Football

Syracuse football: Shafer discusses 1st day of practice

Margaret Lin | Web Developer

Syracuse opened up spring practice Sunday, and head coach Scott Shafer discussed what he saw from his Orange team afterward.

Syracuse opened up spring practice on Sunday morning at the Ensley Athletic Center and head coach Scott Shafer talked about getting back on the field afterward with the media. Here are four main talking points from the Orange’s first on-field action of the season.

Hunting season

Quarterback Terrel Hunt was back on the practice field for SU after recovering from a fractured fibula suffered on Oct. 3 against Louisville. Hunt was initially ruled out for 4-6 weeks, but was declared out for the season on Nov. 20 with two games remaining.

On Sunday, Shafer said Hunt was “full go,” and liked what he saw from his likely starting signal-caller.

“Ball came out of his hand real well today, made some nice tight throws,” Shafer said. “All in all I thought it was a good day. It was good to see him back in the huddle.”



The Orange will return rising sophomore AJ Long at quarterback, along with rising junior Austin Wilson. Preferred walk-on Zack Mahoney and incoming freshman Eric Dungey will round out the crop of quarterbacks at SU’s disposal in 2015.

Safety net

After losing three starters in the defensive backfield, Shafer will look to some new faces to fill in the vacant secondary spots left by Darius Kelly, Durell Eskridge and Brandon Reddish.

The head coach said rising sophomore Rodney Williams and rising junior Chauncey Scissum got time strictly at safety on Sunday, but that rising sophomore Antwan Cordy may be a movable part in the unit.

“Antwan Cordy is the one guy who’ll learn both corner and safety right now,” Shafer said.

Shafer also noted that Williams, who was ruled out for the remainder of last season on Oct. 27 with a lower-body injury, didn’t participate fully and would take place in three minutes of a five-minute individual drill.

Young guns

Syracuse will also look to its youth in the linebacking unit after losing Cameron Lynch and Dyshawn Davis to graduation.

Shafer said that rising sophomore Zaire Franklin manned the middle linebacker spot while rising junior Marqez Hodge took the boundary side. The outside linebacker position, though, is one that Shafer said is up for grabs.

He name-dropped rising sophomores Parris Bennett and Jonathan Thomas as linebackers that got run there on Sunday and though they had some trouble defending inside routes, Shafer was pleased with their performances.

Luke Arciniega is still awaiting word from the NCAA on whether he’ll receive a medical hardship waiver for a sixth year of eligibility, Shafer said. Even if he does, though, the former linebacker is now being used at defensive end and opens up a spot for more competition in the second level of the defense.

“A lot of rotation today at the linebacker position, a lot of people on and off the field,” Shafer said. “A lot of young, healthy competition is just what you want.”

Skills that kill

There were a handful of skill players that Shafer highlighted for standout plays and performances on the first day of spring practice, including wide receivers Alvin Cornelius and Steve Ishmael.

“Without having the pads on, you kind of look at the skill kids a little bit more than you do the kids up front,” Shafer said. “And guys like Alvin Cornelius made some very good catches, Steve Ishmael, Oliver Vigille had two interceptions today, which was good to see.”

Shafer also mentioned that junior college transfer Trey Dunkelberger made three or four grabs and that Jamal Custis also caught a deep ball on a “very good pass and catch.”





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