NEVER SAW THIS SEAN TUCKER STORY!
I never remember seeing how fast Sean Tucker is until this afternoon. I always estimated he was a true 4.4 but his burst and ability to run away from fast DB’s made me think he could be faster. I have been looking, googling, entering Sean Tuckers 40 speed and it would come up with 40 speed with a line through it. Guess I got lucky today.
Kept looking and there it was. An article by Chris Carlson in 2020 about his speed.
Carlson takes us back to when Sean was a sophomore at Calvert Hall in Towson MD.
“Calvert’s starting running back, a senior, suffered a high ankle sprain. The other options faltered. So Calvert Hall turned to Tucker,
who responded with 148 yards and an 89-yard touchdown run.
In his first year at Syracuse, Tucker arrived under the assumption he’d probably redshirt. Then Syracuse’s top two projected running backs opted out of the season. Tucker traveled to North Carolina but did not play, then saw brief action against Pittsburgh. He was second in line for playing time against Georgia Tech when starter Jawhar Jordan left with an injury.
Tucker banged out four yards on his first two touches and scored a 38-yard touchdown on the third. He finished with 112 yards and two scores, bringing balance to an offense in desperate need of it.
Sean was introduced to the weight room early, tagging along with his father, developing a work ethic that helped him grow a running back’s strength. He’s always been fast.
“He has elite speed in the open field that you’re not even seeing yet, and he’s a powerful kid, built really well,' " said Dominque Warren, an assistant who coached Tucker with Calvert Hall and is now an assistant at Sidwell Friends. "He was always good for a 40, 50, 70-yard run, and he wasn’t just a great outside runner. He was a good inside runner who could make a guy miss and get to the hole. He’s dynamic and he’s powerful.”
Following Tucker’s breakout football season, he attended a football camp at Bowie State University that attracted coaches from around the country. Tucker, who was in the middle of a track and field season
, blistered a 40-yard dash that was timed between 4.27 and 4.29 seconds.
The coaches in attendance weren’t quite sure they believed their watches.
“I knew he’d run a low 4.3,” Warren said. “Maybe 4.29. I brought the coaches over and said, ‘You’re going to want to get a time on him.' Some had 4.27. Some had 4.29. No one had above a 4.3. They looked at it and said, ‘You’re going to have to run him again.' "
Minutes later, Tucker ran again, delivering a run timed between 4.29 and 4.31 seconds. Suddenly, he was on the radar of colleges across the country including Michigan, which was represented by current L.A. Chargers quarterback coach Pep Hamilton
.
Syracuse was the most serious immediately, though.
Syracuse tight end/inside receivers coach Reno Ferri worked at Towson University before coming to Syracuse and had earned the trust of the Calvert Hall staff. They tipped him off to Tucker’s potential.
The Orange were the first to offer Tucker a scholarship, a show of belief that held sway throughout the recruiting process, helping the Orange beat out offers from Wisconsin, Rutgers and others. Tucker became
the second player in Syracuse’s Class of 2020, offering his verbal commitment in April of 2019.
His high school coaches believe his early commitment, as well as their choice to limit his carries to prioritize his long-term future, helped contribute to Syracuse getting a three-star steal.
The combination of speed and power that helped Tucker thrive as a high school player looks like it will carry over to the college level, along with Tucker’s penchant for being prepared. Despite his place in the preseason pecking order, Tucker worked hard to learn the offense, which asks him to make offensive line calls in addition to running the ball.
He showed promise in limited opportunities against Pittsburgh (four carries for 25 yards). It earned him a larger role last week.
Tucker became the first Syracuse freshman to run for 100 yards against an FBS opponent since 2008, winning the
ACC’s top running back of the week award. He’s just the fourth true freshman in Syracuse history to hit the mark against an FBS opponent, joining Antwon Bailey, Delone Carter and Joe Morris.”
Those who know Sean Tucker best have seen this show. They think Syracuse fans will enjoy it - syracuse.com
Great story if you have time. I knew my hunch was right. That is elite speed. Sean is the deal. A burner. One of the fastest ever at SU. I hope he has a great, great year and we do too.
