Monday Musings: What Should Syracuse Do At Quarterback?
1. Syracuse's loss to Duke was more than just a disappointing defeat. The Orange also lost starting quarterback Tommy DeVito for the rest of the season and the status of running back Sean Tucker remains unknown. What will Syracuse do at quarterback? The most likely scenario is that Rex Culpepper becomes the guy. He has the most experience in terms of game action and knowledge of the offense. However, I would go a different route. If I was Dino Babers, I'd look at Jacobian Morgan and/or Dillon Markiewicz. Both are true freshmen, and this is a golden opportunity to give them some in-game experience as well as evaluate whether or not they can be the guy once DeVito leaves the program. You want to see how they react to different scenarios, how they handle a pass rush, decision making, poise, etc. Let's see what they've got and use the rest of this season as an evaluation tool as well as getting some experience under their belts.
2. If, as expected, Rex Culpepper becomes the guy, the offense should be modified to best fit his skillset. Syracuse, in that scenario, would be better off becoming more of a power running team. Now this is much easier said than done. It is extremely difficult to completely modify an offense midseason, especially when your offensive line has been less than stellar. Still, this seems to be the route that would be best for Rex. Use him in quarterback draws, option plays, etc. while also becoming more of a run based, ball control offense rather than an up tempo, quick passing offense. That way, you don't have to rely on precision from your quarterback, and the defense is not thrown back out there quickly after three and outs.
3. Another thing to keep in mind this season is how many young players are either starting or contributing. Sophomore wide receiver Anthony Queeley is seeing his first significant action on offense. Freshman running back Sean Tucker started this past Saturday and played the most snaps against Georgia Tech. Freshman Trebor Pena saw some action against Duke. Courtney Jackson is the reserve slot wide receiver and has been on the field quite a bit. The starting linebackers are two sophomores and a freshman, with two freshmen and a sophomore as the top reserves. With safeties Andre Cisco and Eric Coley out, two freshmen took their place in the starting lineup. Three of the top four cornerbacks are freshmen. That is a lot of youth and a lot of inexperience all over the field. That is naturally going to lead to some inconsistencies. Given the injuries and opt outs, it is important to keep all of that in mind when evaluating this season.
4. On the recruiting front, Syracuse offensive line commit Austyn Kauhi picked up an offer from Central Florida over the weekend. While this does not change his commitment status, he stated the following regarding the offer: "I'm just keeping an open mind since nothing is set in stone." I'm not sure there is anything to be concerned about here for Syracuse, but it is at least worth monitoring.
5. There are still players Syracuse is pursuing for the 2021 class, including cornerback Will Wells and defensive back Alijah Clark (Rutgers commit). However, the most important thing for Syracuse to do for the rest of the cycle is hold on to their own. The Kauhi situation is going to be the tip of the iceberg for several of their commits. Especially with Syracuse struggling this season, other programs will use that to try to convince prospects that they should go elsewhere. Not being able to visit will help Syracuse, but this is still going to require work from the coaching staff over the next couple of months.
