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The Syracuse coaching staff has a pretty solid idea of which players will start against Villanova in six days. There were only two positions in camp where players openly competed for starting positions. The first was offensive guard. Nick Robinson, Rob Trudo and Omari Palmer went into camp fighting for the two starting roles on the outsides. The competition is ongoing and all three of these players have the ability to start.
The other fight is for the second defensive tackle spot. Unlike the guard position, defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough does not have a single player that he feels deserves to start.
Replacing Jay Bromley, last year’s sack leader, was always going to be difficult. It is surprising however, that the season is less than a week away and there is still no clear front-runner. Senior Eric Crume returns as one of the defensive tackle starters after having offseason knee surgery. Sophomores Isaiah Johnson, Marcus Coleman and Ron Thompson as well as juniors Wayne Williams and Ryan Sloan are competing to play next to Crume this year.
With five players vying for one spot, SU will most likely play defensive tackle by committee until someone emerges as the second starter. Johnson and Thompson are likely see the most time. Both defensive lineman played a lot last year and have worked exclusively this spring and summer at tackle. Coleman did not feature as much last season, but was listed alongside Crume as the other top tackle on the spring depth chart. Williams, a junior college transfer, has had some impressive days in camp, but he still is not as fit as the SU coaches would like which will hurt his standing. Sloan is also on the outside looking in. He was listed below freshman Jalen Harvey on the spring depth chart and played sparingly last season.
Bullough said to the Post Standard earlier this week that Harvey as well as the other freshman tackle Keyton Samuels will feature if called upon. Usually freshmen are not physically ready for college football, however. So these two should really only be used as last resorts.
The opener against Villanova on Friday will paint a clearer picture of where each player stands in this defensive tackle competition.
Posted by: Connor Morrissette
10 responses to “Up for Grabs: The Last Defensive Tackle Position”
Great time of the year..finally some real FB…Ron,no I didnt forget you but dang..u were right about what a good woman could do! I’ll shoot you an email my friend…Im really happy.
Someone will step up…my pick would be I Johnson.
But I do NOT want to see Ron Thompson at Dtackle except in 3 and long/obvious passing down where we just want to rush the QB.
Thompson is a DE and possibly from a speed and agility standpoint our best DE. Put him at Dtackle at 260 lbs and he’ll get dinged up or worse.
i feel williams will push hard as will i johnson. i’m heart broken about raymond beause i thought he’d be back this season. i really like our 2 freshman harvey and samuels as well. i really think there will be alot of rotation along the defensive line this year so lots of guys will play..
Isiah Johnson excited me at D-End what prompted his move? is it simply the depth that this article talks about?
I think Johnson’s size and the lack of a real standout next to Crume is what placed him back at DT. I think he was a DT in HS if I remember correctly..think a little smaller at about 275. I’m not sure about Ron Thompson as a DT, but then again when the NYG beat the Pats in the 1st of their superbowl matchups, I think the NYG rotated a lot of guys along the line even playing natural Ends like Tuck at Tackle at times. I’m not saying I want that for Thompson but it may be a way to keep him on the field while keeping Welsh’s high motor and an untapped potential of Donnie Simmons in the game at the same time. But being that said, I really want Thompson staying at DE maybe learning to drop into coverage with his athleticism and former status as a TE, he could catch a few qb’s offguard and get some cheap picks
Russ! Good to see you back! CDL, I liked Johnson at DE too. We seem to be struggling to recruit true or prototypical DTs. I like what BK is saying about the Giants four aces package, but I don’t know if I see it happening. That was designed to pressure the passer. In college you need to stop the run first to get them into a passing position. We need our DL to stop the run first. Bromley got the pressure, but he was the one pass rusher. The LBs were expected to clean up after him, but if we can stop the run, or LBs can’t spread to protect screens, or blitz as freely. A bit concerned here.
*can’t stop the run
Thanks Malone. Im impressed with the work Acostas done in NJ this recruiting cycle.
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