SWC75
Bored Historian
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The Team
I’ll start with a list of players who were on last year’s roster who aren’t on this year’s roster. I counted 113 players on our 2023 roster, (some duplicates, some numbers we skipped and a zero), 8 of whom were seniors: 2023 Football Roster - Syracuse University Athletics This year’s roster has 116 players, 16 of them seniors. Somehow we have three #19’s, (Oronde Gadsden, defensive lineman King Joseph Edwards and DB Cornell Perry, who I assume we are most likely to see on special teams) but we don’t have any #20, #44, (☹) no #59, #60, #62, #63, #64, #69, #83, #85, #87 and #91. Our retired football numbers are: 5, 9, 39, 44, 47, 72 and 88. We are using all those numbers except 44, so the others aren’t actually retired jerseys. So it doesn’t make much sense. But let’s move on…Gone are:
D'Marcus Adams was a track star wide receiver/kick returner who had bounced around from Florida State to Florida Atlantic to here. In two years here, he caught 7 passes but for 186 yards, (26.6!), and 2 scores. He also returned 22 kicks but never ran out of defenders. He did run out of eligibility. He had great feet but not great hands. He was 3-star recruit coming out of high school.
Damien Alford Had it all: he had a basketball player’s body at 6-6 215. He could make difficult catches in big moments and had the speed to take it all the way. He lacked consistency and an awareness of where the sideline was. In four years here, he caught 67 passes for 1,291 yards, (19.3) and 7TDs. He had a Covid year left but decided to spend it playing for Utah. He was a 3-star.
Kadin Bailey was a 3 star LB from Georgia, a nephew of Champ Bailey. He played in 24 games and made 22 tackles, mostly on special teams. Then he sustained a lower body injury that had not healed by fall practice. “Brown is overhauling the program and said it would have been difficult to use a valuable scholarship spot on a player whom he had not been able to watch and evaluate live.
“We’re gonna rehab him, make sure he’s doing right, make sure we get him to go, and then he may hit the portal,” Brown said.” (Syracuse.com)
Jayden Bass was a 3-star OL from Massachusetts. He played in the first two games, blow-outs over Colgate and Western Michigan. One article on him was entitled “Jayden Bass realizes a lifelong dream by committing to Syracuse”. He’s at Connecticut now.
Belizaire Bassette was a 3 star DL from Florida who got into 4 games his first year and made 3 tackles. He was injured last season and didn’t play at all. He entered the portal and has yet to come out of it. It sounds dangerous.
Marcale Billue was an unrated walk-on linebacker form Corcoran High School in Syracuse. He didn’t play at all. He’s not on the fall roster. I don’t know any more than that.
Christopher Bleich was a 4-star OL from Pennsylvania who went to Florida, where he played in 13 games and started 8 for the Gators. He was a big, (6-6 325) ‘get’ for SU when he transferred here but alternated getting injured and jumping offsides. He did manage to start 32 games for us and played in the Hula Bowl.
JJ Branham was a big, (5-10, 220), 3-star RB from Columbus, Ohio who went to Eastern Michigan, then the JUCO ranks before coming here. His tape looked good but he only carried 3 times for 5 yards. Another guy who hit the portal and has yet to come out of it.
Donovan Brown was another track star who made a memorable cross-the-field 85 yard play off of a Garrett Shrader scramble against Western Michigan. “It’s already impossible to guard me,” Brown said. “I haven’t met anybody as of right now that can guard me.” It was his only score. He did catch 27 passes for 321 yards and returned a couple of punts for 39 yards. He was a 3-star from Maryland. He’s going to junior college, presumably due to grade problems. His professors could cover him.
Bryce Cohoon was a 3-star wideout from Kansas who had 37 catches for over 840 yards, (22.7!) and eight touchdowns his senior year in high school. “Cohoon’s speed and overall athleticism is off the charts.” (Troy Nunes…) Now he’s off the team. He appeared in three games but “but did not record any statistics”. (Cuse.com) He’s now a Kansas Jayhawk. “We’re not in Syracuse anymore, Toto.”
Ike Daniels and Muwaffaq Parkman were supposed to be the future of the running game at Syracuse. Daniels was a 3-star out of Virginia. Ran for over 1,700 yards as a senior, totaling more than 2,000 all-purpose yards. “Had 99 yard TD runs in consecutive weeks.” He refuses to cut his hair, saying he’s “like Samson”. (Cuse.com) Daniels averaged 5.7 yards on 18 carries and caught 3 passes for 19 yards but didn’t dent the end zone. He’s now at Towson University in Maryland.
Kevon Darton was an inspirational story: a vertically challenged (5-11 271) nose tackle who had come here as an unrated player but used his wrestling ability to man the middle in our 3-3-5 defense. But he wasn’t what Brown and Robinson were looking for in their 4-3-5 defense. Kevon is now an Arizona Wildcat, where Dino Babers is now Offensive Coordinator.
