Clemson will begin spring practice Wednesday, but the Tigers aren’t the only ones in the ACC taking the field over the next couple of months.
With early preparations for the 2022 season on the horizon for teams throughout the conference, The Clemson Insider is going around the league to take a look at where other teams stand going into the spring starting with the eight teams on the Tigers’ schedule. Next up is Syracuse.
Head coach: Dino Babers (seventh year)
2021 record: 5-7, 2-6 ACC
Key personnel losses: OL Airon Servais, DE Cody Roscoe, DL Josh Black
Key returners/additions: QB Garrett Shrader, QB Dan Villari, RB Sean Tucker, WR Courtney Jackson, WR CJ Hayes, LB Mike Jones, CB Duce Chestnut, K Andrew Szmyt
Spring gleaning: Syracuse is returning its starting quarterback (Shrader), the ACC’s top rusher (Tucker), the team’s top receiver (Jackson), multiple starting offensive linemen and eight of its top 10 tacklers from a season ago headlined by Jones, a first-team all-ACC linebacker. The Orange do have to replace their sack leader (Roscoe) from the ACC’s second-best defense this past season, but the most pressing issue for Syracuse this spring is finding some semblance of offensive balance.
With Tucker (1,496 yards, 12 TDs) and the fleet-footed Shrader (791 yards, 14 TDs) leading the way, Syracuse had the ACC’s most run-centric offense a season ago. Yet the Orange rarely made biting defenses pay through the air. Shrader finished with the lowest completion rate among ACC starting quarterbacks, and the Orange threw for a league-low 153 yards per game. Tucker was the team’s second-leading receiver with 20 receptions, something the Orange hope Hayes, a transfer receiver from Michigan State, can help change. Villari, a Michigan transfer, could push Shrader for the quarterback job. Syracuse will travel to Clemson on Oct. 22
Spring game: April 1 at the Carrier Dome
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