Who’s worth watching for as Syracuse football camp starts?

Syracuse Orange football camp started on Friday, and that means the 2019 season’s officially upon us after the (very) long offseason. There are plenty of things to watch out for during camp over the next few weeks, and we’ll get to those as we go. But one of the biggest themes on day one is the players that are (or aren’t) active.

While it’s no proof of him at full go or not, SU’s own Twitter video featuring Chris Elmore is probably a good step in the right direction for the fullback. After he went down with a leg injury in April, there was some worry around how his potential absence could negatively affect the run game. However, this is a pretty good sign he’ll be ready near the start of the season.

Other players are probably more long-term names to watch as camp gets going. The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle listed six of their own, but all are the pretty obvious ones.

If I’m figuring out six players to keep an eye on, I’m probably going a little more off the beaten path:

• FB Chris Elmore
• RB Abdul Adams
• OL Sam Heckel
• OL Ryan Alexander
• LB Tyrell Richards
• LB Andrew Armstrong

Could’ve added Tommy DeVito here too, I suppose, but realistically, we already know a lot about what he’ll bring to the table — and practice isn’t going to add to that story. For Elmore, Adams and Heckel, we’re watching from a health perspective given spring injuries. And with Heckel, health directly affects the line’s make-up since he’ll potentially slot in at center, letting Airon Servais go out wide where he’s a better fit.

Alexander should start at the other tackle spot, but that also assumes he fits well right away and we won’t know that until camp gets going. At linebacker, you could pretty much put anyone on the list, since Armstrong is the only known entity of any sort.

That, plus the rest of your Syracuse-related links below:

Six players to watch as the Syracuse football team opens fall camp (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)

The excitement stems from his performance when he got on the field last season. While filling in for Dungey against Florida State, DeVito threw for 144 yards and scored two touchdowns. He threw for a career-high 181 yards and three touchdowns in an overtime win over North Carolina as well. It’s his time now, and fall camp will give him the opportunity to establish himself as a leader while building rapport with his teammates.

Tiana Mangakahia’s cancer reveal to coach Quentin Hillsman: first tears, then resolve (Syracuse.com)

“We both cried and figured it out and said, ‘OK I think I’ll be the coach again, and we’ve got to figure out what’s next,’” Hillsman said. “I pretty much said to her we’ve got to figure out how to beat this thing, and what’s the best avenue. We need to get a map to figure out how to get you the best care. Obviously the next course of action was getting all of our medical staff involved and making sure we told administration so they could know what’s going on. There are a lot of things that need to happen to make sure she got the proper care.”

Marek Dolezaj won’t risk re-injuring finger when Syracuse basketball plays in Italy (Syracuse.com)

Instead of playing basketball in Slovakia, Dolezaj spent time visiting with family and friends, running and “eating a lot.” He has heard every complaint and snide remark about his weight and frankly, he has grown weary of the constant criticism of his build. Some people have problems losing weight, he said, others have problems gaining weight.

Carmelo Anthony says he’ll do what it takes to return to the NBA: ‘The only thing left for me to do is win a championship (CBS Sports)

But in a wide-ranging interview on ESPN’s “First Take,” Anthony fought back. He revealed that he wants to keep playing in the NBA, saying “I love the game too much to get away from it.” That is not limited to a one-year retirement tour either, as his trainer Chris Brickley recently suggested. “I’ve never even thought about a farewell tour,” Anthony explained

Quincy Guerrier: a Quebecker at the gateway to the NBA? (AlleyOopQC)

The work is far from over for the Quebecker who wants to get quality play time with Syracuse in his first year. This is the kind of player who, like Luguentz Dort, could make a splash in his first NCAA season, but he will not go straight to the NBA draft in a year. The priority for Guerrier should be to perform as well as possible in the next 4 years and be in good physical condition for his first season with the Syracuse Orange.

Syracuse football roster update: 5 new walk-ons include All-American wrestler (Syracuse.com)

How this Giants wide receiver found out AAF collapsed and he was out of work | Can he be a training camp star again? (NJ.com)

What was the most anticipated offseason of the SU Football modern era? (CNYCentral)

One-on-One with Buddy Boeheim (Spectrum News)

Here are this year’s five football games with ACC teams that ESPN will make streaming-only on ACCNX, limited to ACC Network subscribers (Awful Announcing)