Time For Syracuse to go Quarterback Shopping in the Portal
Syracuse quarterback Justin Lamson entered the transfer portal on Sunday, the last day the portal was open, must to the surprise of many Orange fans. That leaves Syracuse with just two scholarship quarterbacks, Garrett Shrader and Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, going into next season. Because of that lack of depth, the Orange needs to find a replacement for Lamson in the portal.
Who should Syracuse target? There are a lot of players in the portal, including a lot of quarterbacks. The Orange should, therefore, have plenty of options. The challenge is the recruiting pitch. Shrader is the established starter, so any player the Orange targets would have to be OK with not starting next season. In addition, with Carlos Del Rio-Wilson there, any incoming quarterback would have to accept competing for the starting job in 2024. Not only that, but Del Rio-Wilson has a leg up with his experience within the program.
Here are some names that would make sense:
Braden Davis (South Carolina): Davis has four years of eligibility remaining, which means he would make sense as an option. He is originally from Delaware, so a move back to the Northeast would put him closer to friends and family. Davis was down the depth chart at South Carolina, so a chance to compete for a starting job in 2024 could be something he strongly considers
Peter Delaportas (Boston College): Syracuse offered Delaportas out of high school and he has four years of eligibility remaining. From a Syracuse perspective, this would make a lot of sense.
Ty Keyes (Southern Miss): Keyes is an interesting one. Syracuse hosted him in January for a visit, but elected not to offer. He then chose the junior college route. With Lamson gone, could Syracuse revisit Keyes and try to talk him out of going JUCO?
Alexander Honig (TCU): Honig played tight end the last two seasons at TCU, but was originally recruited as a quarterback. He has three years of eligibility remaining and may want to convert back to the position. In addition to TCU, Baylor also offered at quarterback as a recruit, so he had desired talent there.
Luther Richesson (Cincinnati): Richesson was a former coveted quarterback recruit who is a depth chart casualty with the Bearcats. Syracuse could look at Richesson, who has four years of eligibility remaining, as a potential option. He makes sense given his eligibility and talent. Richesson is a former Elite 11 finalist.
Devin Farrell (Virginia Tech): A two sport star in high school (basketball), Farrell is a dual threat with four years of eligibility remaining. The Hokies brought in three signal callers this offseason, and Farrell did not like his spot on the depth chart as a result. He is looking for a new home where he may have a more realistic chance to play. Being able to compete for the starting job in 2024 may fit the bill there.
Tahj Bullock (Virginia Tech): Bullock played high school ball in New Jersey and could look to move a bit closer to home. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
There are likely others in the portal that make sense as well, but this is just a preliminary list. Regardless, Syracuse needs another quarterback on the roster for the 2023 season as it cannot have just two scholarship signal callers for the entire year. The thing to look for are at least three years of eligibility.
In addition, Syracuse could always move Dan Villari back to quarterback. He originally came to SU as a transfer from Michigan at quarterback, but moved to tight end based on where he landed on the depth chart.
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