sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2011
- Messages
- 26,689
- Like
- 116,388
I am temporarily filling in for OE as he recovers from surgery. Get well soon Dan.
Recruiting
Tyler Cross (52)
Georgia DL Tyler Cross Verbally Commits to Syracuse (PS; Bailey)
Defensive lineman Tyler Cross from Chapel Hill (Douglasville, Ga.) High School verbally committed to Syracuse on Wednesday, per a source.
Cross, listed at 6 feet, 2 inches and 275 pounds by ESPN.com, becomes the 21st member in Syracuse's Class of 2015, including including cornerback Lamar Dawson, a 2014 signee who deferred his enrollment until January.
...
Chapel Hill Coach Justin DeShon Raves About Syracuse Commit Tyler Cross' Size and Strength (PS; Bailey)
Before Tyler Cross committed to Syracuse this afternoon, the Chapel Hill (Douglasville, Ga.) defensive tackle was a relative unknown in the recruiting realm. ESPN.com was the lone major recruiting services with a profile page for him.
But a quick look at his highlight reel showed he has size and strength — two things Chapel Hill coach Justin DeShon highlighted in an interview on Wednesday night.
"Tyler is a 6-3, 285-pound kid that is about as lean as you can get for his body size," DeShon, who was hired in April, said. "The thing about Tyler, his size and strength make him ready to play right now. His bench, his squat, his power clean are all real high numbers where he's going to be able to compete immediately down in the trenches."
DeShon said Cross' strength numbers have exploded since he transferred from Talladega (Ala.) County Central High School before last season. His bench max is at 395 pounds, and last Wednesday DeShon watched Cross squat a 20-repetition set at 405 pounds.
"He's always had quality footwork, but his strength numbers within the last 12 to 15 montths have just been out of the roof," DeShon said.
...
SU News
George McDonald, Still Irked by Pitt Loss, Discusses Growth as a Play Caller Heading Into Year 2 as SU OC (PS; Mink)
Syracuse is gearing up for its second season with George McDonald leading the offense and is looking to play at a faster tempo and move the ball at a more consistent rate.
The tempo will be worth tracking throughout the season, as McDonald hopes Syracuse can reach into the 80s in terms of plays per game. To put that in perspective, Syracuse ranked 55th nationally averaging 74 plays last season. Running six more plays a game would put it into the top 20.
The execution on offense will largely be tied to the players on the field, but McDonald believes he can improve as a play-caller in order to put his personnel in a better situation to succeed.
"I think I got better," said McDonald, the offensive coordinator for Syracuse. "Hopefully when you ask me that question next year and we win whatever number of games and we're coming off a bowl win you say how did you evolve in Year 2. I hope I say I always get better.
...
Rob Trudo (55) is Bigger, Faster and Stronger and Has Emerged as a Leader of the SU OL
Will Hicks Says SU Football Fans Have Reason to be Optimistic About the OL (PS; Carlson)
With four starters returning from an offensive line that held its own last season, Terrel Hunt's pocket protection ranks low on the list of concerns for the Syracuse football team entering the season.
Strength and conditioning coach Will Hicks offered three more reasons not to worry when he provided his take on Syracuse's offseason workouts last week.
Hicks declined to provide a full list of players performing well for fear he'd have a line of angry Orange at his door, but mentioned Rob Trudo, Sean Hickey and Ivan Foy among the standouts during offseason workouts.
Hickey and Trudo were the only two returning starters to navigate spring practices without injury or issue, and both have continued that progress toward the regular season.
While Syracuse's brief efforts to shift Trudo to center don't appear to have taken hold, the 6-foot-3 guard has put on 13 pounds while getting into the best shape of his career. Hicks said he's upped his weight from 282 pounds to 295 and is running better than he did at his lighter weight.
...
ACC News
Countdown to ACC Kickoff: Virginia Can the Cavs Save Mike London's Job in 2014? (PS; Stevens)
With the ACC's annual Kickoff event looming on July 20-21 in Greensboro, N.C., it's time to offer a quick first look at each of the conference's 14 teams. Up today is Virginia.
