It’s been a busy day on the site, so might as well add one more piece of news: the Syracuse Orange have unveiled the first preseason football depth chart.
SYRACUSE PRESEASON DEPTH CHART: C Airon Servais, CBs Scoop Bradshaw & Chris Fredrick, SS Evan Foster all 1st team. Moe Neal listed as RB2. pic.twitter.com/91NbY9Krjh
— Stephen Bailey (@Stephen_Bailey1) July 12, 2017
Bailey begins the conversation around what’s a bit different in this one (versus previous iterations), but a full list of interesting changes below:
- Moe Neal is the second running back on the depth chart, just a few months after being switched out to inside receiver
- Sean Avant listed as a third potential option at inside receiver (assuming both Ervin Philips and Sean Riley will line up inside on four-wide sets)
- Redshirt freshman Airon Servais takes over the starting center position, while Colin Byrne’s been switched out to backup right guard
- JUCO defensive end Brandon Berry slots in as a second-teamer for the time being
- It looks like Kenneth Ruff is officially playing on the interior part of the line now, as he’s listed as a nose tackle here
- Kielan Whitner switches from the safety position to the backup SAM linebacker (behind Jonathan Thomas)
- Scoop Bradshaw’s one of the two starting cornerbacks, less than a season after switching from safety
- Opposite him is Christopher Frederick, also a new starter (over Notre Dame grad transfer Devin M. Butler)
- No sign of Toledo transfer Jordan Martin on the current two-deep
None of these are necessarily seismic shifts, but some intriguing ones nonetheless. By moving Whitner to linebacker, it helps with some potential short-term depth questions and potentially gets more talented players on the field at once. Frederick and Bradshaw getting the starting corner jobs is a surprising development, but also a testament to their hard work since earning chances last year.
There are still a handful of players still to arrive, and summer camp will also dictate more changes, so there’s plenty to happen here.
Anything else you’re surprised by here? Share your own thoughts below.