Ryan Dolan was a PWO (Preferred Walk-on: a player the coaches wanted but didn’t have a scholarship for), linebacker from California. He played in 24 games and made 6 tackles. He made the All-ACC academic team. He may have decided to focus on that.
Kalan Ellis was a huge Hawaiian who came here to play for Syracuse largely because of Dino. Kalan must have liked the food here. He was 6-6 and got up to 388 pounds at one point. He played in 21 games and started 14. He played in just one game last year, due to injuries. He was thought to have considerable potential but never quite realized it, probably due to the weight. The portal got a lot heavier when he entered it and it still is. He was a 3-star.
Mario Escobar and his brother Joshua were two walk-on running backs from Long Island Mario looked good in a couple of spring games and had a 37 yard kickoff return against Wake Forest. He appeared in 16 games and had 4 carries for 30 yards in three years.
Joshua Escobar only appeared in one game and had no stats. I don’t know what their situation is now.
Myles Farmer was a 3-star defensive back from Georgia who went to Nebraska and played 31 games, starting 16 and making 110 tackles with 4 interceptions. He got in some trouble there and transferred here, where a couple other former Cornhusker defensive backs already were, (Jaeden Gould and Jalil Martin). They are still here. Farmer played in all 13 games here last year but as a reserve DB and special teams player. He’s on his way to Appalachian State.
Malcolm Folk was a 3-star DB from Pennsylvania who had trouble climbing up the depth chart here. Appeared in 11 games and made 5 tackles in three years. He transferred to Kent State where former SU coach Matt Johnson, (and Dino’s star QB at Bowling Green) is the offensive coordinator. He might have been Folk’s recruiter here.
Khalib Gilmore was an unrated linebacker who went to DII West Florida before transferring here, where he appeared in four games and got hurt. He’s now transferred to Ball State.
Ty Gordon was a 3-star from Virginia Dino flipped from Old Dominion. He’s transferred to William and Mary. Fran Brown doesn’t flip people from Old Dominion.
Aman Greenwood was a 3-star DB from DC who gave us a good four years, mostly as a reserve. He played 27 games and had 27 tackles, no picks. He had two years left, due to a redshirt and Covid and will spend them at Akron.
Deston Hawkins was another JUCO running back who didn’t play much last year and left. He played mostly on special teams and had one tackle. He’s now at Nevada-Reno, (not UNLV, who we will play). He’d been a 3-star coming out of high school.
Wes Hoeh was an offensive lineman and sometimes big-ass fullback, (used as a lead blocker). He was a 3-star from Illinois. He played 24 games here in two years. He was our highest rated OL on Pro Football Focus (PFF), which is something of a surprise, as he played only 56 snaps on the O-line. He didn’t go back to the Midwest, (“Westward Hoeh!”) but instead signed with Connecticut, (who we will play).
Josiah Jeffery was a 3-star LB from South Carolina. “His first looks should be on special teams, and anything beyond that probably won’t come until 2024.” (Nunes) He didn’t play at all last year and his first looks will come in 2024 at Anderson University, a Division II school in his home state of South Carolina.” (Syracuse.com)
Isaiah Johnson was a transfer from Dartmouth who had had an exceptional career there and wanted to see if he could compete here and have a shot at the NFL. He was a big corner (6-3 205) with long arms but he lacked the speed you want to see in a corner. He played 25 games, (18 starts), here but was one of our ‘opt-outs’ for the Boca Raton Bowl. He had 115 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a tackle for a loss in two years here. He was a ‘’veteran presence’. He wasn’t drafted but signed as a free agent with the Dolphins. He’d been a 3-star out of Michigan.
Isaiah Jones was an unrated JUCO but another big receiver (6-4 200) who looked like he had some potential but was always getting hurt. He appeared in 27 games, mostly on special teams, but managed to catch 13 passes for 226 yards and 3 scores. He seemed to have a knack for going up in a crowd to get the ball in the end zone. He’ll do that now for New Mexico where former SU OC Jason Beck now has the same job out there.
Austyn Kauhi is another 3-star OL from Hawaii who came here because of Dino. He was a 280 pounder who slimmed down to 260. Wrong direction. Maybe, unlike Ellis, he didn’t like the food here. He appeared in 2 games in 3 years. I don’t know where he is or what he’s doing. Maybe he just got smaller and smaller until he disappeared.
Terry Lockett is a 3-star DL from Massachusetts who played well here when he was able to play. He played in 26 games in three years, starting 10 of them. “Had 45 tackles, five tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries and two sacks in his career.” (Cuse.com) He had good size for a DL: 6-3 280. He’s now at James Madison, (who was much smaller).
