Syracuse Football Training Camp Position Preview: Running Back

More questions than expected surrounding the Orange's backfield.

Mike McAllister | Jul 8, 2023

Syracuse Football Training Camp Position Preview: Running Back /

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Syracuse Orange

UPDATE: LeQuint Allen reached a settlement with Syracuse University and will now play this season. This preview has been updated as a result.

Syracuse football is expected to kick off training camp in the next month or so with the season less than two months away. All Syracuse continues its series previewing each position headed into training camp with the running back position.

PREVIOUS POSITION PREVIEWS

Quarterback

WHAT WE KNOW

LeQuint Allen is the starter but there will be more of a rotation this season. Over the last two seasons, Sean Tucker took a vast majority of the snaps at running back. While Allen is the starter, the backups will rotate in much more frequently. Expect to see Juwaun Price and potentially Ike Daniels seeing a significant number of snaps

WHAT WE DON'T

How effective everyone will be. Allen was tremendous in the Pinstripe Bowl as the starter. However, going through an entire season as the starter is a completely different story. In addition, Price has not played significantly at the power five level and Ike Daniels is a true freshman. Others on the roster, including a pair of junior college transfers and other freshmen, have also not played at the power five collegiate level. So there is a lot of unknown even if the talent seems strong on paper.

BIGGEST CONCERN

Nobody steps up and Syracuse has a rotation of average at best backs. Now I do not think this will be the case, but that is the biggest concern. Given how much unproven talent is in the running backs room, it would be the worst case scenario but also the biggest concern.

BIGGEST STRENGTH

Options and versatility. The good news is, Syracuse has five guys to choose from. Even if Allen does not step up, the Orange has other options. Price is a solid all around back who is best between the tackles. Daniels and Hawkins are both similar as well, though they have a bit more burst. Hawkins has more experience of the two, however, running for 1,100 yards at the junior college level last season along with 18 touchdowns and averaging 8.5 yards per carry. Parkman can be an x-factor regardless. He has elite speed and can be moved all over the formation. You could see him as a traditional back, split out in the slot, in two back sets or even out wide as a receiver. Of note, when Sean Tucker came to Syracuse he started third or fourth on the depth chart. He earned playing time as a true freshman due to injury and transfer, and the rest is history.

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Published Jul 8, 2023

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.