Syracuse had plenty of stars in its 66-3 demolition of New Hampshire. Steve Angeli looked like himself again. Umari Hatcher exploded for 147 receiving yards. Freshman Shavane Anderson Jr. ran for three touchdowns.
But perhaps nobody did more to change his national profile than Keyshawn Johnson.
The Syracuse edge rusher was an absolute menace in his Orange debut, finishing with 2.5 sacks, all of which counted as tackles for loss, and forcing a fumble. Johnson accounted for 27 yards lost on those sacks alone as Syracuse’s revamped defense overwhelmed New Hampshire.
And people outside Central New York noticed.
NCAAF Nation, which has more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, spotlighted Johnson’s enormous opening performance. But even more interesting was the attention he received from NFL Draft analyst Connor Rogers.
Rogers acknowledged Johnson wasn’t a prospect who jumped out during his summer scouting, but after watching what the Syracuse edge rusher did in Week 1, Johnson is now on his NFL Draft radar.
That’s quite a leap after one Saturday.
Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised.
Johnson wasn’t some unknown prospect before arriving at SU. At UT Martin last season, he was the OVC-Big South Defensive Player of the Year and earned First-Team All-American honors from multiple outlets. He set a school record with 13.5 sacks and finished with 20 tackles for loss.
The question was whether that production would translate from the FCS level to the ACC.
One game certainly doesn’t answer it. New Hampshire is an FCS opponent, and Johnson will see a completely different caliber of offensive lineman once Syracuse gets deeper into conference play.
But 2.5 sacks in your FBS debut will get people’s attention.
Johnson emerged from opening weekend tied for fifth nationally with 2.5 sacks. His performance was also part of a much bigger development for the Orange: Syracuse produced 11 sacks as a team after its inability to consistently pressure quarterbacks became one of last season’s glaring defensive problems.
That’s what makes Johnson’s emergence so intriguing.
Fran Brown didn’t bring him in simply to become a nice rotational piece. Syracuse added one of the most productive pass rushers at the FCS level hoping his production would travel with him.
So far, it has.
And the speed at which the national perception has changed is notable. Johnson entered Week 1 as a relatively anonymous transfer outside Syracuse circles. He left it getting highlighted by major college football accounts and landing on the radar of NFL Draft analysts.
Now comes the real test.
If Johnson starts terrorizing Power Four offensive lines the way he terrorized New Hampshire’s?
The national attention he received after Week 1 may only be the beginning.
