Syracuse vs. NC State: Orange release updated depth chart

After a week off, many of us were hoping to see some big changes to the Syracuse Orange football depth chart. With several starters out on defense and Sam Heckel gone since game one on the offensive side, there was at least some sort of expectation the depth chart would look different for this Thursday’s game against the N.C. State Wolfpack. Instead, just mild changes:

The changes compared to the Holy Cross depth chart:

• No more “OR” for Nykeim Johnson and Courtney Jackson, as Jackson drops off the two-deep
• Sam Heckel and Airon Servais still get an “OR” at center, but Heckel’s now moved to the top spot
• Carlos Vettorello and Ryan Alexander swap order as well with the “OR” at left tackle, as Vettorello is now on top

And... that’s it. Nothing on defense, and nothing that really signals we’ll see any of the injured players this week.

Dino Babers addressed as much at Monday’s local press conference, saying he wouldn’t expect any of the injured guys to return this week. Of course, Babers has always been pretty cagey with depth chart updates and without any requirement from the league to release an updated injury report each week, he and every other coach will continue to endorse some gamesmanship. That said, right now we can’t bank on seeing any of McKinley Williams, Andre Cisco, Ifeatu Melifonwu or Sam Heckel — all concerning potential absences, as they have been for weeks.

If you’re wondering about Tommy DeVito, it appears he’s “good to go” according to a Syracuse.com story yesterday. After he went to the locker room early against Holy Cross, there was speculation something was up, though Babers said the QB gave him a thumbs-up after the game. With luck, that’s the last concern we have on that front.

Sorry if you were hoping for a bit more optimistic outlook here. Perhaps foolishly, I definitely was.