Dan Villari was never going to be Oronde Gadsden.
Villari said as much leading up to Syracuse’s first game. He stressed that he couldn’t replace Gadsden, now a tight end for the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL, or his production on his own.
Despite Villari rejecting the idea that he can’t replace Gadsden, he’s come pretty close over the first two games, displaying an elite chemistry with new starting quarterback Steve Angeli.
Last year, Villari’s production for the entire season was 6 catches for 57 yards. In the season opener against then-No. 22 Tennessee, he almost matched that with a 5-yard, 55-catch outing.
Against UConn this weekend, he helped the Orange embark on a furious fourth-quarter comeback in Syracuse’s eventual 27-20 win in overtime.
He led Syracuse in receptions and receiving yards with a monster 104-yard outing on 7 catches, displaying the same level of deep aerial threat that Gadsden provided for Kyle McCord in last year’s offense.
We’re only two games into the season, so it’s easy to overreact, but Villari has emerged as the top tight end AND receiving threat for the Orange, which would have been hard to predict heading into this season.
Matchups against tougher opponents await, with dates against top-25 teams like Notre Dame, Clemson, and SMU in Syracuse’s schedule, so Villari will have to sustain his production against those elite teams and their defenses.
If Villari can play at this level for the rest of the season, depending on how well Syracuse handles its brutal schedule, the senior has a real chance to follow Gadsden to the NFL next season. There’s still a lot of work to be done for Villari to get there, but if he continues to put up these types of numbers, it’ll be hard for NFL teams to ignore.
Considering Villari had only one catch in his first season with Syracuse and just 27 overall across his three seasons with the Orange, the tight end’s early production would easily be one of the best turnarounds in recent program history, especially if Villari joins Gadsden in the league.
