Something eye-opening — and perhaps very revealing — happened on the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball Instagram page.
And it may hint that the Orange coaching search isn’t much of a search at all.
As Syracuse fans anxiously watch reports of a battle with Providence Friars men’s basketball for rising coach Bryan Hodgson, two eyebrow-raising comments appeared under the program’s official post announcing that Adrian Autry would not return. Twitter user Cardiac Cuse caught it.
One comment came from a user named Aiyanna, whose Instagram bio reads “An Alex Kline fan account” along with an engagement ring emoji. Alex Kline is Syracuse’s general manager.
The comment read:
“Shoutout to Wildhack & the Lally’s for their hard work! It never mattered when you’ve been planning this with Hodgson for a year!”
That is quite the comment.
It suggests the plan to hire Hodgson — an upstate New York native and one of the sport’s fastest rising coaches — may have been in motion for awhile.
Then things got even more interesting.
Another commenter Aliyah — who is Adrian Autry’s oldest daughter — responded with:
“thank you for exposing the nasty snakes in the business!!”
Now, let’s be clear: Instagram comments are not confirmation of anything. Social media is messy, emotional, and often unreliable — especially during coaching changes.
But when people seemingly connected to the program jump into the public comment section with remarks like that, it certainly raises eyebrows.
For Syracuse fans currently sweating out the Hodgson vs. Providence tug-of-war, there may be another interpretation.
Maybe there isn’t a battle at all. And maybe the criticism toward Wildhack leaving the program in a weakened spot would soften if he did lay the longterm groundwork for Hodgson to be the next head coach.
Maybe Hodgson to Syracuse has been inevitable all along.
That would certainly help Orange fans feel a little more comfortable about the daily speculation of Providence stealing him.
Of course, until Syracuse officially announces its next head coach, everything remains speculation.
But if those Instagram comments reflect even a sliver of truth, the drama surrounding this search might be less about whether Hodgson is coming…
…and more about if the the Orange had this plan all along.
