How Willie Tyler's Departure Impacts Syracuse's Offensive Line

Tyler was expected to compete for a starting job.

Texas offensive line transfer Willie Tyler was supposed to compete for one of the starting tackle spots next season. However, Tyler and Syracuse decided to part ways on Friday. That leaves the Orange without a 6-7, 335 pound body. So what does this mean for the offensive line next season? 

First, while Tyler was expected to compete for a starting job, his ability to win it was not guaranteed. Tyler opted out of the 2020 season and had not played at all during his previous two seasons at Texas. Without playing competitive football for the better part of three years, there could have been some rust and a learning curve. 

But the loss certainly hurts depth. Tyler was an intriguing option as a former coveted recruit with tremendous size. Without him, Syracuse still has options on the roster. 

At tackle, Anthony Red, Garth Barclay, Matthew Bergeron, Airon Servais and Mark Petry still remain. Syracuse has incoming reinforcements as well in Enrique Cruz, Tyler Magnuson, Austyn Kauhi and Jakob Bradford. There are still plenty of bodies. The favorites to start entering training camp will be Bergeron and Servais. Barclay will be in his second year with Syracuse while Red will be in his third. Both can provide depth behind the starters. 

You don't want to have to count on true freshmen, especially along the offensive line, in order to have adequate depth. That is why Syracuse needs Barclay and Red to have strong training camps so they are ready to go in case of injury. If a freshman does emerge, the most likely candidates are Cruz and Magnuson. Cruz was Syracuse's highest rated signee in the 2021 class and has an extremely high ceiling. Magnuson was a bit underrated as a recruit, and the staff is extremely high on him. He could be ready to contribute in some way as a true freshman. 

Syracuse has also added a junior college tackle in Jakob Bradford, who brings some much needed experience to the position. There is the potential he slides inside, but either way provides depth. 

The guard and center positions may have been impacted by Tyler's departure as well. There was a chance that if he won the starting job, Servais could slide back to center where he started every game during the 2018 season. The chances of that happening now are much less. The favorites to start entering training camp are Dakota Davis, Chris Bleich and Carlos Vettorello. Darius Tisdale, Patrick Davis, Will Froumy, Wes Hoeh and Kalan Ellis provide more depth.

Yes losing Tyler is a blow to Syracuse in that it takes one more option away from an offensive line that has struggled mightily the last two seasons. The good news for the Orange is that they have several others in place.