Syracuse Football: Get To Know Your Orange Man - #15 Alec Lemon

It's gonna be a long 10 days.  So many profiles, so little time.  You can check out all of the other "Get To Knows" here, so give us some page hits, won't ya?

It's time to look at starting wide receiver Alec Lemon.  Leave your candy jokes at the door please.

Position:  Wide Receiver

Year:  Junior

Height:  6'2"

Weight:  202

Hometown:  Crofton, MD

High School:  Arundel Senior

2010 Stats:  He started in 10 of our 12 games, and caught 32 passes for 397 yards and 4 TDs.

2011 Projections:  I'm gonna start this by making a statement.  Alec Lemon is a very good football player.  He might even be our best receiver this year, even if the football gods somehow find a way to make Marcus Sales eligible to play this season.  He had a few really bad drops last year, while also being hampered by a hand injury.  Hands are important for receivers.

Last year I predicted that Lemon would be our leading receiver because he looked ungodly during the 2010 spring camp.  This year, he wasn't quite as unbelievable, but he was still really, really good, and I expect him to be more consistent then what we saw last year, and put up some very solid numbers.  Leading receiver?  All-Big East?  I have no idea, but neither is off the table, the ceiling is high for Mr. Lemon.

Here's what I wrote in my spring report card about Alec:

Alec Lemon: (B+)Last spring, Lemon was one of the best players on the field every day.  He faced a lot of scrutiny because of bad drops last season, but Alec looked a lot more like the player who we saw break out up in East Hartford two seasons ago this past spring, and will hopefully make the jump that we all expected from him last season.

How'd He Get Here?:  Alec was originally a Greg Robinson signee, one of the few who Marrone kept in his recruiting class after taking over.  SU was his first FBS offer, but word is he received a lot of attention from other big programs despite shutting down his recruitment after verballing to SU.

What'd Scout/Rivals Say?:  Scout gave Alec 3-stars and ranked him as the #139 receiver in his class.  Rivals gave Lemon 2-stars.

Money Quote:

"We took it to the next level," Lemon said. "During the summertime, you usually hear about people taking a break. But we took a sacrifice of giving up our summer, being up here and working with each other. Getting that bond, and getting that team chemistry."

 

Links of Wonder:  Nolan Weidner takes a look at Alec and Van Chew, and how they look to bounce back from their late-2010 struggles.

Marrone Thinks:  From a Q&A with Brian Bennett.

Alec had a real good end of the year his freshman year, and last year he was a little inconsistent. He's faster right now than he's ever been, which is exciting. He's really worked hard, and there's more competition there. When you create a lot of competition at each position, you'll get better play. 

 

Interesting Nugget O'Interest:  Alec holds the Maryland state record for receiving yards with 1,616 during his senior year.  He also tied the state records for receptions (103) and touchdowns (23).

(Editor's note: these are all single season records.)

Let Us Get a Good Look Atchya:

Alec Lemon Senior Year Highlights w/music (via seasbury)