Every walk-on dreams of becoming a scholarship player and making it big in Division I sports. For some, that dream comes true. But at times it just doesn’t go as planned.
Syracuse Orange quarterback Mo Hasan is in the latter group so far. He joined the team as a preferred walk-on last year and redshirted, expecting to be a scholarship player after his first year.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Hasan worked hard behind Eric Dungey, Zack Mahoney, and redshirt freshman Rex Culpepper. Unfortunately for him, however, the scholarship just wasn’t in the cards. Syracuse.com’s Stephen Bailey spoke with Hasan, who had this to say:
"Although there was nothing guaranteed, we were under the strong impression that the academic scholarship would be shifted toward athletic after my freshman year, especially having had other scholarship opportunities with schools and with my performance on the field."
So he’ll be transferring out, off to play at the junior college level, and take another swing at being an FBS quarterback next year.
SU would love a stable quarterback situation, as the Orange have been chasing it since 2013 and haven’t found a fit that can both produce and stay on the field. Dungey has entrenched himself in the starting role for now, but has also missed time over the last two years.
The team has great depth at QB right now, but a healthy Dungey is what it needs to make a bowl game. Mahoney and Culpepper (and Tommy DeVito) have his back, but the jury’s out on whether they could take this offense to the same heights this season.
Good luck in your search for a new opportunity, Mo!