2013 record: 2-10 (0-8 ACC)
2013 postseason: None
Last bowl appearance: 2011
Schedule | 2013 stats | roster
Coach: Mike London (42-36 in six seasons overall, 18-31 in four seasons at Virginia)
Coordinators: Steve Fairchild (offense, 2nd season), Jon Tenuta (defense, 2nd season)
All-conference returnees: S Anthony Harris (first team), TB Kevin Parks (second team)
Notable losses: C Luke Bowanko, TE Jake McGee, T Morgan Moses, DT Brent Urban
Rising name to know: DT Andrew Brown. The true freshman comes to Charlottesville as the Gatorade national player of the year. More importantly, he joined the program in time for spring practice, and despite missing some time with an injury should be a bit further ahead as a result. The Cavaliers already have an excellent end in Eli Harold to anchor the line. If Brown progresses quickly, that unit will be a strength.
...
Wake Forest's $21 Million Practice Facility Bumps Syracuse's Price Tag Into Bottom Half of ACC (PS; Carlson)
But SU's facility will be bigger; 102K square feet vs 95K...
Welcome to the modern age of college football where as soon as you spend $13 million on a brand new indoor practice facility, someone inevitably comes along and builds a more expensive one.
With Syracuse's $13 million indoor practice venue headed toward a potential completion date in December, ACC rival Wake Forest announced plans to spend $8 million more on its own building on Tuesday.
Wake Forest hopes to have its $21 million venue completed in 2015. That puts the Demon Deacons on a list of schools that includes Virginia Tech and North Carolina State that have indoor practice facilities scheduled to open next year.
Syracuse has yet to open its IPF but Wake Forest's investment already bumps Syracuse onto the lower half of the ACC's list of costliest planned facilities, a contest that has been repeatedly compared to an arms race.
...
College Football
Appalachian State Moves Up to the FBS
Stevens' College Football Preview/Haiku Fest: Nos. 116-120 (PS; Stevens)
The college football look-ahead — a project covering every bowl subdivision team — continues with a MACtion-filled five-team segment today.
120. WESTERN MICHIGAN
There are certain bits of knowledge that even people who are skeptical of most conventional wisdom will usually agree on.
Look both ways before you cross the street. Don't drink out of a milk carton far past its expiration date. Never get in a land war in Asia.
Here's one Western Michigan must cope with this year: Never expect to make too much progress over a previous year when you have two senior linemen on your roster.
The Broncos have exactly two — one on offense, one on defense — and one of them is a graduate student who played in 14 games over the last four years at Michigan. Oh, and Western Michigan was 1-11 last year, with a one-point victory over Massachusetts to its name.
...
...
Western Michigan in haiku:
Row, row, row your boat
But once on land, get steamrolled
Better fix rush D
Recruiting
Tyler Cross (52)
Georgia DL Tyler Cross Verbally Commits to Syracuse (PS; Bailey)
Defensive lineman Tyler Cross from Chapel Hill (Douglasville, Ga.) High School verbally committed to Syracuse on Wednesday, per a source.
Cross, listed at 6 feet, 2 inches and 275 pounds by ESPN.com, becomes the 21st member in Syracuse's Class of 2015, including including cornerback Lamar Dawson, a 2014 signee who deferred his enrollment until January.
...
Chapel Hill Coach Justin DeShon Raves About Syracuse Commit Tyler Cross' Size and Strength (PS; Bailey)
Before Tyler Cross committed to Syracuse this afternoon, the Chapel Hill (Douglasville, Ga.) defensive tackle was a relative unknown in the recruiting realm. ESPN.com was the lone major recruiting services with a profile page for him.
But a quick look at his highlight reel showed he has size and strength — two things Chapel Hill coach Justin DeShon highlighted in an interview on Wednesday night.
"Tyler is a 6-3, 285-pound kid that is about as lean as you can get for his body size," DeShon, who was hired in April, said. "The thing about Tyler, his size and strength make him ready to play right now. His bench, his squat, his power clean are all real high numbers where he's going to be able to compete immediately down in the trenches."
DeShon said Cross' strength numbers have exploded since he transferred from Talladega (Ala.) County Central High School before last season. His bench max is at 395 pounds, and last Wednesday DeShon watched Cross squat a 20-repetition set at 405 pounds.
"He's always had quality footwork, but his strength numbers within the last 12 to 15 montths have just been out of the roof," DeShon said.
...
SU News
George McDonald, Still Irked by Pitt Loss, Discusses Growth as a Play Caller Heading Into Year 2 as SU OC (PS; Mink)
Syracuse is gearing up for its second season with George McDonald leading the offense and is looking to play at a faster tempo and move the ball at a more consistent rate.
The tempo will be worth tracking throughout the season, as McDonald hopes Syracuse can reach into the 80s in terms of plays per game. To put that in perspective, Syracuse ranked 55th nationally averaging 74 plays last season. Running six more plays a game would put it into the top 20.