Kendall Long was a 3-star WR from South Carolina I really liked: good size (6-2 208), good speed, good hands, who couldn’t break into the starting rotation in two years here. He played in 25 games, mostly on special teams but only had 3 catches for 41 yards and 1 TD. (He also looked good in the spring game). Apparently he’s still in the portal, unclaimed. I wouldn’t mind having him back.
Leon Lowery was a big loss, a really good and big, (6-4 239), linebacker. He was a 3-star LB from New Jersey. In three years “Has appeared in 29 games with 14 starts and had 77 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, a fumble recovery and two pass breakup at Syracuse.” (Cuse.com) He was a three-star from New Jersey, (but he was just 215 then), Fran Brown’s and Elijah Robinson’s wheelhouse, so it was a little strange to see hm transfer to Wisconsin. Can you say NIL?
Luke MacPhail was a little used walk-on QB, (but I liked his film), from Massachusetts. He appeared in four games in three years but his only stat was one run for 1 yard against Colgate in a 65-0 win. He’s transferred to Utah Tech, and FCS school. Utah Tech?!?
Steven Mahar Jr. was a highly touted tight end from Rochester (#36 TE in the country but somehow still a 3-star) who never had much of a chance to live up to his potential. He had a good combination of size, (6-5 240) and, supposedly, pass-catching ability, although he never caught one here. He played a lot on special teams and made one tackle. He missed all of last season with an injury. He entered the portal after the season but I haven’t found out where he’s going or what he’s doing.
Mekhi Mason was a 3-star LB out of Florida. In two seasons, he appeared in 8 games, mostly on special teams. He transferred to Louisiana Tech.
Mike Midkiff was a long-snapper for placekicks. He appeared in 27 games in three years. He had a year left. I haven’t found out what he’s doing now except that he got an academic award from something called the Hampshire society. He redshirted in 2019, must have been one of our Covid opt-outs in 2020 and then played for three years. He may have simply graduated and decided not to continue his football career and that might be the explanation for other players I could find nothing on. Kicking personnel are given stars but he was rated the #59 long snapper prospect in the country.
Joe More was a grad transfer, (remember them?), OL from Richmond. He played there for four years and had quite a reputation there, despite being just a 2-star coming out of high school. He was here on his Covid year and, like Isaiah Johnson, wanted to prove he could perform well here, as well and maybe get a shot at the NFL. He played three games and 29 players before getting hurt in the Clemson game and was out for the year. By playing less than 4 games, he preserved one more year of eligibility. He decided to spend it at Arkansas.
Jack Oberhofer was a walk-on tight end/ linebacker who played only in the Western Michigan blow-out. I don’t know what he’s doing now.
Caleb Okechukwu was a senior and our top defensive lineman and a leader of the defense. He’d been a 3-star out of DC and sent 6 years here with a redshirt year and a Covid year. “Appeared in 50 games - including all-49 over the last three seasons - with 26 collegiate starts ... Had 129 tackles, 22.0 TFLs, 13.5 sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a touchdown in his career” (Cuse.com)
Bralyn Oliver, a 3-star DB from North Carolina, transferred here from Louisville to join his friend Jaitus Greer, a DL who then transferred out. Now, a year later, Oliver has transferred out – to Florida A&M. Such is modern college football.
Muwaffaq Parkman was a 3 star ‘athlete’ out of New Jersey. “"I can do everything," Parkman said. "Offense, defense, I'm just an athlete. I'm going to work. I'm going to be the next big thing out of Syracuse when I get there. You're going to hear my name.” Yeah, but how do you pronounce it? He didn’t appear in any games and entered the transfer portal in April. “I hope to find a home that will help me take the next step in my journey.” He doesn’t seem to have found it yet.
Max Perricone was a Canadian walk-on WR who spent the year on the sidelines. He’s now at Huron Community College in Ontario.
Quan Peterson was a 3-star DB from South Carolina. He played in 10 games in two years. He made 4 tackles in those 10 games. His two starts were in the bowl games, thanks to opt-outs. He has now opted out of Syracuse for Coastal Carolina.
Tommy Porter was a walk-on from California who came 3,000 miles to get injured. He played in 4 games in two years and produced no stats.
Juwaun Price was a 2-star RB from Arizona who transferred from New Mexico State and provided usable depth behind Sean Tucker and LeQuint Allen the last two years. He played in 21 games and carried the ball 55 times for 205 yards and caught 3 passes for 38 yards but didn’t score. He had a COVID year left and will be spending it at North Texas State.
Austin Roon was a 3-star LB from Michigan who saw a lot of action here behind Mikel Jones and Marlowe Wax. “Has appeared in 19 games with 21 career tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.“ (Cuse.com) He may have been caught in the squeeze going from 3 linebackers to 2. He’s in the portal. I haven’t found any report of a commitment to someone else. He was another big LB at 6-4 220.
