Dino Babers Update on Key Position Battles

With spring ball coming to an end, Dino Babers has had about a month to re-evaluate key position battles.

Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse head coach Dino Babers met virtually with the media on Wednesday for the first time in almost a month. With no spring game or other "distractions," Babers says players have been able to lock in and focus. The sixth-year coach provided his latest observations on the evolving position battles and competition happening all over the field.

QUARTERBACKS - Five guys are trying to throw one ball. Returning two-year starter Tommy DeVito is coming off a season-ending ankle injury. His toughest competition, Mississippi State transfer Garrett Shrader, relies on mobility. Babers acknowledged each man's advantage and says both have been "fabulous."

"Garrett's legs are a plus, there's no doubt about it," Babers said. "And Tommy has been very accurate with the ball."

2020 true freshman JaCobian Morgan was the primary stand-in behind former Orange QB Rex Culpepper after DeVito missed the last seven games. Morgan experienced a concussion late last season but doesn't appear to be affected by it, according to Babers.

"He's like the Statue of Liberty when he's in the pocket. You just love the way he just is so fearless when he's standing up there."

Babers also mentioned that Dillon Markiewicz and the 2021 signee Justin Lamson have had decisive moments, feeding into what has become a healthy competition.

"I think we've got the best room since we've been here," Babers said. "From one through five, those guys are really something."

OFFENSIVE LINE - The band is back together…for the first time in a while. The Orange return sixth-year senior Airon Servais, who leads the team with 48-consecutive starts, splitting time at both tackle and center. They also say hello to SEC-transfer guard Chris Bleich, who's battling back from hip surgery. More than anything, Babers is most excited about just having bodies on the field.

"I think the coolest thing was this," Babers said. "They were all at practice every day. They've been there every single day.

"To see guys moving around all different types of positions to build flexibility in the group, I really like where we're going with like the top six, top eight guys."

The luxury of availability wasn't afforded to Syracuse last season. The burden of versatility was forced onto Chris Elmore, who offered to move from fullback to guard so that Syracuse wouldn't have to forfeit games. Those are circumstances Babers swore he'd avoid in the future.

"I don't ever want to be in a situation where we don't have enough offensive linemen again, period," Babers said bluntly. "We're going to keep those numbers high if we can and get in a situation where we don't have to play other positions at O-line positions, even though I still think the guy did really, really well while he was there."

RUNNING BACKS - Running backs were a rare bright spot in 2020. Specifically, it was one running back: Sean Tucker. The impact freshman put the running game on his back, tearing his way to the third-most yards (626) by a Syracuse freshman in program history.

Tucker is set to be joined by Abdul Adams and Jarveon Howard, who opted out last season for COVID-related reasons. It's a well-rounded and diverse collection that Babers believes rivals any he's seen at Syracuse.

"That group is really good," Babers said. "For the most part, I think that backfield is the best backfield we've had going into my sixth year. From top to bottom, I really think that not only do these guys know what they're doing, but they can make plays with their legs, and they take pride in their blocking.

"As a group, Orange Nation should be really excited with the backs that we have."

DEFENSIVE BACKS - You'd think standing out at a position recently vacated by three NFL draft picks would be pretty hard to do. Unless, of course, your name happens to be Garrett Williams. When explicitly asked for a stand-out from the secondary other than Garrett Williams, Babers couldn't help himself.

"Garrett stands out," Babers said. He even started fielding his own questions about the Freshman All-American and All-ACC defensive back.

"You want to know who stands out? Garrett. And besides Garrett? Garrett stands out. Garrett's the bomb. He's the new bell cow."

Williams proved capable of being a Power 5 shutdown corner. Still, it's not clear yet if he'll rise to the level of Andre Cisco, Trill Williams, or Ifeatu Melifonwu. What is clear to Babers, though, is that he shares one key characteristic.

"His work ethic is like those guys," Babers said. "And I would anticipate the same thing that's going to happen to those guys on Friday and Saturday, or hopefully Thursday, is the same thing that's going to happen to Garrett."

The old Alexander Pope quote "hope springs eternal" seems appropriate as Syracuse winds down its spring practices. It's a good thing, too, because it's pretty much the last thing you cling to after a 1-10 season. But the most significant difference between last year and this year is health and competition, and that's reason enough for hope.