While the Syracuse Orange basketball teams are stealing all the limelight, there's some updates from Syracuse Orange football spring practice. Let's see what's new:
Coaches
Dino Babers told reporters that "we're starting to separate guys" and that "depth charts are being made." However, he doesn't expect that process to be finished until the very first game of the season.
Meanwhile, non-conference scheduling remains a serious problem for Syracuse. We're either scheduling teams out of our depth or leaving things precariously to the last minute. Dino mentioned that he's involved to a point in the process moving forward.
Babers said he is involved with the scheduling process but intimated most of the heavy lifting will be done by his bosses in the athletic department.
"They come by my office every blue moon and say either A or B," Babers said. "If they want my opinion I give it to them. If not, that's their job.
"They'll give us 12 games, and we'll play them."
QB
John discussed the Eric Dungey - Russell Wilson comparative yesterday.
Austin Wilson is presumably in a battle for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart and according to him this is the first time while at Syracuse that the system matches his skill set.
"For me personally, (the old systems) didn't fit my style of play as much," Wilson said. "I'm not the best runner in the world and in the last one we kind of went over to the triple option. In this one, you have the opportunity to run it, but we're throw happy, which is good."
I've been pretty hard on Wilson in the past and still have my reservations about his ability but if he's a fit for the system than he's got everything he needs to succeed, if called upon.
WR
Jamal Custis came to Syracuse as a guy with huge upside but who has yet to really make much of an impact on the field. It hasn't helped that he's been shuffled around from running back to tight end to wide receiver. Now it looks like he's got a defined role as WR and an offense that is geared towards showcasing him.
"My approach this spring is just to contribute," Custis said. "I've been waiting to contribute for two years now, and this year I feel like I've got a big opportunity. Going in, I'm trying to do all the little things right and get better every practice."
"With how fast we're going, we need guys in and out," Custis said. "If someone runs far down the field, we need someone in. If someone's tired, we need someone in."
If there's one position Syracuse has plenty of depth in, it's wide receiver. Good problem to have.
OT
Looks like the big battle brewing on the offensive line is between Cody Conway and Michael Lasker. The sophomore and redshirt senior are battling to replace Ivan Foy at left tackle. Lasker is coming off of a torn labrum but he's bulked up to 315 and he attempts to follow through on expectations. Conway was the No. 3 tackle on the depth chart last year and saw action in six games.
Check out the full practice report from Cuse.com for more info.