Jakobie Seabourn was a 3-star JUCO DB from California. He entered the portal last November, having “left the program at some point this season…He played 27 snaps this season…all of which were on special teams.” (Syracuse.com)
Garrett Shrader was our senior QB who, after a courageous career here, battling a variety of injuries constantly but, in 35 games completed 462 of 765 passes (60.4%) for 5,771 yards for 39 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Those are numbers Jimmy Garopolo might have had in one year at EIU. Garrett totaled that in three years here. He was also our second running back, making magic with the read option, keeping the ball when he didn’t hand it off to Tucker or Allen to gain 1,695 yards in 440 carries, (which includes sacks under NCAA rules) for a 3.9 average and 31 rushing touchdowns. Kyle McCord should swamp those passing numbers but is unlikely to get close to “The Shredder’s” rushing numbers. Garrett was a 4 star from North Carolina who went to Mississippi State before he came here, which was prompted by Mike Leach trying to turn him into a tight end.
Jason Simmons Jr. was also a senior, originally a 3-star DB from Texas, was another New Mexico State refugee who saw a lot of action in three years here: 36 games and 27 starts. He had 126 tackles, 4 picks and a forced fumble.
Jalil Smith was a freshman 3-star DL from Brooklyn. He played briefly against Boston College. He entered the portal in December, withdrew from it in January and re-entered it in April. He appears to be still in it.
Yosuke Sugano had quite a journey. He was a preferred walk-on from St. Francis of Pennsylvania who was born in Japan, where he played for the Kwansei Gakuin High School Fighters, who won the Japan National Championship in American Football. He then went to high school at Greenville Senior High School in Pennsylvania. For us, he “has seen action in 29 collegiate games with 26 tackles and five sacks”. (Cuse.com). He was a grad transfer so his eligibility is over.
Stefon Thompson was an outstanding linebacker with size, (6-1 248), and speed who went down to a season-ending injury in the same game that Oronde Gadsden did, (Western Michigan), and now he’s in the portal with two years of eligibility to go. He’s been a 3 star from Charlotte. “In 36 collegiate games played (21 starts), has 169 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 20.0 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles.” (Cuse.com) He’s going to Nebraska, probably for the NIL$$$, a big loss for us.
Max Von Marburg has the name of a James Bond villain, (our tight end, Max Mang would have been a great henchman). He’s actually Australian. His profession is punter which he did 52 times in 2022 for a 39.8 average. Last year he did it not all while Jack Stonehouse punted for a 44.6 average. Max did the math and entered the portal. Others did the math, too and he seems to still be there.
Nate Wellington was a walk-on WR from Skaneateles who played in 5 games in 5 years. He had a COVID year left but just completed his masters degree in Biomedical engineering, so he has better things to do.
Jeremiah Wilson was a rather smallish (5-10 179) 3-star DB from Florida. In two years “Played in 22 games with five starts in his time at Syracuse ... Had 37 career tackles (29 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, an interception, a touchdown and four pass breakup”. (Cuse.com). He did that despite this hairdo: Jeremiah Wilson - Football - Syracuse University Athletics He put his name in the portal before last season and then withdrew it. He put it back in this season and transferred to Houston.
Elijah Wright was a PWO from Solvay who morphed from a tight end to a fullback to a defensive lineman. He managed to play in 11 games and catch one pass. But he’ll be missed for one reason: his nickname is “Bubba” and you don’t want to be a Bubbaless team.
Fran Brown knows he’s unlikely to win ACC games with walk-ons, (we lost 8 of them), or with guys now playing for schools like Anderson, App State, Ball State, Coastal Carolina, Connecticut, James Madison, Kent State, Louisiana Tech, Nevada-Reno, New Mexico, North Texas State, Old Dominion, or Utah Tech. 11 guys have entered the portal and never came out. What does that tell us about them? Or about the portal?
We did lose 7 of the 53 players to other Power 5 schools: Alford to Utah, Cohoon to Kansas, Darton to Arizona, Lowery to Wisconsin, Moore to Arkansas, Thompson to Nebraska and Wilson to Florida. Of those, I think Lowery and Thompson may be the biggest losses but they are linebackers and in the new scheme we have only two of them, (supposedly). (I like Alford and Long too, but I’m not sure we’ll miss them.)
Overall, this list had 34 3-stars and two each of 2-stars and 4-stars. I’ve often thought that star ratings are influenced by where the player commits: the ‘experts’ assume that if a player goes to Penn State or Notre Dame or Florida State, he must be a 4- or 5-star player whereas, if he goes to Syracuse, he must be a 2- or 3- star player. I’ve seen star ratings drop after a player committed to us. On the other hand, our results over the years compared to Penn State, Notre Dame and Florida State suggest that, if we get 4-star players, we don’t get enough of them. Coach Brown and his staff want to change that.
