2023 Syracuse Football Predictions and Season Preview

Syracuse football finished the 2022 season with a 7-6 record. The team started the season 6-0 before losing six of their last seven games. Their top wins came against Louisville, Purdue and North Carolina State. Seven of their games came down to 10 points or less, with Syracuse only winning three of those affairs.

DraftKings Sportsbook puts the Syracuse win total at 6.5 with the under juiced to -145. Syracuse also sits at +8000 to win the ACC, which ranks ahead of Virginia Tech, Boston College, Georgia Tech and Virginia. With that said, let’s dive into our 2023 Syracuse football season preview.

2023 Syracuse Football Predictions & Season Preview

2023 Syracuse Football Season Preview: Coaching Staff

Syracuse retained head coach Dino Babers, who has coached the team since 2016. He has a 36-49 record with the program. Reaching a bowl last year may have saved his job after he missed the post-season in each of the three prior seasons. He promoted quarterback’s coach Jason Beck to offensive coordinator following the departure of Robert Anae. He also hired Rocky Long as defensive coordinator after Long previously functioned in the same role with New Mexico last year. The staff does have a few questions, but this group looks solid enough ahead of 2023.

2023 Syracuse Football Season Preview: Offense

Quarterback

Syracuse returns starting quarterback Garrett Shrader for his second season as the full-time starter. Originally a Mississippi State transfer, Shrader completed 205 of his 317 passes (64.7%) for 2,640 yards (8.3 yards per attempt), 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions last year. Very mobile, Shrader also ran for 444 yards and nine touchdowns on 150 attempts. He now has 1,812 career rushing yards on 436 attempts (4.2 yards per attempt). Shrader did take 26 sacks last year, which negatively influenced these rushing numbers. Syracuse will attempt to erase some of these negative plays from his game. He was the ACC’s fourth-highest-graded passer and third-highest-graded quarterback, per PFF. Behind Shrader, Syracuse retains backup Carlos Del Rio-Wilson. Injury to Shrader pressured Wilson into action briefly last year. He completed 22 of 51 passes for 342 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Wilson also rushed for 43 yards on 25 attempts. While less efficient than Shrader, having an experienced backup should only aid the Orange here. Quarterback is one of the stronger positions on the offense.

Running Back

Syracuse lost stud Sean Tucker this offseason. He accounted for 1,060 rushing yards and another 254 receiving yards last year. This leaves LeQuint Allen in place as the presumed starter. Allen had been dealing with a looming suspension, but a settlement will allow him to rejoin the team on August 15. Last year, Allen rushed 41 times for 274 yards, while catching 17 passes for another 117 yards. Allen is 6-foot-0, 195 pounds, accounting for 6.81 yards after contact per attempt and forcing a missed tackle on 27% of his attempts. Behind him, Syracuse will rely on New Mexico State transfer Juwaun Price. Price is 5-foot-10, 202 pounds, and rushed just five times last year in two games. However, he carried 138 times for 699 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2021 with New Mexico State. He also caught 25 passes that year, giving him some quality experience. No other running back carried the ball last year, but Ike Daniels tentatively projects to run as the third string. Seeing this position live up to Tucker would be a surprise, but the roster has talent.

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Wide Receiver

Syracuse’s returns their top receiver Oronde Gadsden, but they lost second-leading receiver Devaughn Cooper this offseason. Starting with Gadsden, some services list him as a tight end. However, he played 65% of his snaps in the slot and another 21% out wide. He actually only lined up in-line for 77 of his 666 snaps last year. Gadsden is 6-foot-5, 216 pounds, and caught 61 passes for 969 yards and six touchdowns last year. His 2.44 yards per route ranked eighth in the ACC in 2022. Behind him, Daniel Alford finished as the team’s third leading receiver last year. Alford is 6-foot-6, 211 pounds, and caught 20 passes for 429 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He played out wide 82% of the time and his 1.42 yards per route ranked 37th in the ACC. The final starter should be some combination of Trebor Pena and Isaiah Jones after Courtney Jackson departed. Jones only caught four passes last year, but he suffered an injury just three games into the season. He is 6-foot-4, 204 pounds, and primarily plays out wide. Pena is 6-foot-0, 177 pounds, and caught 22 passes for 203 yards last year. He played in the slot 49.6% of the time and registered a solid 1.57 yards per route. Depth pieces D’Marcus Adams and Umari Hatcher combined for just nine catches last year. Ultimately, this group should produce similarly to last year.

Tight End

Despite Gadsden’s listing Maximilian Mang plays the actual tight end position here. Mang is 6-foot-7, 262 pounds, and blocked on 84% of his 427 snaps. As a receiver, he only caught five passes for 31 yards all season. His direct backup should be Dan Villari, who played 41 snaps in four games last year. Villari is a former quarterback, but he is 6-foot-4, 237 pounds. Another year learning the new position should benefit him. The third string tight end should be Steven Mahar Jr. after 71 snaps in a reserve role. He is 6-foot-5, 232 pounds, and blocked on 90% of his snaps. Returning Mang should keep this position solid ahead of 2023.

