After a 3-0 start to the season, Syracuse football is riding high. Given that, it’s reasonable to think that many individual player stocks are on the rise. But how about the players that haven’t performed so well to start the season? Let’s take a look at which Orange stocks have shifted the most since the season began on Aug. 31.
Walking into class on Monday morning with that undefeated swagger like… pic.twitter.com/3HpJOQaDtf
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) September 17, 2018
Stocks on the rise
Andre Cisco (Freshman – Valley Stream, NY): What can you say about this kid? Cisco has lit the world on fire in his first three games with SU. The freshman racked up three interceptions over Syracuse’s first two games, including two in the first half against Wagner. Against Florida State, Cisco registered a season high three tackles. Even as a freshman, Cisco has been a calming presense to the Orange defense, which is exactly what they needed. Usually young players need time to get acclimated to their surroundings, but not Cisco. Things will get harder, though, when SU gets into consistent conference play. For now, Cisco is making a name for himself as a freshman.
Jarveon Howard (Freshman – Columbia, MS):¬†Other than Dungey, Howard averages the most yards per carry (6.9). That’s quite the statement from a first-year running back trying to make his mark in the program. There’s no denying fans often get frustrated with starters Dontae Strickland and Moe Neal, so Howard’s emergence is an interesting development to start the season. In Babers’ weekly press conference on Monday, he praised the freshman, saying he might deserve some more playing time. Could he steal snaps away from Strickland or Neal?
Tommy DeVito (Redshirt Freshman – Cedar Grove, NJ):¬†DeVito has appeared in all three games to start the season. However, SU’s backup quarterback left plenty to be desired in his first two contests. That all changed on Saturday when DeVito went 11-16 for 144 yards and a touchdown. Against the ‘Noles, we learned why DeVito was such a coveted recruit out of high school. The dude throws a rope and knows what he’s doing in the pocket. Syracuse fans got a glimpse into the future on Saturday, while also experiencing perhaps a season changing win. Now that we’ve seen what he can do, DeVito becomes the second most important man on SU’s roster. If Dungey goes down at any point during the season, Dino Babers now has a more-than-viable option to replace him.
Jamal Custis (Redshirt Senior – Philadelphia, PA):¬†Three games in, I think we know who SU’s breakout receiver is this year. Custis leads all receivers with 265 yards, with the next closest guy at 97 yards (Nykeim Johnson). Sure, he had a MAJOR drop last week, but other than that he’s been solid. A big target for Dungey to throw to and at this point the sky is the limit for his potential.
Stocks going down
Scoop Bradshaw (Junior – Tampa, FL):¬†Syracuse’s pass defense has been shaky and Bradshaw is a big reason why. At times, he shows the qualities of a solid ACC defensive back. Two plays later, he shows the exact opposite. The lack of consistency for Bradshaw has his stock headed downhill. It’s not like expectations were high for the Tampa native, but he has failed to show any type of improvement from a season ago. If his play keeps up, Babers may be forced to promote a young player like Trill Williams into the starting role. Bradshaw and the Syracuse secondary will be tested increasingly more as the season progresses.
Markenzy Pierre (Sophomore – Orlando, FL):¬†With Howard on the rise, Pierre’s stock has taken a serious hit lately. Pierre averages six yards per carry, but has only run the ball out of the backfield three times. Will we see him in a more significant role down the road? Right now, it doesn’t appear so.
Devin Butler (Junior – District Height, MD):¬†Before the season, many though Butler was the guy to replace the production of 2017 leading receiver Steve Ishmael. So far this season, that has not happened. Butler has just six catches so far this season, four of which came against Wagner. What’s the hold up? Custis is racking up yards week after week, while Butler is still searching for his breakout game of 2018. Butler’s stock was never that high last season, but that changed over the summer. Butler was a leading candidate to be SU’s leading receiver. In order for that to happen, things need to change in a hurry. If they don’t the Maryland native could be in for a long season.
With UCONN on the horizon, most stocks should continue to trend in the positive direction. However, the following week should prove much more difficult when SU travels to Clemson.
