After a 5th negative record in 6 years, fans are once again voicing displeasure with Dino Babers at the helm of Syracuse football. With 3 games left on the schedule, the Orange found themselves at 5-4, one win away from clinching Dino a second bowl berth. Though, as you know, things didn’t go as planned for Syracuse, Babers’ squad dropped all three games to finish the year 5-7.
Oftentimes it can be hard to find a bright light in a season of darkness, this year, that wasn’t the case. Sean Tucker built on his solid first season, rushing for nearly 1500 yards. The freshman back caught the attention of the nation and is regarded as one of the best the country has to offer going into year three. At this point, it’s fairly certain that Tucker will return to the Orange in 2022, as Mike McAllister wrote back on November 23rd, in which he quoted Tucker as saying:
‚ÄúI believe a lot I’m going to be here.‚Äù
McAllister added that the only thing that might inhibit Tucker from returning is the departure of Babers:
“Tucker also stated following follow up questions that the only thing that he envisions being able to change his mind would be a coaching change.”
This now begs the question, what would you rather have? Dino out of the picture taking Tucker with him or both stay on the hill? Locked on Syracuse, a podcast co-hosted by former Fizzers Tyler Aki and Tim Leonard, put out a poll during Saturday’s season finale asking this very question:
Seems like the answer is pretty obvious, most fans would instantly prioritize keeping Tucker over ousting Babers, but some who are adamant that the head coach is the root of the problem might say that it’s more important to get on the rebuilding track as soon as the program can.
Dino has had his fair share of blunders, this season especially. Everyone remembers his lack of ability to manage the clock against Virginia Tech and Clemson, as well as his generally poor decision-making that reared its head most notably in the 3-point loss to ACC Atlantic champ, Wake Forest.¬†Though, he and the coaching staff do deserve credit for exceeding expectations this year. The Orange weren’t expected to surpass 3 wins, 1 in the ACC. They found diamonds in the rough in the forms of Sean Tucker, Cody Roscoe, Mikel Jones, and others. This might not be the most talented roster in all the land, but Babers and his coaching staff need to be given the credit they deserve for what they did with it.
What do you think? Tweet at us @OrangeFizz on Twitter to share your opinion.
