Get to Know Your Orange Man: #63, OG Chris Bleich

It’s time to start preparing for the upcoming Syracuse Orange football season. We’re going through the roster to take a look at each Syracuse player as we get ready for a critical season for the Orange.

Up next is the most senior blocker...

Name: Christopher Bleich

Position: Offensive Line

Year: Redshirt Senior

Height: 6’6”

Weight: 326 lbs.

Hometown: Hanover Township, PA

High School: Wyoming Valley West

Previous College: Florida

2022 stats: Bleich started 12 games at right guard, only missing the Wake Forest matchup. It was the most successful season of his career, both in terms of health and performance.

2023 projections: If he’s healthy, the right guard job is Bleich’s to lose. That being said, Chris missed the majority of spring camp with what appeared to be a knee issue. He had similar issues that previously hampered his progress down in Florida and with this being his fifth and final college season, Bleich will likely push to play even if he isn’t at full strength.

How’d he get here?: Chris had plenty of quality offers in high school, including PA schools Pitt and Penn State. He briefly committed to the later before flipping to the Gators, where he stayed for two years. After appearing in total 13 games, starting eight, he came to SU but had to sit out 2020 due to the NCAA not granting him eligibility.

What’d recruiting sites say?: Four stars from ESPN, three from 247Sports and Rivals. Was a consensus Top-20 prospect from Pennsylvania and Top-40 IOL nationwide.

Money quote: I talked to Coach Babers about Bleich’s health during the spring, and he stressed that Chris will be a vital part of the upcoming season.

“We need to get him back out there. There’s some guys on the side who need to be on the football field, he’s one of them. He’s gonna be one of our better players.”

Twitter feed: @Bleich67

Instagram feed: @cbleich67

Post of wonder: Perfect timing - Chris is the latest Syracuse player to get into podcasting.

Interesting nugget o’interest: Being from right outside Scranton, Chris is probably as sick of seeing “The Office” references as I am with making them. So instead, I’ll leave myself a note to ask him about pursuing a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises.

Let’s get a look at ya: Post of wonder #2