This was probably just a matter of time, but George McDonald is out of Syracuse.
The former offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach has left Syracuse and accepted a job as the wide receivers coach at North Carolina State.
McDonald moves within the ACC Coastal division. Just to recap, McDonald was hired in 2013 as the offensive coordinator when Scott Shafer took over as head coach.
The week prior to the Florida State game this season, Shafer announced that McDonald had been demoted to wide receivers coach.
Perhaps the biggest reason for McDonald’s hiring was his ability to recruit in the highly-talented area of Southern Florida, specifically the Fort Lauderdale and Miami areas.
Some of Syracuse’s best players have come from that area and losing McDonald for the purpose of recruiting is a huge loss for the football program. The program has a commitment to rebuilding and bringing in higher-rated talent to compete in a competitive ACC conference.
Now without McDonald, that is another part of the program that needs rebuilding. Unfortunately for the Orange, it is a huge chunk because it what makes up the play on the field. The offense totaled the second fewest yardage in the ACC so it makes sense to think the demotion was to keep him in the program for his recruiting. The way to get better is to bring in better talent, which is something McDonald had ties to. Now SU does not have that benefit.
The big question now is what happens to recruits planning to come to Syracuse? The departure of McDonald will likely result in some players backing out and taking their talents elsewhere — maybe even within the ACC.
The next few weeks will be key to watch. Some players might decommit and others who were considering Syracuse may eliminate the university in the running for their decisions. Although the offense struggled big time last season, this is a loss for Syracuse because of McDonald’s connections to high-talented regions.
Posted:  Austin Pollack
