Monday Musings: What's Left For Syracuse Football's 2023 Roster?

How will the Orange look to round out its roster?

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Syracuse football has added three defensive backs (two junior college, one transfer) to its roster in recent weeks. The Orange also hosted junior college running back Deston Hawkins for an official visit over the weekend and extended an offer I expect Syracuse to ultimately land Hawkins, so where does that leave SU for its 2023 roster?

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE

Without Hawkins, I have Syracuse at 83 scholarships. That leaves the Orange with two available to get to the NCAA's limit of 85. One would go to Hawkins, leaving one remaining scholarship for next season. 

HOW WILL IT BE USED?

With the loss of Jatius Geer, I expect Syracuse to continue to look to the transfer portal for a defensive lineman that could add depth and compete for snaps. Syracuse currently has 14 scholarship defensive linemen, several of which have minimal or no experience. That could lead the Orange to pursue someone who can impact the roster right away. 

That said, with 14 scholarship players, it is not as if Syracuse is severely undermanned from a numbers standpoint. Still, we know the Orange would like to add one more. They have already pursued South Florida transfer Eddie Kelly, but he committed to Georgia Tech. So expect Syracuse to keep looking. There are no specific targets as of now, and most of the top portal defensive linemen have found new homes. 

That makes Syracuse's job more difficult, but certainly not impossible. 

Could Syracuse look to another position? Sure. That is a possibility as well if they cannot find a defensive lineman good enough. There are two positions I would look at in that scenario. One is wide receiver. Not because Syracuse is lacking in numbers, but rather if they can find someone they believe can step in and be the number one guy to compliment Oronde Gadsden. 

Another option would be looking for a linebacker who can fill in as a backup while contributing on special teams. Junior college linebacker Lonnie Rice reopened his recruitment after signing with the Orange, so Syracuse could look to replace him. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Syracuse is very close to finalizing the roster for the 2023 season, but the job is not done yet. Stay tuned.