Offensive Line

Syracuse lost left tackle Matthew Bergeron, center Carlos Vettorello and right tackle Dakota Davis on the offensive line. Bergeron will now play on Sundays and is a particularly big loss here. The Orange return right guard Christopher Bleich also returns after 772 snaps last year. He has three years with some starting experience, but he played better in 2021 overall. Left guard Kalan Ellis also returns after 641 snaps last year. He already has two years of starting experience. This leaves both tackle positions and the center vacant for Syracuse. Enrique Cruz Jr. could be a potential option at tackle after he filled in for 339 snaps last year. He was a 4-star recruit, so he actually has a solid pedigree unlike a lot of prospects on Syracuse’s roster. The Orange also added a pair of transfers in David Wohlabaugh from Kentucky and Joe More from Richmond. Wohlabaugh only played 87 snaps in his two seasons with Kentucky, while More came in as a two-year starter with Richmond. He was third-team All-CAA, so his jump to the ACC remains to be seen. The replacement at center should be Josh Ilaoa, who played 123 snaps in four games with Syracuse last year. The Orange also added junior college prospect J’Onre Reed, who finished as a second-team All-American at that level of competition. Syracuse ranked 49th in pass blocking last year, but those heights seem aspirational. With that said, the team should not fall too far in 2023.

2023 Syracuse Football Season Preview: Defense

Syracuse ranked 59th on defense in 2022. This included the 93rd-ranked run defense, 79th-ranked pass rush and 15th-ranked secondary. This defense lost two starters in the secondary, one linebacker and two edge defenders. The Orange did add seven transfer additions, but their contributions remain to be seen here.

Defensive Line

The edge group lost Jatius Geer and Steve Linton from 2022’s team. Fortunately, they return Stefon Thompson from injury after just one game last year. Thompson previously started in 2021 and logged an efficient 28 quarterback pressures off the edge. He plays a hybrid/edge defender position, which Syracuse can move around the formation. They also return Caleb Okechukwu, who played 626 snaps last year. Okechukwu led the team with seven sacks last year and ranked second with 10 tackles for loss. His 48 tackles overall also hold up well against the run.

On the interior, Syracuse returns Kevon Darton after 582 snaps last year. Despite his listing of 5-foot-11, 266 pounds, Darton actually held up well against the run. He finished with 54 tackles and four tackles for loss last year. With that said, Syracuse added Braylen Ingraham from Alabama. Ingraham comes in just shy of 300 pounds, but he has not played a snap since 2000. He previously medically retired but has allegedly returned to full health. Ingraham participated this spring, which is a positive sign for this fall. The team also returns Terry Lockett, who played 92 snaps in four games last year before going down with an injury. The interior group looks a little deeper than the edge, but this defensive should be a slightly improved this year.

Linebacker

Syracuse lost Mikel Jones, but they return Marlowe Wax and Derek McDonald. The pair played 825 and 425 snaps last year. Wax played particularly well with 91 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. He led the team in the former two categories. McDonald proved a little more steaky, but he excelled in pass coverage. McDonald finished with 43 tackles, two tackles for loss, two pass breakups and one interception. For depth purposes, Leon Lowery and Anwar Sparrow both received 313 and 310 snaps last year with solid play. The Orange also added West Florida transfer Khalib Gilmore for even more additional depth. Linebacker should be one of the strengths of this defense.

Defensive Back

At corner, Syracuse lost Duce Chestnut to transfer. They do return a pair of starters in Isaiah Johnson and Jason Simmons Jr.. The pair played 576 and 581 snaps last year with strong coverage grades each. Simmons led the team with seven pass breakups, while logging one interception and making 38 tackles. Johnson only broke up one pass from his nickel position, but he also made 53 tackles. The final starter could be Jeremiah Wilson, who played well on his limited 181 snaps last year. If not, Syracuse added Jayden Bellamy (Notre Dame), Jaeden Gould (Nebraska), Berry Buxton (junior college) and Jakobie Seabourn (junior college) in the transfer portal at corner. Bellamy originally went to Notre Dame as a high 3-star recruit in 2022, but he failed to see the field. Gould only played five snaps for Nebraska last year. Like Bellamy, he entered the program as a 4-star freshman last year before transferring out. Buxton and Seabourn both come from the junior college ranks with little experience. Expect both to play a depth role for a quietly good corner group.

At safety, Syracuse lost Ja’Had Carter, but they return Justin Barron and Alijah Clark, who played 626 and 576 snaps last year. Barron played a little better on his snaps with 64 tackles and one pass breakup. With that said, Clark still logged 55 tackles and two pass breakups for Syracuse last year. For depth, Syracuse added Jalil Martin (Nebraska) in the transfer portal. A freshman last year, Martin entered the Nebraska program as a top 600 recruit. He should immediately provide depth for a solid secondary group.

2023 Syracuse Football Predictions & Schedule

2023 Syracuse Football Schedule

The Orange play a non-conference schedule consisting of Colgate, Western Michigan, Purdue and Army. Inside conference play, they draw Clemson, Florida State and North Carolina from the top of the conference. With that said, they also play a few bottom-feeders in Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.

2023 Syracuse Football Futures Bet & Prediction

The Orange over/under 6.5 wins is juiced to -145 towards the under. This team plays a weak non-conference overall. While Purdue could be a tricky game, the Boilermakers underwent a complete rebuild this offseason. With the potential to go 4-0 in non-conference, Syracuse may just need three conference wins. They do play three of the top four teams in the conference, but they also play two of the bottom three. Picking off one of two of their mid-range opponents holds the key to this win total and Syracuse has the roster to do just that.

Best Syracuse Football Futures Bet: Over 6.5 Wins (+125 at DraftKings)

You can read the rest of Matt Gajewski’s 2023 college football season previews and predictions below!

2023 Syracuse Football Predictions and Season Preview

2023 Syracuse Football Predictions & Season Preview

2023 Syracuse Football Season Preview: Coaching Staff

2023 Syracuse Football Season Preview: Offense

2023 Syracuse Football Season Preview: Defense

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2023 Syracuse Football Predictions & Season Preview

2023 Syracuse Football Season Preview: Coaching Staff

2023 Syracuse Football Season Preview: Offense

2023 Syracuse Football Season Preview: Defense

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