What is frustrating about The football program

[OttoinGrotto]

I thought the 2021 class was good. Gadsden has stepped up. Now its time for Hatcher to do the same but those were two of the most impressive wr recruits weve picked up in terms of potential and offer lists.

Yeah, we've seen glimpse of what Hatcher is capable of. Another guy who is going to be even more exciting when his performance matches up with his talent.

 

[orangencpolice]

Schmidt needs to clamp down on the online penalties. Maybe Beck will make a difference, we’ll see.
I disagree on the culture thing though.

I agree. Other than the Taj Harris antics last year, I think Dino has a good handle on the team. It shows when disciplines players for conduct unbecoming or violation of team rules, which he has had to do on a few occasions. Other than the wacky game time decisions and losing good players to the portal (which is occurring at every school) I like where the team is headed. Even though our HS players weren’t 5 star recruits doesn’t mean that aren’t good football players. Also, we did well with players brought in from the portal. Let’s wait to see how things pan out at the beginning of the season before we make too much judgment. LGO!

 

[RMH44]

Absolutely delusional take. "Significantly more talent than we've lost". You know this how? I mean, Happy Holidays but pass the Orange Eggnog you're drunk on. Lol

Rather than be a snarky know-it-all, take a minute and evaluate the losses (NFL declarations, graduations and portal transfers) vs the our gains from the categories I listed.

Without question, the DL will be much deeper and heavier. Losing M Jones will hurt the LB group, but we get Thompson back who is probably the best NFL prospect of the group. G Williams is tough to replace. Replacing Deuce with highly touted transfers will be much easier. I think we have CB's (Wilson and Johnson) on the roster who have fairly high ceilings. We should get a glimpse of their potential in the bowl game. I love J. Carter but we already have quality depth on the roster.

I think we get better on the OL through graduation. This creates opportunities for Cruz and Cruz and associates. The signing of D. Reed at center is, literally and figuratively, huge. It changes the dynamics of the entire OL. We're also bringing in 2 other OL transfers that should be plug and play. Remember, Dino has said that he only offers transfers if they can contribute immediately.

Replacing the '20/'21 and '21/'22 version of Sean Tucker will be difficult. Replacing this year's version while still difficult, should be easier. I really like what I've seen from L. Allen. Hopefully, the transfer New Mexico and the 2 RB recruits provide quality depth. Never forget that Tucker was 5th string his freshman year and would have never seen the field if not for covid opt-outs and injuries.

IMO, the overall talent and depth will be higher next year. This year we were probably, on average, 1.5 players/position deep across the roster. Next year, I predict we'll be 2-2.5 players/position deep.

We're a developmental program that depends on players developing over time. I'm sure there are a number of players on the current roster that will surprise (remember S.Tucker was RB5) as well. My personal favorite is LB K. Bailey.

So in closing, put down that "half-empty glass" of curdled milk and pick-up a "half-full glass" of holiday cheer In all seriousness, Happy Holidays to you and the Board.

 

[Trueblue25]

We are in good shape.

Where we need talent injected is WR, TE, CB and S.

Many here loved Duce but he had a meh year without Garrett healthy.

Jahad gave us a taste of what an active S can do in the 3-3-5.

We need better db’s. I have faith in Swag Father here

Despite losing Mikel I think our LB unit actually gets substantially better next year.

 

[shu 49]

I thought the 2021 class was good. Gadsden has stepped up. Now its time for Hatcher to do the same but those were two of the most impressive wr recruits weve picked up in terms of potential and offer lists.

Money I think our receivers will be decent next year as long as ball gets spread around. Brown back and Hatcher stepping up hopefully. Gadsden and Alford. I’m excited for that group.

 

[money3189]

Money I think our receivers will be decent next year as long as ball gets spread around. Brown back and Hatcher stepping up hopefully. Gadsden and Alford. I’m excited for that group.

Good thoughts. I feel the same. Plus Jones is back and Adams showed me he is capable of being a down field threat.