"I am the Guardian of Forever ", Guardian
I’ll start with a list of players who were on last year’s roster who aren’t on this year’s roster. I counted 113 players on our 2023 roster, (some duplicates, some numbers we skipped and a zero), 8 of whom were seniors: 2023 Football Roster - Syracuse University Athletics This year’s roster has 116 players, 16 of them seniors. Somehow we have three #19’s, (Oronde Gadsden, defensive lineman King Joseph Edwards and DB Cornell Perry, who I assume we are most likely to see on special teams) but we don’t have any #20, #44, (☹) no #59, #60, #62, #63, #64, #69, #83, #85, #87 and #91. Our retired football numbers are: 5, 9, 39, 44, 47, 72 and 88. We are using all those numbers except 44, so the others aren’t actually retired jerseys. So it doesn’t make much sense. But let’s move on…Gone are:
D'Marcus Adams was a track star wide receiver/kick returner who had bounced around from Florida State to Florida Atlantic to here. In two years here, he caught 7 passes but for 186 yards, (26.6!), and 2 scores. He also returned 22 kicks but never ran out of defenders. He did run out of eligibility. He had great feet but not great hands. He was 3-star recruit coming out of high school.
Damien Alford Had it all: he had a basketball player’s body at 6-6 215. He could make difficult catches in big moments and had the speed to take it all the way. He lacked consistency and an awareness of where the sideline was. In four years here, he caught 67 passes for 1,291 yards, (19.3) and 7TDs. He had a Covid year left but decided to spend it playing for Utah. He was a 3-star.
Kadin Bailey was a 3 star LB from Georgia, a nephew of Champ Bailey. He played in 24 games and made 22 tackles, mostly on special teams. Then he sustained a lower body injury that had not healed by fall practice. “Brown is overhauling the program and said it would have been difficult to use a valuable scholarship spot on a player whom he had not been able to watch and evaluate live.
“We’re gonna rehab him, make sure he’s doing right, make sure we get him to go, and then he may hit the portal,” Brown said.” (Syracuse.com)
Jayden Bass was a 3-star OL from Massachusetts. He played in the first two games, blow-outs over Colgate and Western Michigan. One article on him was entitled “Jayden Bass realizes a lifelong dream by committing to Syracuse”. He’s at Connecticut now.
Belizaire Bassette was a 3 star DL from Florida who got into 4 games his first year and made 3 tackles. He was injured last season and didn’t play at all. He entered the portal and has yet to come out of it. It sounds dangerous.
Marcale Billue was an unrated walk-on linebacker form Corcoran High School in Syracuse. He didn’t play at all. He’s not on the fall roster. I don’t know any more than that.
Christopher Bleich was a 4-star OL from Pennsylvania who went to Florida, where he played in 13 games and started 8 for the Gators. He was a big, (6-6 325) ‘get’ for SU when he transferred here but alternated getting injured and jumping offsides. He did manage to start 32 games for us and played in the Hula Bowl.
JJ Branham was a big, (5-10, 220), 3-star RB from Columbus, Ohio who went to Eastern Michigan, then the JUCO ranks before coming here. His tape looked good but he only carried 3 times for 5 yards. Another guy who hit the portal and has yet to come out of it.
Donovan Brown was another track star who made a memorable cross-the-field 85 yard play off of a Garrett Shrader scramble against Western Michigan. “It’s already impossible to guard me,” Brown said. “I haven’t met anybody as of right now that can guard me.” It was his only score. He did catch 27 passes for 321 yards and returned a couple of punts for 39 yards. He was a 3-star from Maryland. He’s going to junior college, presumably due to grade problems. His professors could cover him.
Bryce Cohoon was a 3-star wideout from Kansas who had 37 catches for over 840 yards, (22.7!) and eight touchdowns his senior year in high school. “Cohoon’s speed and overall athleticism is off the charts.” (Troy Nunes…) Now he’s off the team. He appeared in three games but “but did not record any statistics”. (Cuse.com) He’s now a Kansas Jayhawk. “We’re not in Syracuse anymore, Toto.”
Ike Daniels and Muwaffaq Parkman were supposed to be the future of the running game at Syracuse. Daniels was a 3-star out of Virginia. Ran for over 1,700 yards as a senior, totaling more than 2,000 all-purpose yards. “Had 99 yard TD runs in consecutive weeks.” He refuses to cut his hair, saying he’s “like Samson”. (Cuse.com) Daniels averaged 5.7 yards on 18 carries and caught 3 passes for 19 yards but didn’t dent the end zone. He’s now at Towson University in Maryland.
Kevon Darton was an inspirational story: a vertically challenged (5-11 271) nose tackle who had come here as an unrated player but used his wrestling ability to man the middle in our 3-3-5 defense. But he wasn’t what Brown and Robinson were looking for in their 4-3-5 defense. Kevon is now an Arizona Wildcat, where Dino Babers is now Offensive Coordinator.
