Over the past few years, Syracuse’s offense has been dynamic. Garrett Shrader’s elusiveness gave the Orange the ability to strike from the air, on the ground with a star running back or with QB1 scrambling. That took a lot of the pressure off the receiving corps. This year, with Kyle McCord under center that won’t be the case. He isn’t just not mobile, McCord isn’t even close to a threat to run. Remember, sacks do count as rushing yards in college football, but still, he ended with negative yards last season.
The pressure on the running backs will grow this season. LeQuint Allen, who had a steller freshman year, has to take a massive step up with the loss of a mobile quarterback. But, he was going to have to be a big part of the offensive no matter what. The big key for the ‘Cuse will be whether or not someone steps up as the top receiver. Kyle McCord will be throwing the ball a lot and he needs receivers he can trust. Oronde Gadsden has had injury issues over the past year and can’t be 100% relied on. So, who can step up?
Jackson Meeks and Zeed Haynes, the two Georiga transfers, are the two names that jump off the page. While the wideouts may be coming from one of the top SEC programs, they each caught just one pass last season so neither can be trusted until they prove themselves. Trebor Pena has shown flashes of greatness as a return man but after being held out for most of last season, whether or not he’ll make the jump is still yet to be determined. Whether or not the Orange have a good season could rely almost solely on whether or not McCord has the help that he needs.
