Syracuse Football

Syracuse landed a potential stud left tackle Thursday, as Qadir White committed to play for the school, according to Michael McAllister of Scout.com. 

According to Scout, White is a 4-star prospect who rates as the No. 330 overall player, No. 25 offensive tackle and No. 1 player at his position in the state of New York.

White is a massive recruit at 6'7" and 334 pounds, and his combination of size and skill made him a highly sought-after player.

When Alex Gleitman of 247Sports (via CampusInsiders.com) asked him to provide his top five schools in February, White had an eclectic list consisting of Boston College, Georgia, Miami (Fla.), Rutgers and Syracuse.

The Bronx, New York, native had previously named nearby Rutgers his top choice.

White was in no hurry to make a commitment, though. He wanted to be sure his choice was the correct one since he didn't intend to change his mind, per Gleitman:

"I'm thinking about committing during my senior year. I'll probably take a few official visits and then make my decision. I'm going to be looking at the schools and see what it will be like the next four years there. When I get to college I need to like it and be comfortable there, because once I pick a school, there's no going back, that's a commitment. I just want to get a good education and be in a good situation for football too. I want to go somewhere that I can excel in life."

Players often need to add mass before making the transition from high school to college. While White could potentially benefit from packing a bit more weight on his 6'7" frame, he already seems physically ready to play at the collegiate level.

White has the makings of a cornerstone tackle capable of protecting his quarterback's blindside. Learning the nuances and adjusting to the speed of the college game could slightly delay his ascent to a starting spot, but it is difficult to envision White being on the bench for long.

Syracuse has a rich history as a football program, but the past few seasons haven't been kind to the Orange. After bowl appearances in 2010, 2012 and 2013, Syracuse won a total of 11 games in the ensuing three seasons.

The Orange desperately need an infusion of talent to right their ship. While that could take multiple years to complete, White is a massive step in the right direction, as improving the offensive line could work wonders for the entire offense.

Syracuse announced Tuesday that former head football coach Dick MacPherson has died at the age of 86.

MacPherson led the program for 10 years from 1981-90, accumulating a 66-46-4 record with a 3-1-1 record in bowl games. He also spent two years as the head coach of the New England Patriots in 1991-92. 

The former coach also spent time at UMass, but the most notable part of his career came at Syracuse. He took over a program that went 5-6 the previous season and led the squad to seven winning seasons in 10 years. In 1987, the Orange went 11-0-1 with an appearance in the Sugar Bowl.

MacPherson was named the national coach of the year by several publications.

While Syracuse went from Independent to the Big East in 1991, the coach moved on to the Patriots, where he lasted just two seasons before being fired with an 8-24 record. 

He later called his decision to go to New England a "huge mistake," per Donnie Webb of Syracuse.com.

"I think this, when I left New England, I was very happy to leave New England," MacPherson said in 2009. "I think that I could've gotten another good college job. I'm positive I could've gotten another good college job if I wanted one. But I think it was time."

He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

Former Syracuse University football player Naesean Howard received a 10-year prison sentence Friday morning after previously pleading guilty to three charges related to stabbing Chauncey Scissum and Corey Winfield, two members of the Orange roster.

Tomer Langer of the Daily Orange passed along the terms of the sentence after Howard pled guilty in January to one count of first-degree assault, one count of second-degree assault and one count of criminal possession of a weapon for the April 2016 incident.

Nate Mink of Syracuse.com reported background information about the incident in April based on an interview conducted with Howard eight days before the attack.

He alleged Scissum continued to pour alcohol in his drinks at a party after he told him he'd had enough, which caused him to black out. He stated both Scissum and Winfield were with him and recorded video of his actions while drunk, but he deleted the alleged video after they sent it to him.

"I'm thinking they were jealous of me the whole time," Howard said. "They sent it to my phone. I don't have it anymore. I was pissed off, so I deleted it. Maybe they're jealous of me because I'm coming in with more speed than them. Maybe Chauncey knew I was better than him as a player, so he had to try something to hold me back."

New York News 7 noted Howard was arrested April 16, 2016 after an investigation linked him to the attack on Scissum and Winfield, who were both stabbed "multiple times."

In September 2016, Howard was arrested again after violating an order that forced him to stay away from the victims, per Mink. The incident, which saw him enter Sims Hall on the Syracuse campus, came after he told a judge he'd "do something" to get taken into custody if he wasn't put in jail.

"You kind of asked for your wish," Onondaga County Court Judge Anthony Aloi said. "And your wish came true."

Scissum and Winfield each returned to play for Syracuse during the 2016 season, but neither one is expected to return for 2017. Winfield recently announced his plans to join West Virginia. Scissum also expressed his intent to transfer before next season. 

Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey incited a sideline altercation between the Orange and Boston College Eagles on Saturday.

After throwing an interception during the first quarter, he showed his frustrating by throwing William Harris to the ground out of bounds. Dungey then escalated the incident by shoving Eagles linebacker Matt Milano.

Later in the opening half, Milano responded by slamming Dungey to the turf on a quarterback draw:

Dungey's unnecessary aggression has made him a marked man for the rest of the contest, which the officials must find a way to control.

[Twitter]

BR Video

Syracuse wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo is one of the nation's top receivers, but not a lot of people know who he is.

It won't take people long to remember his name after he plays Notre Dame on Saturday. 

