On Tuesday night, Syracuse’s Stefon Thompson, Josh Black and Chris Elmore met with media members via Zoom to discuss the bleak 1-8 season, next steps for the seniors and lessons learned.
Bleak Season
Elmore said that the downward spiral of the 2020 season has made it harder for some of the players to keep motivations high.
Elmore also said that providing positive energy amid the losing streak has been challenging. However, Elmore became the first player this season to admit that some of the players “heads were already out of it” due to the coronavirus at the beginning of the season. Now, with just two more games remaining against NC State and No. 2 Notre Dame, Elmore said that some guys are ready to go home.
Senior Consideration
Both Black and Elmore both said that they have not made a final decision about what to do with an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19. Black mentioned that there is an appeal to return to school and work toward a higher degree with unpredictability surrounding his NFL prospects.
‚ÄúI don’t have a decision yet on what I want to do,‚Äù Black said. ‚ÄúAny game could be your last game again, it could come down to injury, etc…I guess you can say, these games are very personal to me, and my time playing football could be running up soon.‚Äù
Elmore also mentioned how important it was to him to be playing for Syracuse. He also said that he knows a lot of people from his hometown of Chicago, who never had the opportunity he has. That has factored into his decision making on whether or not to return to SU next season.
“Another thing that also goes into my decision making is that I never wanted to end a football season like this,” Elmore said.
Lessons Learned
Elmore also said that he thought transitioning to the offensive line would be harder than it actually was.
Against Boston College, Elmore said he played his best game as he was able to leverage defensive linemen in a “rivalry game”.
Thompson, in his first season at Syracuse, said that this season has allowed him to get “mental reps” and experience that most freshmen don’t get.