Ryan Dolan was a PWO (Preferred Walk-on: a player the coaches wanted but didn’t have a scholarship for), linebacker from California. He played in 24 games and made 6 tackles. He made the All-ACC academic team. He may have decided to focus on that.
Kalan Ellis was a huge Hawaiian who came here to play for Syracuse largely because of Dino. Kalan must have liked the food here. He was 6-6 and got up to 388 pounds at one point. He played in 21 games and started 14. He played in just one game last year, due to injuries. He was thought to have considerable potential but never quite realized it, probably due to the weight. The portal got a lot heavier when he entered it and it still is. He was a 3-star.
Mario Escobar and his brother Joshua were two walk-on running backs from Long Island Mario looked good in a couple of spring games and had a 37 yard kickoff return against Wake Forest. He appeared in 16 games and had 4 carries for 30 yards in three years.
Joshua Escobar only appeared in one game and had no stats. I don’t know what their situation is now.
Myles Farmer was a 3-star defensive back from Georgia who went to Nebraska and played 31 games, starting 16 and making 110 tackles with 4 interceptions. He got in some trouble there and transferred here, where a couple other former Cornhusker defensive backs already were, (Jaeden Gould and Jalil Martin). They are still here. Farmer played in all 13 games here last year but as a reserve DB and special teams player. He’s on his way to Appalachian State.
Malcolm Folk was a 3-star DB from Pennsylvania who had trouble climbing up the depth chart here. Appeared in 11 games and made 5 tackles in three years. He transferred to Kent State where former SU coach Matt Johnson, (and Dino’s star QB at Bowling Green) is the offensive coordinator. He might have been Folk’s recruiter here.
Khalib Gilmore was an unrated linebacker who went to DII West Florida before transferring here, where he appeared in four games and got hurt. He’s now transferred to Ball State.
Ty Gordon was a 3-star from Virginia Dino flipped from Old Dominion. He’s transferred to William and Mary. Fran Brown doesn’t flip people from Old Dominion.
Aman Greenwood was a 3-star DB from DC who gave us a good four years, mostly as a reserve. He played 27 games and had 27 tackles, no picks. He had two years left, due to a redshirt and Covid and will spend them at Akron.
Deston Hawkins was another JUCO running back who didn’t play much last year and left. He played mostly on special teams and had one tackle. He’s now at Nevada-Reno, (not UNLV, who we will play). He’d been a 3-star coming out of high school.
Wes Hoeh was an offensive lineman and sometimes big-ass fullback, (used as a lead blocker). He was a 3-star from Illinois. He played 24 games here in two years. He was our highest rated OL on Pro Football Focus (PFF), which is something of a surprise, as he played only 56 snaps on the O-line. He didn’t go back to the Midwest, (“Westward Hoeh!”) but instead signed with Connecticut, (who we will play).
Josiah Jeffery was a 3-star LB from South Carolina. “His first looks should be on special teams, and anything beyond that probably won’t come until 2024.” (Nunes) He didn’t play at all last year and his first looks will come in 2024 at Anderson University, a Division II school in his home state of South Carolina.” (Syracuse.com)
Isaiah Johnson was a transfer from Dartmouth who had had an exceptional career there and wanted to see if he could compete here and have a shot at the NFL. He was a big corner (6-3 205) with long arms but he lacked the speed you want to see in a corner. He played 25 games, (18 starts), here but was one of our ‘opt-outs’ for the Boca Raton Bowl. He had 115 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a tackle for a loss in two years here. He was a ‘’veteran presence’. He wasn’t drafted but signed as a free agent with the Dolphins. He’d been a 3-star out of Michigan.
Isaiah Jones was an unrated JUCO but another big receiver (6-4 200) who looked like he had some potential but was always getting hurt. He appeared in 27 games, mostly on special teams, but managed to catch 13 passes for 226 yards and 3 scores. He seemed to have a knack for going up in a crowd to get the ball in the end zone. He’ll do that now for New Mexico where former SU OC Jason Beck now has the same job out there.
Austyn Kauhi is another 3-star OL from Hawaii who came here because of Dino. He was a 280 pounder who slimmed down to 260. Wrong direction. Maybe, unlike Ellis, he didn’t like the food here. He appeared in 2 games in 3 years. I don’t know where he is or what he’s doing. Maybe he just got smaller and smaller until he disappeared.
Terry Lockett is a 3-star DL from Massachusetts who played well here when he was able to play. He played in 26 games in three years, starting 10 of them. “Had 45 tackles, five tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries and two sacks in his career.” (Cuse.com) He had good size for a DL: 6-3 280. He’s now at James Madison, (who was much smaller).
