Three things we learned from Syracuse.com’s Eric Dungey feature

Back on Friday, Syracuse.com’s Nate Mink published a great feature on Syracuse Orange quarterback Eric Dungey. If you haven’t read it, it’s highly recommended, as it dives into a lot of the questions around last year’s injuries (which we were largely left in the dark about in-season). It also talks about the incredible potential the QB brings to the table this year in Dino Babers’s offense.

There’s a lot in there — and some key quotes from Dungey’s dad and a former coach. But here were some of the major takeaways:

Dungey suffered two concussions last year... and something else?

The piece confirms, by way of Eric’s father Tim, that the player suffered two concussions from those two obviously brutal hits — the Central Michigan personal foul and the late Louisville tackle. Tim also alludes to Eric getting more than a concussion from the Central Michigan game, though he did not share with Mink what that might be. We won’t speculate, because it’s a futile exercise in this case.

(Maybe) Some clarity on the concussion policy

There’s another bit in here around SU’s concussion policy too, which should both clear some things up and create confusion for fans:

“What bothered the Dungeys were inaccurate comments about Dungey's playing status in the event of another concussion. Syracuse University has no rule disqualifying a player after three concussions. It has a policy saying it's possible.”

This seems to fly in the face of previous rulings disqualifying previous Orange players like A.J. Long, Kyle Knapp and Luke Arciniega — all of whom were removed from the team directly because of concussions. Arciniega was at the end of his eligibility, so couldn’t play football elsewhere. However, Knapp ended up at Western Michigan and Long went to Wagner to continue their respective football careers.

Why Dungey was so under-recruited

Prior to him even getting on the field last year, we knew Dungey wasn’t heavily recruited (and received zero offers from schools in the nearby Pac-12). Now we know a bit more about why that’s the case. This nugget being the main point:

“Aside from the (Las Vegas) 7-on-7 tournament, Dungey rarely attended camps or showcase clinics during the summer, opting instead to play multiple sports. He sprained his ankle in a summer league basketball game the day before he was scheduled to attend a camp at Oregon.”

So you can potentially thank basketball for Dungey not being a Duck right now...

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The rest of the piece dives deeper into some of the reactions to last year’s concussions, and the (to me) surprising news that Dungey’s parents have no qualms about the player being in the Louisville game at the time of the hit.

You also get a sense of how much Eric’s rapport with Steve Ishmael has progressed, as the junior wideout says his QB "has a chance to be one of the best quarterbacks in college. I truly believe that."

Again, read the piece, and get excited — we’re just a handful of days away from football season.