Marlowe Wax, Syracuse football’s star linebacker, left Saturday’s 38-22 win over Ohio with a lower-body injury. He was seen with a boot on afterwards, and head coach Fran Brown says that Wax is expected to be out for six weeks. Who’s going to step up in his place?
Derek McDonald
Derek McDonald has stepped up due to absences before. In 2022, he went from backup to starter when Stefon Thompson went down with a season-ending injury. In that very game, McDonald tallied an interception. He then went on to finish the season with 43 tackles in nine games. Since then, McDonald has been the 1b linebacker behind Marlowe Wax, the 1a linebacker. Now, he’ll be the top dog for the Syracuse football defense.
The biggest difference for McDonald will be taking over the helmet communication for the defense. The technology is new to college football this year, with one player each on offense and defense wearing it. It was Wax, but the presumed fill-in signal caller for the defense is McDonald. Now, he’ll have to be even more of a leader, on top of being even more of a focal point for the defensive game plan.
Anwar Sparrow
Anwar Sparrow hasn’t started for Syracuse football since his redshirt-freshman year. Despite continuing to play as a backup since, now, the redshirt-junior will likely become a starter again. Sparrow tallied just one total tackle after Marlowe Wax went down on Saturday, and that number will have to be much higher against a formidable Georgia Tech rushing offense this week.
James Heard
James Heard had a big moment in Syracuse football’s win over Ohio. He grabbed the Orange’s lone pick, which helped put away the Bobcats. Heard doesn’t have much experience, with three appearances last year for West Virginia and one this year for SU. That’s sure to change going forward.
