Things appear to have "slowed down" for Syracuse sports much earlier than anyone around here is used to. But lucky for us, the 24-hour news cycle and 365-recruiting cycle respectively keep things moving, even when there aren't any games being played. Of particular interest is this note, from Orange football coach Scott Shafer yesterday:
Had a great chat with Cuse @Coach_Shafer today. Said QB Terrel Hunt is healthy and will start w/first team when spring opens Feb. 22.
— Andrea Adelson (@aadelsonESPN) February 9, 2015
A few new things there, actually. First, Hunt is completely healthy -- which isn't something we'd really confirmed previously. Second, Hunt will start with the first team, at least in the initial days of spring practices. That was not at all guaranteed given the fact that A.J. Long played the majority of the snaps once Hunt was injured last season, plus Austin Wilson also saw plenty of playing time. That's before we even get into the newcomers, preferred walk-on Zach Mahoney and freshman Eric Dungey. Being honest, can you really doubt seeing either under center this fall given how up in the air the position is right now for SU? Hopefully spring gives us some further insight into who may start, and it seems like Hunt is the early frontrunner.
That third point is the February 22 start date -- which is VERY soon, if you're me and you just sort of glanced past those details last week (and a month before that). So for those anxious to see what we hope is a better Syracuse football product on the field, this is our first opportunity for that. It's also our first chance to really see the Ensley Athletic Center in action as SU's indoor practice facility.
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So who do we think SHOULD be the frontrunner right now? Should Hunt get first dibs now that he has his health back again? Or has Long or Wilson's efforts later in the year given them a true claim to the job? I'm sure there are Mahoney and Dungey supporters out there somewhere, which... you're actually well within your rights to be in favor of one of them too.
We'll really dive into spring practice starting next week -- including position-by-position breakdowns. But in the meantime, consider this your first organized chance to start debating the quarterbacks we have on the roster at the moment.