Well, we wondered all summer long whether Tommy DeVito would be the week 1 starter for Syracuse. He will be. SU released its depth chart recently, listing DeVito as the team’s number one. That’s a good thing, as he is the team’s second most important player. 
Remember the good old days? When Tommy DeVito was just the guy that came in to save Eric Dungey? When he had all the potential on the planet Earth? Well, those days are gone. They’ve been replaced by the days of the young gunslinger chucking the ball 60 yards down the field just to end up in the hands of a defender. The days of 0 pocket awareness being the downfall of an entire offense.
Why Syracuse Needs Him
Tommy DeVito is the second most important player on this team not because of how well he’s played, but because he needs to play well. The QB of an offense is almost always its most important piece. For these guys to succeed, DeVito needs to show up. We all saw how this offense suffered last season playing with a quarterback that really wasn’t all that talented. In all fairness, Rex Culpepper was shoved into a situation that wasn’t the best, with little protection, not many options, etc. but still, things like spiking the ball on fourth down were avoidable. This offense, like any other, needs a solid quarterback to survive. Sean Tucker and the rest of the RB room can’t support this offense on their own. Luckily DeVito has a very capable WR on his side in Taj Harris, who has a chance to break SU’s all-time receiving record this season. 
Best Case Scenario
Wouldn’t it be great if this guy just showed up and was the player we all thought he’d be after the few glimpses we got of him in 2018? That’s the best case scenario. Syracuse needs this guy to come in and lead this offense like they were with Eric Dungey at the helm. He needs to come in, have improved his pocket awareness, as well as his decision making, and put points on the board. In a perfect world, DeVito is the kind of player that can run with the ball, throw the ball away under pressure and make the big play when they need him to. 
Worst Case Scenario
The worst thing DeVito can do is show up without having improved at all whatsoever. That he goes out there each weekend, makes bad decisions, and leads SU to more losing. The worst part of his game is his propensity to be sacked. People love to blame the offensive line for the high sack numbers, and it is partly their fault, but a lot of that blame should be pointed at the QB too. Way too many times was DeVito blitzed and seemed to have no care in the world. This team will not win games with horrendous quarterback play. That much was proven in 2020. 
Monday, August 16 – #10 Garrett Shrader
Wednesday, August 18 – #9 Matthew Bergeron
Friday, August 20 – #8 Josh Black
Sunday, August 22 – #7 Anthony Queeley
Tuesday, August 24 – #6 Airon Servais
Thursday, August 26 – #5 Garrett Williams
Saturday, August 28 – #4 Mikel Jones
Monday, August 30 – #3 Taj Harris
Wednesday, September 1 – #2 Tommy DeVito
Friday, September 3 – #1 ?
