Syracuse Football: Green Is The New Orange (& The Old One, I Suppose)

The Syracuse Orange football team added five walk-ons to the roster on Wednesday. You may have heard of one of them.

Skaneateles, N.Y., native Troy Green is Syracuse’s newest shot caller. Green accepted a scholarship to play for Central Florida in January of 2012, according to The Post-Standard, but now he’s back in his hometown looking for a new start. The 6-foot, 184-pound quarterback appeared on Syracuse’s updated roster Wednesday afternoon and is wearing No. 7.

Troy committed to Central Florida to play for George O'Leary, a friend of his father's from their Syracuse days. However, it looks like the younger Green didn't see any opportunities to become the starter there. Then elder Green met up with Scott Shafer:

The transfer happened quickly over the past two months, sparked by a June conversation between Shafer and Tim Green at a social function.

He recalled bumping into Shafer at an event and Shafer mentioning he'd love to have Troy Green play for him. Tim Green, knowing both depth charts, reciprocated the interest and relayed the message.

"If Scott Shafer is interested in you for anything, that's special," Tim Green said. "He and I talked. It wasn't a long conversation. He expressed some interest and so did I."

Green will sit out the season and begin play for the Orange next year. By then, Drew Allen and Charley Loeb will be gone. And with John Kinder off to wide receiver, the pool of quarterbacks will be thinned considerably.

Troy threw for 2,382 yards and 34 TDs his senior season and was a first-team all-state selection for Class C.

Now...let's talk about Papa Green.

Tim Green was a two-time All-American defensive end at Syracuse and is enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. As seems to be required by law for all mentions of his name, he was also a lawyer, author and TV personality.

What isn't mentioned by SUA or the Daily Orange (but is by Nate Mink) is that Green was also a Shady McShaderson in his two years as head coach of the Skaneateles football team. The team, which was quarterbacked by Troy, was said to have illegally-recruited players. The team was 1-7 before Green got there and turned into an undefeated juggernaut by the time he resigned, though that season was cut short by a judge after the allegations. Here's some fun video of Green defending the team.

Here's the thing...

• Tim Green isn't just friendly with Scott Shafer, he's also a guy with so much pull that he's been included in SU coaching search committees, including Shafer's. He's got juice, is what I'm saying, and now his son is in line to be a quarterback for SU in the coming years. This is the same guy who took over a football program and installed his son as the quarterback... Anyone else immediately think of Joe McCoy? If, two years from now, Troy is locked in a QB battle, will Dad make some calls? (Ed. Note - This isn't even the first time I've referred to Green as Joe McCoy).
• Odds Troy makes it to senior year at Syracuse? 50/50 at this point.

The other four walk-ons, Noah Douglas, Eric Anthony, Joe Stanard and Alex Schoen, are all defensive backs.