And we share our pick for top road game
We continue our Friday roundtable series and up this week is Syracuse Orange football. We put a few questions to the TNIAAM staff and we’d love your feedback too.
Who’s the biggest off-season addition to the roster?
Dom: Kyle McCord. It feels like such a cop-out answer, but you can never undervalue having a legitimate starting quarterback (especially one which ranks in the top-10 among transfer portal QBs). If you need any prove, look no further than last season. There will always be “question marks” with a first-year head coach, but bringing someone in like McCord easily helps to at least mitigate that concern. His legitimate experience combined with all of the Orange’s offensive weapons in the mix this upcoming year is huge.
Mike: Zeed Haynes. Maybe not an expected choice, but Haynes looks to be a legit top receiving option with multiple years to make an impact. Not only will he serve as a great compliment to Oronde Gadsden and Jackson Meeks this season, but the former four-star is a candidate to lead the receivers room when both are gone in 2025. I’ll stand by saying Garrett Shrader wouldn’t have gotten as much slack as a passer if he had targets who could catch with some consistency – and both McCord and his successor will benefit immensely from that.
Max: Kyle McCord. The highly-touted transfer put SU football back in the national spotlight with his surprising commitment to the Orange last December. He threw for 3,170 in his lone season starting at Ohio State, something a Syracuse gunslinger hasn’t done since Ryan Nassib in 2012. While his new receiving core will not feature Marvin Harrison Jr., McCord’s talent alone should electrify the Orange offense, making him an immediate top QB in the ACC.
Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Kevin: Fadil Diggs. Syracuse returns a lot of talent in the back 7 on defense, but the pass rush needed a jolt and here comes Diggs from Texas A&M. The numbers might not jump off the page as he only has 8 career sacks, but adding an experienced SEC player on the edge takes some pressure off the younger Orange ends like Denis Jaquez and Kevin Jobity.
Which new assistant football coach will make the biggest impact in 2024?
Dom: Ross Douglas, Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers. Outside of his NFL experience in New England and ties to New Jersey, Douglas will be a major voice in the room to get Syracuse’s passing attack back on track. The Orange’s offense will certainly look a lot different this season compared to last.
Mike: Dale Williams, Offensive Line Coach. There was no single voice that I heard more of throughout spring camp than his, and with good reason. Williams is tasked with molding together a cohesive O-Line that’s had a tendency for way too many false starts and other mistakes the past few seasons. He’s made it clear that there won’t be any favorites and is willing to work guys out at multiple positions to find the best combination. There can’t be the same problems as before, or McCord could be in trouble. From what I’ve seen, there won’t be.
Max: Jeff Nixon, Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Coach. An offensive specialist for five different NFL teams, Nixon mentored superstars Reggie Bush, Brian Westbrook, Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley. Getting that professional experience is huge for LeQuint Allen and the rest of the Orange RB room, and I’d expect the group to take a huge jump forward this season.
Kevin: Elijah Robinson, Defensive Coordinator. I think the key to success for Syracuse this season lies on the defensive end. Can Robinson’s new system produce more consistency when the Orange face better opponents? Syracuse got blown out a lot in recent years and I think that side of the ball could be the difference between a six-win team and a nine-win team.
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Which road game would be your top choice to attend, and why?
Dom: Boston College. There’s the obvious rivalry on the line, but this year’s game will be a battle between two first-year head coaches each looking to turn their respective programs around. For the Orange, It’s a road matchup at a critical point next year, sandwiched in-between the alumni weekend game against Virginia Tech and a West Coast road trip to Cal. Quietly, it feels like one of the key “swing” games if Syracuse plans to hit the over on its projected 7 wins.
Mike: UNLV. It’s the most unique destination this season and one that Syracuse fans may never have another chance to visit for football. Vegas has all sorts of other entertainment options to make it a full weekend trip, if not longer. Plus the Death Star in the desert is one of the most impressive designs for a stadium, both technologically and in terms of amenities.
Max: Cal. It’s still crazy to think Syracuse will travel to California in conference play. Nonetheless, things should look a little different in Berkeley than they did the last time these two faced off in 1968. This is also the last road trip for the Orange and game #10 on the season, so bowl/playoff implications will be at stake.
Kevin: NC State. If you think the Orange have any CFP aspirations, then a win in Raleigh will be critical to those chances. The Wolfpack would be my sleeper ACC team heading into next year and it’s a place where Syracuse has struggled. Nothing against UNLV and Cal, but I’ll head to NC next Fall.
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Now it’s your turn.