 

[shu 49]

Good thoughts. I feel the same. Plus Jones is back and Adams showed me he is capable of being a down field threat.

Sht forgot them 2.

 

[Xanadu]

you have your selector schools
then you have your big name schools
then you have the schools that mostly get kids in their 6-8 hr window
then you have the rest of the p5
then you go down from there.

we are not in the first 2 lists so that puts you down 20-30 teams before you even start looking for kids

then our 6-8 hr window is pretty much limited to almost all kids in the 4hr+ window which means more of them have many options from higher up teams anyway

if our short window had 20 kids a yr and we just got 3-5 we would have 20 on the roster to build with.

Pitt has many more options locally as does BC as does VT as does Virg or Wake

So we are starting in a hole that only winning at a much higher level is going to overcome and no quick fix is gonna do it

A bit more depth and we win 9-10 games this year so the leap is not all that far. the question is can we do it 1-2 times

Absolutely this, great post. The logistics of recruiting to SU is the true issue. NYS is a barren wasteland. Buffalo attracts Pitt, PSU sometimes, and teams from Ohio that are closer than SU. NYC, NJ, Philly have UConn, Rutgers, MD, and BC all closer by. Boston of course has BC. DMV/Baltimore have the teams mentioned above plus the Virginia schools and the North Carolina schools, too. PSU and ND get first shot at all the top talent in the northeast. The northeast in general is just not a talent rich place outside of a few cities.

People need to stop comparing SU to the top two lists that upperdeck mentioned. We’re not that and haven’t been that in 25 years. Even comparing SU to its peer schools in football is a little disingenuous because they have more built in advantages. Deion Sanders is not walking through the door of the football wing.

We’re a developmental school that relies on scheme to win. That means the majority of our class is going to be recruits overlooked by other P5 or don’t fit our peer schools’ scheme. Teams in tier 3 and 4 are going to offer and spend time based on scheme and potential.

 

[NYCCuse826]

NIL is going nowhere. This is literally a problem you can throw money at and fix. Recruiting is now down to a very basic level...$$$$. Buy the best players you can.

Nothing else matters. Even playing field for every school.

Yes and no.

NIL is quickly exposing the haves and have nots. If you thought your school could compete, you're getting a crash course of the wealth disparities. The land grant universities which were already at an enormous advantage started off on second base.

The schools who were already playing dirty started on third. Of course, this is going to vary from sport to sport. A Kentucky booster who spends on basketball is not going to be inclined to buy an Anthony Davis for the football program because you'd need multiple to compete for a championship.

Syracuse is a have not. They have a number of things working against them. They're a small, private school in Onondaga County. Their alumni outreach has to be on point, not just for athletics but for donations in general. What does the per capita for the region look like in addition to the business climate in the immediate area? It takes locals in addition to alumni to make a collective work. Judging by how long it takes to get capital programs off of the ground, Syracuse's high earning alumni are not donating to the school or want it earmarked for things that don't help the university take that next step. Northwestern got 1B in private donations for their new stadium. Syracuse is getting donations bit by bit for the Dome renovations.

Additionally, Syracuse is playing catch up. I have relationships with members of the BoT and I spoke to one of them about this topic when it became legalized and they were blown away at what needed to be done so that SU could be competitive in this space.

 

[CuseGrad94]

I always have thought Pitt is our yin/yang. Very rarely are the two schools both good together or very bad together in football. Historically if you look the streaks one team has over each other is crazy. I have always felt that for Syracuse to be consistently good they need to out recruit Pitt, BC, Rutgers, WVU, VT from our old rivals and in the ACC Pitt, BC, Wake, UVA, VT, and GT. I know it’s not a perfect formula but in my mind you out recruit those schools, have decent coaching, at worst you are middle of the pack. I completely understand why and the necessity of going to the ACC to survive, but I have thought this and wrote this in the past . When Syracuse went to the ACC they lost their identity. They were the Big East for all intents and purposes. You can see it in recruiting for basketball and football. Again it was a must move, but I don’t know as a football and basketball program if it will ever be the same consistent winner as Syracuse was in the past.

