Syracuse made a big splash last week when it nabbed former four-star recruit Carlos Del Rio-Wilson from the transfer portal. The news broke from out of thin air, nobody was talking about the former Florida Gator as a potential target for SU.
With the former Georgia high school football stars commitment, the Orange add a very viable option to backup Garrett Shrader or maybe even its next star in the backfield. Only time will tell with this battle, we saw a very similar story playing out last off-season. So you’ve heard the name and the hype surrounding the former top 150 recruit, but what’s his game like? What does Rio-Wilson bring to the table for the ‘Cuse?
Play 1
Del Rio-Wilson was a hot commodity on the recruiting trail and plays like this are why. The gunslinger holds in the pocket against a zone blitz and delivers a strike up the seam for a big play. Not only does this demonstrate moxie, it also shows his arm power and toughness by making that throw with a defender in his face.
Play 2
Does this remind you of anybody? Maybe Donovan McNabb or Johnny Manziel? This play was a designed roll-out pass to the left and it’s completely bottled up by the defense but Del Rio-Wilson makes something out of nothing and creates a touchdown. Nobody on Syracuse’s current roster is making this play.
Play 3
The quarterback run game will be featured heavily in Robert Anae’s offense. The QB powers and read options were used frequently in the SU Spring Game. As a former four-star dual-threat recruit, Del Rio-Wilson has the pedigree to execute such plays. As you can see the Cartersville, GA native is very athletically gifted and understands the mental aspect of making reads too.
Play 4
Syracuse has some receivers on its team that can simply go up and win a jump ball. Damien Alford, Umari Hatcher, and CJ Hayes first come to mind. What SU needs is a passer that has the courage to throw up a 50/50 ball as well as someone who can put some touch on it. Del Rio-Wilson floats this throw up beautifully and puts it in a location where his intended target can win.
Play 5
There’s a reason why he was an Elite 11 finalist. Del Rio-Wilson has arm talent that Syracuse doesn’t currently have on its roster. Perhaps Tommy DeVito is of a similar caliber but that never seemed to click with the other skills needed to be a potent quarterback.
Play 6
He did this as a sophomore in high school…
Play 7
Here’s an example of Del Rio-Wilson escaping pressure and leaving the pocket at the correct time to turn this into a positive play. If not for the rising hype surrounding Anthony Richardson down in the Swamp, Del Rio-Wilson would be right in the thick of things for the starting signal caller gig.
As you can see Del Rio-Wilson isn a full package quarterback. The former blue chip recruit was wanted by everybody and their mother out of high school and these plays are the reason why. The former Gator is a true dual-threat talent with more arm talent than anybody on Syracuse’s roster.
Del Rio-Wilson can extend plays, make tough throws, and really put a lot of stress on opposing defenses. This is a massive pickup for SU and could end up being a program changer sooner rather than later.
