Reply to thread

Message: [QUOTE="SUDadx2, post: 4950921, member: 8174"] [URL unfurl="true"]https://x.com/tdotbrew/status/1745518772729880763?s=46&t=1twtFBPLdM5KQMfgFMm7Zg[/URL] Wasn’t there an open tryout on campus last week? Any word about that event? Just holding this event leads me to believe Coach Fran wants more walk-in’s in the program. Not necessarily better, but I think this staff will bring in more. The previous staff usually had approximately 20 walk-ons on the roster while both Texas AM and Georgia carry 40 or more walk-ons. If you bring in more the odds are in your favor to have a few more make meaningful contributions. How much more room is there in the locker room? Holding a scholarship or two back each year as a carrot for those walk-ons will attract better players who want that carrot. There’s not much attraction is you’ve only rewarded one walk-on player with a scholarship in recent memory. Other than Darton, who was the last walk-on to earn at scholarship at Syracuse? Last year Dolan and Porter played on special teams. Mario Escobar returned some kicks and got some snaps at RB in 2022. Ian Hawkins handled the punt duties late in 22 after a couple of scholarship kickers got sick. AJ Calabro played on special teams before that. Recently a couple of walk-ons seem to get more playing time than some of the scholarship players. That’s not easy cause coaches tend to play kids they recruited sometimes just to validate their recruitment. In spring of 22 Clay Masters ran with the 2’s all spring then right before the spring game he got bumped to third team for an early entry freshman. That freshman got torched early in the spring game and eventually Masters moved back to second team during that game. Later that freshman moved to receiver and eventually transferred to a JC. Last season I heard of a walk-on who got bumped from the travel roster to appease a freshman scholarship player who never saw the field. The life of a walk-on isn’t an easy one. Being an expensive private university could affect the type of walk-on Syracuse is able to attract. I don’t care how much grant and aid you throw at a walk-on there is usually still a balance owed at the end of the day. [/QUOTE]

Verification: What is a Syracuse fan's favorite color?