Kendall Long was a 3-star WR from South Carolina I really liked: good size (6-2 208), good speed, good hands, who couldn’t break into the starting rotation in two years here. He played in 25 games, mostly on special teams but only had 3 catches for 41 yards and 1 TD. (He also looked good in the spring game). Apparently he’s still in the portal, unclaimed. I wouldn’t mind having him back.
Leon Lowery was a big loss, a really good and big, (6-4 239), linebacker. He was a 3-star LB from New Jersey. In three years “Has appeared in 29 games with 14 starts and had 77 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, a fumble recovery and two pass breakup at Syracuse.” (Cuse.com) He was a three-star from New Jersey, (but he was just 215 then), Fran Brown’s and Elijah Robinson’s wheelhouse, so it was a little strange to see hm transfer to Wisconsin. Can you say NIL?
Luke MacPhail was a little used walk-on QB, (but I liked his film), from Massachusetts. He appeared in four games in three years but his only stat was one run for 1 yard against Colgate in a 65-0 win. He’s transferred to Utah Tech, and FCS school. Utah Tech?!?
Steven Mahar Jr. was a highly touted tight end from Rochester (#36 TE in the country but somehow still a 3-star) who never had much of a chance to live up to his potential. He had a good combination of size, (6-5 240) and, supposedly, pass-catching ability, although he never caught one here. He played a lot on special teams and made one tackle. He missed all of last season with an injury. He entered the portal after the season but I haven’t found out where he’s going or what he’s doing.
Mekhi Mason was a 3-star LB out of Florida. In two seasons, he appeared in 8 games, mostly on special teams. He transferred to Louisiana Tech.
Mike Midkiff was a long-snapper for placekicks. He appeared in 27 games in three years. He had a year left. I haven’t found out what he’s doing now except that he got an academic award from something called the Hampshire society. He redshirted in 2019, must have been one of our Covid opt-outs in 2020 and then played for three years. He may have simply graduated and decided not to continue his football career and that might be the explanation for other players I could find nothing on. Kicking personnel are given stars but he was rated the #59 long snapper prospect in the country.
Joe More was a grad transfer, (remember them?), OL from Richmond. He played there for four years and had quite a reputation there, despite being just a 2-star coming out of high school. He was here on his Covid year and, like Isaiah Johnson, wanted to prove he could perform well here, as well and maybe get a shot at the NFL. He played three games and 29 players before getting hurt in the Clemson game and was out for the year. By playing less than 4 games, he preserved one more year of eligibility. He decided to spend it at Arkansas.
Jack Oberhofer was a walk-on tight end/ linebacker who played only in the Western Michigan blow-out. I don’t know what he’s doing now.
Caleb Okechukwu was a senior and our top defensive lineman and a leader of the defense. He’d been a 3-star out of DC and sent 6 years here with a redshirt year and a Covid year. “Appeared in 50 games - including all-49 over the last three seasons - with 26 collegiate starts ... Had 129 tackles, 22.0 TFLs, 13.5 sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a touchdown in his career” (Cuse.com)
Bralyn Oliver, a 3-star DB from North Carolina, transferred here from Louisville to join his friend Jaitus Greer, a DL who then transferred out. Now, a year later, Oliver has transferred out – to Florida A&M. Such is modern college football.
Muwaffaq Parkman was a 3 star ‘athlete’ out of New Jersey. “"I can do everything," Parkman said. "Offense, defense, I'm just an athlete. I'm going to work. I'm going to be the next big thing out of Syracuse when I get there. You're going to hear my name.” Yeah, but how do you pronounce it? He didn’t appear in any games and entered the transfer portal in April. “I hope to find a home that will help me take the next step in my journey.” He doesn’t seem to have found it yet.
Max Perricone was a Canadian walk-on WR who spent the year on the sidelines. He’s now at Huron Community College in Ontario.
Quan Peterson was a 3-star DB from South Carolina. He played in 10 games in two years. He made 4 tackles in those 10 games. His two starts were in the bowl games, thanks to opt-outs. He has now opted out of Syracuse for Coastal Carolina.
Tommy Porter was a walk-on from California who came 3,000 miles to get injured. He played in 4 games in two years and produced no stats.
Juwaun Price was a 2-star RB from Arizona who transferred from New Mexico State and provided usable depth behind Sean Tucker and LeQuint Allen the last two years. He played in 21 games and carried the ball 55 times for 205 yards and caught 3 passes for 38 yards but didn’t score. He had a COVID year left and will be spending it at North Texas State.
Austin Roon was a 3-star LB from Michigan who saw a lot of action here behind Mikel Jones and Marlowe Wax. “Has appeared in 19 games with 21 career tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.“ (Cuse.com) He may have been caught in the squeeze going from 3 linebackers to 2. He’s in the portal. I haven’t found any report of a commitment to someone else. He was another big LB at 6-4 220.
