Add another piece to what has become a sneaky deep quarterback group for Syracuse this season. Former Florida Gator Carlos Del Rio-Wilson announced his decision to transfer to the 315 on Tuesday.
Del Rio-Wilson’s resume is impressive. The Georgia native was ranked as the 58th overall recruit in the Class of 2021 and the 12th best quarterback. He was also a top performer at Elite 11 in Summer 2020, which is an invitational for the best high school signal callers in the country.
Del Rio-Wilson isn’t the only new face at quarterback to emerge this offseason. SU already added Dan Villari from Michigan. Justin Lamson showed flashes of deep ball brilliance during the Spring Game. But out of those three faces, Del Rio-Wilson’s name has the most swagger attached to it.
That being said, he is entering the quarterback competition at a disadvantage. Surpassing Garrett Shrader is going to be hard enough with his experience as the starter last season. Now factor in that both Villari and Lamson had spring ball to get accustomed to the ins and outs of the program. The talent is undeniably there, but Del Rio-Wilson has an uphill battle towards significant playing time in the coming months.
However, there are several cracks that could lead to playing time for Del Rio-Wilson. Shrader was an extremely inconsistent passer last season, and more of the same could persuade SU brass to make a change. Lamson had knee surgery earlier this month. Villari has only been around the program for a few months. But the biggest factor has nothing to do with the players. That would be the coaches, more specifically offensive coordinator Robert Anae and quarterbacks coach Jason Beck. Both of them are entering their first season on the job. That means that the upcoming season is a clean slate. If Del Rio-Wilson can learn and develop into Anae and Beck’s schemes better than the others, don’t be surprised if he is under center come kickoff against Louisville.
Del Rio-Wilson’s arrival leaves SU’s QB situation in its best shape since Eric Dungey left Central New York. There are multiple strong options for the coaching staff to choose from. It is going to be a dogfight for the role of starting quarterback, and it is going to be fun to watch.