The execution on offense will largely be tied to the players on the field, but McDonald believes he can improve as a play-caller in order to put his personnel in a better situation to succeed.
"I think I got better," said McDonald, the offensive coordinator for Syracuse. "Hopefully when you ask me that question next year and we win whatever number of games and we're coming off a bowl win you say how did you evolve in Year 2. I hope I say I always get better.
...
Rob Trudo (55) is Bigger, Faster and Stronger and Has Emerged as a Leader of the SU OL
Will Hicks Says SU Football Fans Have Reason to be Optimistic About the OL (PS; Carlson)
With four starters returning from an offensive line that held its own last season, Terrel Hunt's pocket protection ranks low on the list of concerns for the Syracuse football team entering the season.
Strength and conditioning coach Will Hicks offered three more reasons not to worry when he provided his take on Syracuse's offseason workouts last week.
Hicks declined to provide a full list of players performing well for fear he'd have a line of angry Orange at his door, but mentioned Rob Trudo, Sean Hickey and Ivan Foy among the standouts during offseason workouts.
Hickey and Trudo were the only two returning starters to navigate spring practices without injury or issue, and both have continued that progress toward the regular season.
While Syracuse's brief efforts to shift Trudo to center don't appear to have taken hold, the 6-foot-3 guard has put on 13 pounds while getting into the best shape of his career. Hicks said he's upped his weight from 282 pounds to 295 and is running better than he did at his lighter weight.
...
ACC News
Countdown to ACC Kickoff: Virginia Can the Cavs Save Mike London's Job in 2014? (PS; Stevens)
With the ACC's annual Kickoff event looming on July 20-21 in Greensboro, N.C., it's time to offer a quick first look at each of the conference's 14 teams. Up today is Virginia.
2013 record: 2-10 (0-8 ACC)
2013 postseason: None
Last bowl appearance: 2011
Schedule | 2013 stats | roster
Coach: Mike London (42-36 in six seasons overall, 18-31 in four seasons at Virginia)
Coordinators: Steve Fairchild (offense, 2nd season), Jon Tenuta (defense, 2nd season)
All-conference returnees: S Anthony Harris (first team), TB Kevin Parks (second team)
Notable losses: C Luke Bowanko, TE Jake McGee, T Morgan Moses, DT Brent Urban
Rising name to know: DT Andrew Brown. The true freshman comes to Charlottesville as the Gatorade national player of the year. More importantly, he joined the program in time for spring practice, and despite missing some time with an injury should be a bit further ahead as a result. The Cavaliers already have an excellent end in Eli Harold to anchor the line. If Brown progresses quickly, that unit will be a strength.
...
Wake Forest's $21 Million Practice Facility Bumps Syracuse's Price Tag Into Bottom Half of ACC (PS; Carlson)
But SU's facility will be bigger; 102K square feet vs 95K...
Welcome to the modern age of college football where as soon as you spend $13 million on a brand new indoor practice facility, someone inevitably comes along and builds a more expensive one.
With Syracuse's $13 million indoor practice venue headed toward a potential completion date in December, ACC rival Wake Forest announced plans to spend $8 million more on its own building on Tuesday.
Wake Forest hopes to have its $21 million venue completed in 2015. That puts the Demon Deacons on a list of schools that includes Virginia Tech and North Carolina State that have indoor practice facilities scheduled to open next year.
Syracuse has yet to open its IPF but Wake Forest's investment already bumps Syracuse onto the lower half of the ACC's list of costliest planned facilities, a contest that has been repeatedly compared to an arms race.
...
College Football
Appalachian State Moves Up to the FBS
Stevens' College Football Preview/Haiku Fest: Nos. 116-120 (PS; Stevens)
The college football look-ahead — a project covering every bowl subdivision team — continues with a MACtion-filled five-team segment today.
120. WESTERN MICHIGAN
There are certain bits of knowledge that even people who are skeptical of most conventional wisdom will usually agree on.
Look both ways before you cross the street. Don't drink out of a milk carton far past its expiration date. Never get in a land war in Asia.
Here's one Western Michigan must cope with this year: Never expect to make too much progress over a previous year when you have two senior linemen on your roster.
The Broncos have exactly two — one on offense, one on defense — and one of them is a graduate student who played in 14 games over the last four years at Michigan. Oh, and Western Michigan was 1-11 last year, with a one-point victory over Massachusetts to its name.
...
...
Western Michigan in haiku:
Row, row, row your boat
But once on land, get steamrolled
Better fix rush D
