Clemson running back Travis Etienne (9) is attacked by Syracuse linebacker Geoff Cantin-Arku (31) and Syracuse defensive back Rob Hanna (19) during their game on October 24, 2020; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; in the memorial stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports
LINE OF DEFENSE:
Six of the seven largest contributors to the Defensive Line are returning from last season’s session. McKinley Williams returns at the nose tackle to anchor the front line of the 3-3-5. Williams has 20 starts in his career, including all of last season on the nose, and led last year’s roster with eight tackles for the loss. Unfortunately, Williams missed the entire training camp due to illness, but was still listed as a starter on the depth table on the opening day.
Josh Black has made 36 starts at SU, including every game in the last two seasons, and has made the transition from defensive tackle in the previous line-up to defensive end last season. He has logged ten tackles for losses and 18 in his career over the past two seasons.
Black’s opponent will be Kingsley Jonathan, who played 44 games in Syracuse and was honored by the ACC last season as the Jim Tatum Award winner, which goes to the conference’s best senior soccer student athlete. Jonathan is second on the team with three sacks and has 10.5 in his career.
Cody Roscoe entered the Syracuse program as a transfer from McNeese State last season and made an immediate contribution. Roscoe also had a pair of sacks of three quarterback hits and figures to see action again in pass rush situations.
Curtis Harper has been a reserve in a duel for the last two seasons and will be active again there. He’s the likely starter on the nose when Williams isn’t ready for the season to start. Caleb Okechukwu received his first expulsion last season and should have time at the end of the defense.
LINEBACKER:
Last year’s second line of defense was very little experience of the season, but the end of the season looked like a future strength. Mikel Jones was literally a playmaker, leading all linebackers nationally and all ACC players with four interceptions. He also led the Orange with 69 tackles, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoverys, and five quarterback hits.
Stefon Thompson started seven times as a freshman last season and was only the fourth freshman to start his first game in Syracuse in the last ten years. Thompson finished the season runner-up on the team in Tackles for Loss with 7.5, three of which came as sacks.
Marlowe Wax played as a freshman in every game last season, including a start, and has secured a spot on the line-up this fall. Wax had three sacks under his 5.5 tackles for the loss and finished in the team’s top six on every stat.
Geoff Cantin-Arku was a first-time runner last season, was honored ten times and immediately paid a dividend. Cantin-Arku paced the team with four sacks and finished fourth in a duel. The runner-up also forced a fumble last season, which he recovered and returned 28 yards for a touchdown against Duke. It is listed as a backup of Wax on the depth map and seems like a strong option for passport noise.
The group is very flat beyond that top 4 as Steve Linton and Leon Lowery are the only other linebackers in the roster to see the game time. While listed as a defensive end, Linton played eight games last season, including one for the linebacker, and recorded 15 tackles. Lowery had five tackles in three appearances as a newcomer last season.
DEFENSE BACKS:
Usually having three defensive backs sign up for the draft is a bad thing. Andre Cisco and Ifeatu Melifonwu were drafted and Trill Williams signed as free agent, meaning many talent left the supporting role. However, those departures could have been worse for the remaining Orange defenders as Cisco and Williams were injured for most of last season, paving the way for some of their successors to get on the field.
One of these successors was on the field before these injuries when Redshirt newcomer cornerback Garrett Williams fought for a place on the grid last season. Williams was there from the start and ended the season at the top of the team in Solo Tackles at 54 and in Pass Breakups at 10. Additionally, Williams added three tackles for the loss, including a sack and a pick-six against Clemson.
Next to Williams in the cornerback lineup is Darian “Duce” Chestnut, a three-star newcomer from Camden, NJ. Chestnut, one of the top recruits in SU’s budding class, looks like a potential impact player from the start.
The collateral and roverback positions will come from a larger pool of young but experienced players. Freshman Ja’Had Carter stepped into one of the safety seats last season, started the last ten games, and is slated to stay in the lineup this season. Carter finished second on the team in tackles at 67 and added two interceptions.
The returning Roverback is newcomer Rob Hanna, who was pushed into the starting line-up for the last nine games of the season. Hanna had 55 tackles that season, including a dozen stops and a fumble recovery against Duke.
Ben Labrosse earned the last starting place in the back area at the other safety place. He spent his freshman season as a reserve but earned a significant role on special teams and ended the season with 11 stops in limited play.
Like Carter and Hanna, Aman Greenwood was promoted to the line-up after the start of the season and started seven of his ten appearances in safety. The Redshirt novice showed a talent in pass cover, finished with four pass breaks and is deployed to support Williams in the corner.
In addition, a defensive defender who was injured last season is returning to the oranges. Eric Coley previously played on safety, appeared in all 12 games and amassed 48 tackles in the 2019 campaign. Coley was lost for the 2020 season after sustaining an injury at the season opener.
Related: An in-depth preview of the Syracuse football offensive in 2021
SU also adds a security background transfer as Jason Simmons joined the program after playing as a freshman in the state of New Mexico in 2019. Simmons appeared in 11 games for the Aggies, including eight starts, 62 tackles, and 4.5 tackles for loss during that time. Simmons will join Coley as a reserve role to start the campaign.
Adrian Cole, Neil Nunn and Justin Barron should be in the mix for a bigger role as depth in the defensive backcourt. All three players saw modest action in 2020, including in special teams.
- RECURRING DEFENSIVE STARTER (10): DE Josh Black, LB Geoff Cantin-Arku, DB Ja’Had Carter, DB Aman Greenwood, DB Rob Hanna, DE Kingsley Jonathan, LB Mikel Jones, LB Stefon Thompson, CB Garrett Williams, DT McKinley Williams
- LEADING RETURNERS IN TACKLES: Mikel Jones – 69, Ja’Had Carter – 67, Garrett Williams – 64, Geoff Cantin-Arku – 63
- LEADING RETURNERS IN BAGS: Geoff Cantin-Arku – four, Kingsley Jonathan, Stefon Thompson, Marlowe Wax – three
- LEADING RETURNERS AT INTERCEPT: Mikel Jones – four, Ja’Had Carter, Garrett Williams – two
OUTLOOK FOR SPECIAL TEAMS:
Andre Szmyt is back for his fourth season of placekicking for the Orange and is on the Lou Groza Watch List for the third time after winning the award as a freshman. Szmyt has scored at least 80 percent of his field goals in each of his three seasons and made 86.2 percent (56 of 65) of his field goal attempts at the SU.
With 50 points last season, Szmyt has 291 points in his career, good for fourth place all-time in program history and 43 behind Nate Trout for the top of the leaderboard. Szmyt is also four field goals away from solely owning this team record.
James Williams will take over the role of player this season. Williams didn’t play as a freshman last season but was a top ten kicking recruit in his class.
Wide receiver Trebor Pena, who had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last season, is likely to take on that responsibility full-time this season. Pena is the only player in the current squad to return either a kickoff or a punt last season. Courtney Jackson also worked on both return units at the camp.
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