Syracuse Football: Cornerback Battle Will Be One to Watch

The Syracuse Orange have to replace a lot of contributors from the 2014 defense, but Nate Mink at Syracuse.com thinks the turnover could possibly include a couple of veteran corners. Wayne Morgan and Julian Whigham are the most experienced players in the SU secondary, but coaches say they are going to be challenged by Cordell Hudson, Juwan Dowels, and Corey Winfield as camp gets set to start.

Morgan is returning from knee surgery last year and his health right now is something to watch during practices. Whigham faces a return from a disappointing season, which Secondary Coach Fred Reed says was more mental than physical:

"The guy lost his confidence," Reed said. "There were some very simple plays he could've made that he just flat out lost his confidence that he didn't make, that he did something like, 'What are you doing?"

"I think the guy just lost his confidence to play a high level, and he just never really got it where it was consistent in terms of his play."

With the preferred style of attack that Shafer and Bullough like to employ on defense, it's important that the secondary is able to stand up in man coverage. Syracuse is going to have two new starters at safety and while you can expect to see at least four players getting significant time at corner, it's clear that the staff wants someone to grab hold of the position in the next month.