Eric Dungey is Syracuse football’s starting quarterback. Okay, we know that.
Prodigy Tommy DeVito is next in line. Okay, we know that, too.
And as of this week, Dino Babers has been complimenting DeVito’s play. But don’t take these compliments too personally. DeVito is unlikely to see much action this season.
At the end of the day, DeVito is slated to begin his tenure under center for SU at the start of the 2019 season. He took a redshirt year last season to add an extra year of eligibility to his time with the Orange.
The plan is clear cut.
But what if Dungey is injured? Well, it is possible we see DeVito take the field as the next-in-line. We saw Dungey himself go through those exact motions in 2015. He’d be able to get in some of his first reps in an actual college game. He could knock out some of those nerves that naturally come with being in the main spotlight for the first time before he is expected to perform as the starter.
But why put your next star in too much of a risk of injury? You have other players who have previous experience leading the offense, Rex Culpepper being the obvious option. Let them get the playing time for now rather than potentially losing both your present and your future at the same time.
Unless Syracuse is making a legitimate push for a bowl game for the first time since 2013 and is in dire need for an offensive leader at the same time, it doesn’t make much sense to throw DeVito in the fire. Experience is really the only logical rational, but it cannot be done prematurely.
Keeping DeVito on his trajectory of success in the future should be the main goal. And for this reason, it should be unlikely that we see much of number 13 on the field this coming season.
Published: David Edelstein
