Syracuse Football Training Camp Position Preview: Tight End

Who will emerge behind Oronde Gadsden?

Mike McAllister | Jul 10, 2023

Syracuse Football Training Camp Position Preview: Tight End /

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Syracuse Orange

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 tight end position.

PREVIOUS POSITION PREVIEWS

Quarterback

Running Back

WHAT WE KNOW

Oronde Gadsden. Gadsden is going to start at tight end and be a focal point of the offense. Just as he was last season. He is more of a wide receiver than a tight end in terms of skill set and frame, but is listed as tight end by Syracuse. Gadsden lines up as a split out tight end where he creates matchup problems. Too big for a defensive back, too fast for a linebacker. Last season, Gadsden had 61 catches for 969 yards and six touchdowns.

WHAT WE DON'T

Who else? Behind Gadsden there are a bunch of question marks. Max Mang is the only one with significant playing experience. He, however, is not a big receiving threat, though is a solid blocker. The other options, David Clement, Steven Mahar and Dan Villari, have not seen consistent action (Clement is a true freshman). Mahar and Villari have been in the program and are both athletic options with potential to be receiving threats.

BIGGEST CONCERN

No one emerges behind Gadsden. Having an option other than Gadsden to be a receiving threat from the tight end position would help with depth and giving Gadsden a rest. It also takes some pressure off of him. Gadsden is going to get a bulk of the snaps, but having another option would be beneficial.

BIGGEST STRENGTH

Gadsden is a matchup nightmare. Teams could not cover Gadsden last season without diverting extra attention to him. That opens things up for everyone else, including running lanes for quarterback Garrett Shrader. Simply put, Gadsden is one of the top matchup problems in the ACC and will be a major weapon for the Orange offense in 2023.

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Published Jul 10, 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.