 

[Stern]

What's your point? Syracuse needs to be better at NIL? Still not going to put Syracuse on the radar of top players from Georgia, Florida, and Texas.

The point is clear as day. The point is the world is now flat in college sports. The days of location, facilities, and that stuff don't really matter at all anymore. Anyone can compete if they have enough money. I know Syracuse is a "have not" at this current time (and maybe will be forever), but all it takes is one crazy billionaire fan or one graduate to go on to start a multi-million company that is a crazy sports fan to turn things around overnight.

In the past that was impossible as doing that stuff in secret on a grand level was too difficult to pull off. Now, any school if they have the right NIL backing can go from the doghouse to the penthouse overnight.

Have a Merry Christmas!

 

[orangetrain]

Donate!!!!! They need money by 12/31/22

 

[AngryOtto]

NIL is going nowhere. This is literally a problem you can throw money at and fix. Recruiting is now down to a very basic level...$$$$. Buy the best players you can.

Nothing else matters. Even playing field for every school.

So they can leave the next year like Texas AM. Lost basically their entire 22 recruiting class. Others teams facing same problem. We are loosing some good players in the portal. They did really good at SU. Not sure how they will do at their next school. Not wanting them to do bad. However a lot of other transfer from SU have not done well. We will continue to hit the portal. If the players we get do well, more will come.

 

[kcsu]

I am generally curious as to why they are unable to recruit as well as Boise St., WVU, BC, Vandy, UCF, Rutgers, UTSA, Memphis, Colorado St. Temple, Tulane, Arkansas St & Kansas. I feel like we should be able to do better than most of, if not all of these schools. Yet, all of these schools have higher ranked classes as of now.

I don’t understand why location would make it that difficult. How many large cities are within 4-6 hours? That’s not very far..

Its BS how hard .. cant...cold...nil...to Syracuse. Give me a break we are doing better and we will continue to improve. Coaches matter and we finally have a solid staff. Just need to string a few winning season together.

 

[kcsu]

Good thoughts. I feel the same. Plus Jones is back and Adams showed me he is capable of being a down field threat.

Jones might have ended up being better than Gadson. Kids a good one

 

[GoSU96]

NIL is going nowhere. This is literally a problem you can throw money at and fix. Recruiting is now down to a very basic level...$$$$. Buy the best players you can.

Nothing else matters. Even playing field for every school.

What levels the playing field is immediate transfer eligibility. Factories can’t hoard players.

 

[JimBoston]

There were ~32 4* and 5* recruits in 2023 from CT, MA, NY, NJ, PA, and MD/DC. Syracuse got zero. For Syracuse to take the next leap, they need to grab a few of these players in the traditional recruiting footprint every year. There are only 6 P5 schools located in the footprint.

 

[money3189]

There were ~32 4* and 5* recruits in 2023 from CT, MA, NY, NJ, PA, and MD/DC. Syracuse got zero. For Syracuse to take the next leap, they need to grab a few of these players in the traditional recruiting footprint every year. There are only 6 P5 schools located in the footprint.

Not happening until SU can win consistently. Not as easy as it seems. BC has gone to 18 bowls in 24 years and they still struggle to get 4 stars. They are all going to Penn st ND or other schools outside the region. It’s hard for Pitt to get 4 stars some years.

 

[SUDadx2]

There were ~32 4* and 5* recruits in 2023 from CT, MA, NY, NJ, PA, and MD/DC. Syracuse got zero. For Syracuse to take the next leap, they need to grab a few of these players in the traditional recruiting footprint every year. There are only 6 P5 schools located in the footprint.

 

[NYCCuse826]

And the NY 5-star rate is skewed due to the fact that a number of elite NYS (specifically NYC) players, are matriculating in Jersey. Can include 4-stars in there as well.