In a move considered long overdue by a lot of Orange fans who have spent the last two years watching SU special teams, Bob Casullo is "no longer with the football program."
Casullo was in charge of both special teams and tight ends this season. Marrone said the two decided to part ways over the weekend. Marrone would not specify if there was an incident or if the reasons for Casullo's departure had built up over time.
To be honest, I'm not so sure this is special teams-related as much as it might be a grand-scheme move. That UConn loss had to have been especially frustrating for the team and coaches. If Marrone and Casullo had fundamental differences, they probably weren't specific to kickoff coverage.
That said, the Syracuse special teams unit was dubious for most of Casullo's time here. There were a lot of excuses bandided about...lack of depth, lack of good players, dearth of injuries. However at the end of the day, they unit never seemed to improve until very recently, making the timing of this move curious.
Casullo is a longtime SU guy, having coached here previously under Coach Mac and Coach P in the 80's and 90's. He hadn't worked in college football since 2000 before taking the job under Marrone. He received interest in the off-season from Cornell for their head coaching position but decided not to pursue it.
In July when the Delone Carter situation was still up in the air, Casullo went on the radio and told everyone that Doug Marrone "had a plan" for Delone. A couple days later Marrone publicly denied that was the case, and maybe that's where the rift started. Or perhaps that instance encapsulates why Bob is no longer on the staff.
It's The AmeriCU Doug Marrone Show, not The AmeriCU Bob Casullo Show.
Defensive backs coach John Anselmo will take over Syracuse's special teams unit for the final regular season game on Saturday against Boston College as well as the bowl game. Quarterbacks coach Nathaniel Hackett will take over the tight ends.
Impress us, Anselmo.