One of the top quarterbacks in the 2017 class, 3-star Syracuse commit Tommy DeVito has earned himself a spot in the Elite 11 fraternity.

Watch his Elite 11 invitation video above.

All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Syracuse defensive backs Chauncey Scissum and Corey Winfield were allegedly stabbed by former Syracuse defensive back Naesean Howard, according to Stephen Bailey of Syracuse.com.

Howard was charged with "two counts of assault in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree" by police on Saturday, according to Bailey's report.  

Per Bailey, Winfield is in stable condition at Upstate University Hospital, while Scissum's condition remains unknown. According to the police report, shared by Bailey, neither player suffered life-threatening injuries in the incident, however.

Syracuse kicked Howard, 20, off of the football team in 2014, but he re-enrolled at the school this year. He is currently being held at the Onondaga County Justice Center and has been suspended indefinitely by the school. 

Winfield, 21, registered 30 tackles, two interceptions, two sacks and three pass deflections in 2015, starting at cornerback for the Orange. Scissum, 21, notched 43 tackles and one pass defensed as one of the team's starting safeties.

Syracuse has wasted no time in finding its next head football coach, hiring Bowling Green's Dino Babers. 

Thayer Evans and Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated reported Babers and Syracuse are "working out the final details," and his deal is expected to be for six years. According to Joe Schad of ESPN, Syracuse could announce the deal as early as Saturday.

Dan Wolken of USA Today added that Babers' move to Syracuse was "done" on Wednesday:

Nate Mink of Syracuse.com reported Babers will be officially introduced at a press conference on Monday.

Syracuse was in the market for a head coach after firing Scott Shafer on Nov. 23 after the team lost its eighth straight game. He did stay on to coach the Orange in the regular-season finale on Nov. 28, a 20-17 win over Boston College. 

Babers will come to Syracuse following two successful season as head coach at Bowling Green. The 54-year-old led the Falcons to consecutive winning seasons, including a 10-win campaign in 2015 and an offense that finished fourth overall with 43.4 points per game. 

Offense is Babers' strong suit, as he worked under Baylor head coach Art Briles from 2008-11 and was head coach at Eastern Illinois from 2012-13 with current New England Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo under center. 

Given how far Syracuse has fallen the last two years, Babers has nowhere to take the team but up. He's been a rising star on the mid-major level and now gets the chance to prove himself in the ACC. 

Syracuse needs help on both sides of the ball, finishing 74th in scoring offense and 93rd in scoring defense. Babers' track record certainly points to a more open and exciting offensive style with the Orange. 

Stats per Sports-Reference.com

Syracuse announced on Nov. 23 that head coach Scott Shafer had been fired after failing to impress during his three-year tenure. The program will reportedly hire Bowling Green head coach Dino Babers as their new coach, according to ESPN's Joe Schad. Thayer Evans of Sports Illustrated confirmed the report. 

Babes has amassed a 17-9 record in two seasons with the Falcons, thanks in large part to the high-octane offensive schemes he's implemented. 

On Dec. 2, Dan Wolken of USA Today reported Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash had removed himself from consideration to be Syracuse's head coach.

Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports reported the program would likely target an up-and-coming offensive coordinator for the head-coaching position:

Don’t be surprised if new Syracuse AD Mark Coyle targets a “hot” offensive guy to try and give his program a much-needed jolt. The two names that are likely to get a long look from Coyle: former Boise State OC Mike Sanford, now the offensive coordinator and QB coach at Notre Dame and Oregon OC Scott Frost, who actually interviewed for the Boise State head coaching job when Bryan Harsin got it.

Frost has since taken the head coaching position at UCF. Syracuse certainly needs that "jolt." The team has lost eight straight games and has gone 13–23 in Shafer's three years as head coach. 

While Syracuse has never been as prominent in football as it is in basketball, the program has plenty of resources at its disposal to improve upon the results from the last three seasons. Babers' skills coaching the offensive side of the ball are exactly what the Orange need to revitalize the flagging program. 

Syracuse University's quarterback woes continued Saturday as freshman Eric Dungey was forced to leave the game against Central Michigan after taking a hard hit.

Continue for updates.

Dungey Out for Game with 'Upper-Body Injury'

Saturday, Sept. 19

Dungey was cruising in just his second career collegiate start Saturday, but the talented frosh won't return due to an upper-body injury, according to Stephen Bailey of Syracuse.com.

As seen in this Vine courtesy of CBSSports.com's Will Brinson, the Lake Oswego, Oregon, native took a hard, high hit from Chippewas defensive lineman Mitch Stanitzek:

The CMU defender was ejected from the game for what was deemed to be helmet-to-helmet contact.

As pointed out by NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano, Dungey showed a great deal of resilience by walking off the field himself:

The freshman was thrust into action during Syracuse's first game of the season against Rhode Island. Starting quarterback Terrel Hunt tore his Achilles, which made Dungey the new leading man under center.

He rose to the occasion last week in a 30-17 victory over Wake Forest, and he was playing well once again in Saturday's contest to the tune of 93 passing yards, 50 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

With Dungey on the shelf, sophomore Austin Wilson became Syracuse's go-to quarterback Saturday.

The exact nature of Dungey's injury remains unclear, so it is difficult to say if it could keep him out of future games.

The Orange are already making some noise in the ACC this season and seem to be a bowl team, but that could change if they ultimately lose another quarterback for a significant period of time.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.