4 star if he went to Mississippi). He was ranked the #79 pro-style QB recruit. “As a senior, threw for 2,487 yards and accounted for 30 touchdowns (27 passing, 3 rushing)”, (Cuse.com). ““Jacobian is a born leader,” (his coach Calvin) Bolton said. “Outstanding QB with a strong arm. He’s very knowledgeable at this position. Syracuse found a diamond in the rough.” His highlights:
Nunes expects all three true freshmen to redshirt this year. We’ll see…
He won’t be on this year’s team but Justin Lamson, a 6-3 210, 3 star from California, (which means that he’d be a 4 star if he went to USC), will be competing with these guys next year in race to eventually replace DeVito, who will be a senior by then, so I decided to include him. He’s rated the #31 dual-threat QB in his class. “He accounted for 3,576 total yards and 29 total touchdowns as a junior for Oak Ridge, completing 66.3% of his passes for 3,114 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Lamson added 462 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 134 carries.” (Syracuse.com) Here are his highlights:
It will be interesting to see the completion between these guys over the next couple of years. It will also be interesting to see how aggressively the coaching staff tries to recruit someone more highly rated. Are they satisfied with this group?