Jakobie Seabourn was a 3-star JUCO DB from California. He entered the portal last November, having “left the program at some point this season…He played 27 snaps this season…all of which were on special teams.” (Syracuse.com)
Garrett Shrader was our senior QB who, after a courageous career here, battling a variety of injuries constantly but, in 35 games completed 462 of 765 passes (60.4%) for 5,771 yards for 39 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Those are numbers Jimmy Garopolo might have had in one year at EIU. Garrett totaled that in three years here. He was also our second running back, making magic with the read option, keeping the ball when he didn’t hand it off to Tucker or Allen to gain 1,695 yards in 440 carries, (which includes sacks under NCAA rules) for a 3.9 average and 31 rushing touchdowns. Kyle McCord should swamp those passing numbers but is unlikely to get close to “The Shredder’s” rushing numbers. Garrett was a 4 star from North Carolina who went to Mississippi State before he came here, which was prompted by Mike Leach trying to turn him into a tight end.
Jason Simmons Jr. was also a senior, originally a 3-star DB from Texas, was another New Mexico State refugee who saw a lot of action in three years here: 36 games and 27 starts. He had 126 tackles, 4 picks and a forced fumble.
Jalil Smith was a freshman 3-star DL from Brooklyn. He played briefly against Boston College. He entered the portal in December, withdrew from it in January and re-entered it in April. He appears to be still in it.
Yosuke Sugano had quite a journey. He was a preferred walk-on from St. Francis of Pennsylvania who was born in Japan, where he played for the Kwansei Gakuin High School Fighters, who won the Japan National Championship in American Football. He then went to high school at Greenville Senior High School in Pennsylvania. For us, he “has seen action in 29 collegiate games with 26 tackles and five sacks”. (Cuse.com). He was a grad transfer so his eligibility is over.
Stefon Thompson was an outstanding linebacker with size, (6-1 248), and speed who went down to a season-ending injury in the same game that Oronde Gadsden did, (Western Michigan), and now he’s in the portal with two years of eligibility to go. He’s been a 3 star from Charlotte. “In 36 collegiate games played (21 starts), has 169 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 20.0 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles.” (Cuse.com) He’s going to Nebraska, probably for the NIL$$$, a big loss for us.
Max Von Marburg has the name of a James Bond villain, (our tight end, Max Mang would have been a great henchman). He’s actually Australian. His profession is punter which he did 52 times in 2022 for a 39.8 average. Last year he did it not all while Jack Stonehouse punted for a 44.6 average. Max did the math and entered the portal. Others did the math, too and he seems to still be there.
Nate Wellington was a walk-on WR from Skaneateles who played in 5 games in 5 years. He had a COVID year left but just completed his masters degree in Biomedical engineering, so he has better things to do.
Jeremiah Wilson was a rather smallish (5-10 179) 3-star DB from Florida. In two years “Played in 22 games with five starts in his time at Syracuse ... Had 37 career tackles (29 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, an interception, a touchdown and four pass breakup”. (Cuse.com). He did that despite this hairdo: Jeremiah Wilson - Football - Syracuse University Athletics He put his name in the portal before last season and then withdrew it. He put it back in this season and transferred to Houston.
Elijah Wright was a PWO from Solvay who morphed from a tight end to a fullback to a defensive lineman. He managed to play in 11 games and catch one pass. But he’ll be missed for one reason: his nickname is “Bubba” and you don’t want to be a Bubbaless team.
Fran Brown knows he’s unlikely to win ACC games with walk-ons, (we lost 8 of them), or with guys now playing for schools like Anderson, App State, Ball State, Coastal Carolina, Connecticut, James Madison, Kent State, Louisiana Tech, Nevada-Reno, New Mexico, North Texas State, Old Dominion, or Utah Tech. 11 guys have entered the portal and never came out. What does that tell us about them? Or about the portal?
We did lose 7 of the 53 players to other Power 5 schools: Alford to Utah, Cohoon to Kansas, Darton to Arizona, Lowery to Wisconsin, Moore to Arkansas, Thompson to Nebraska and Wilson to Florida. Of those, I think Lowery and Thompson may be the biggest losses but they are linebackers and in the new scheme we have only two of them, (supposedly). (I like Alford and Long too, but I’m not sure we’ll miss them.)
Overall, this list had 34 3-stars and two each of 2-stars and 4-stars. I’ve often thought that star ratings are influenced by where the player commits: the ‘experts’ assume that if a player goes to Penn State or Notre Dame or Florida State, he must be a 4- or 5-star player whereas, if he goes to Syracuse, he must be a 2- or 3- star player. I’ve seen star ratings drop after a player committed to us. On the other hand, our results over the years compared to Penn State, Notre Dame and Florida State suggest that, if we get 4-star players, we don’t get enough of them. Coach Brown and his staff want to change that.
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