If you don't like the look of the Syracuse football roster, just wait five minutes. It's bound to change.
Donnie Webb was noticeably quiet on the Chaz Cervino news yesterday. Very unlike him. Should have know he was getting ready to drop the hammer today by passing on the news that several more players have left the SU football team. Well played, Don. Well played.
The turnover on the Syracuse University football roster continues. Just received confirmation from SU Athletics that linebacker Parker Cantey, receiver Chaz Cervino, cornerback Nick Chestnut, linebacker Mike Mele, tight end Darnell Pratt, receiver Frank Satterfield and place-kicker Austin Wallis are no longer on the team.
Cervino we obviously knew about, he's off to Hofstra. (and yes, he's officially gone from the roster)
Nick Chestnut had just returned to the Orange after a year away for academic issues. He and Parker Cantey were probably looking at some decent playing time and Cantey was even penciled in as a starter before the spring. Parker might have been miffed about the arrival of JuCo transfer Derek Hines as well as a diminished role.
Mike Mele is probably the most surprising name on the list. A start for all 12 games last season, he's played in all but one game for SU since he arrived. Smart money would be Mele finding out his playing time would be significantly diminished. The concern of course is that the Orange are already thin at linebacker. Oddly, Mele is still listed on the official roster while the others are all gone. Is it a miscue or is his leaving the team not official?
RB/TE Darnell Pratt is a hometown boy from Syracuse but was apparantly too far down the depth chart to expect any on-the-field action. With two players switching to TE this season (Catalina, Robinson), that probably locked him out of a spot.
Frank Satterfield was a non-scholarship WR on the roster and given the talent in front of him, PT was highly unlikely. He appeared in one game last season, the Penn State blowout, but did not record a catch. He did have a 1460 SAT score however, so he should be just fine.
Finally, Austin Wallis. Probably not too hard to understand why he's leaving. Doug Marrone basically called Wallis out this spring and consistently told reporters that the kicking game was in shambles. With Wallis being the only option available, Marrone went out and got Shane Raupers to compete for the job. Looks like the competition is over.
I've lost track of how many players have left the team now but I'm pretty sure it's 20+. I don't really think we should be terribly surprised or worried. Remember who recruited many of these guys in the first place. All due respect to them and I hope they find success elsewhere, but there's a reason most of them were not going to see playing time. I'd much rather Doug went to war with a smaller group of guys he trusts than a larger group that's not up to his standards. Quality not quantity.
Plus, my Get To Know An Orange Man series just got a little easier, so that's something.