Each week, Spectrum News Sports Director Mark Larson will answer your questions on everything Syracuse football. Have a question for Mark? Ask and follow him on Twitter! For a full Syracuse football preview, tune into Orange Empire: The Next Step, on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. on Spectrum News.

When Dino Babers first came to Syracuse, he said to have faith and soon the community will see something they’ve never seen before. Four years later, Syracuse sits at pre-season ranked 22^nd in the country. Is this now Syracuse football?

It’s a little too early to tell if this is now the new norm for Syracuse football.  There’s no doubt Dino Babers has rejuvenated a once proud program and returned it to prominence.  But as Babers’ own mantra says, the Orange want to be consistently good and not occasionally great.  So let’s see what the next season or two holds in store first.

The biggest question going into the 2019 season is Tommy DeVito. The season that Eric Dungey had in 2018 was a key for the Orange’s success. With a new QB under center, should the results be any different?

As good as Eric Dungey was, the Orange have a chance to be even better under Tommy DeVito who has a better arm and seemingly just as much moxie.  Dungey was a relatively unheralded recruit who turned out to be one of the best in program history.  DeVito is a 4-star prospect who has the potential to put up even bigger passing numbers over the next three seasons because he won’t run as much as Dungey and should stay healthier.

The Orange have four running backs that can all see the field. Moe Neal is the most experienced running back, Abdul Adams showed flashes in the Camping World Bowl, Jarveon Howard scored seven touchdowns in 2018, and Jawhar Jordan is a speedy freshman with potential. How do you see the running back situation playing out?

Running back is unquestionably the strength of the offense.  Syracuse has two or three guys who could start a game and at least three of them have breakaway speed.  Expect to see plenty of Neal and Adams throughout the game and Howard in goal-line situations.   Now it’ll be up to the offensive line to make some holes for them to run through.

There’s lots of talent at the wide receiver position. Who sticks out to you and why?

The Orange have had some good receivers over the last few years with Amba Etta-Tawo, Erv Philips, and Steve Ishmael re-writing the record books.  But from what little I’ve seen from Trishton Jackson, he looks like a guy who will eventually be playing on Sundays.  His TD catch in the Camping World Bowl was special, and his ability to get himself open should make him one of the best in the ACC this season.

Another big question is the offensive line, specifically replacing Koda Martin and Cody Conway. What do you see from the O-Line?

It looks like the offensive line will be a work in progress.  Transfer Ryan Alexander has been slowed by injury in training camp and is the former All-Sun Belt Conference tackle is apparently not ready to start yet for Syracuse.  The good news is the line is also filled with interchangeable parts with several of the guys playing multiple positions, so Coach Babers should be able to patch something together that will get the job done.

The biggest strength for Syracuse arguably is their defense, and is led by the defensive line, specifically Kendall Coleman and Alton Robinson. What do you see from Coleman and Robinson along with other players on the line?

No question the defense with 8 returning starters is the strength of the team, and also no doubt the defensive ends are the strength of the strength.  Kendall Coleman and Alton Robinson, if they stay healthy, are both all-ACC talents and both could find themselves on NFL rosters in the future.  And while they’re drawing double teams, that should open up some holes for Josh Black and Kenneth Ruff inside.  Getting McKinley Williams back from injury will also give the d-line a boost whenever that happens.

The weakness on the defensive side of the ball is the linebacker group. With plenty of young talent at the position, what do you expect from this group?

I expect Andrew Armstrong and Lakiem Williams to hold their own at LB this fall just like Ryan Guthrie and Kielan Whitner did last year when they finished 1-2 in the tackling stats.  Armstrong has played in every game the last three years so he brings plenty of experience.  Williams is a little bit more of a question mark but freshman Mikel Jones and sophomore Juan Wallace also figure to see a lot of time in the rotation.

What Syracuse lacks in linebackers, they make up for in the secondary. The group headlined by Andre Cisco is absolutely loaded with guys like Chris Fredrick, Scoop Bradshaw, and Ifeatu Melifonwu. Can they continue off of their 2018 campaign?

Cisco is a preseason All-American after co-leading the country in interceptions last season and Melifonwu showed flashes of talent before going down with an injury last season.  Those two are also the only underclassmen on the 2-deep with big-play guy Antwan Cordy backing up at both safety and corner and former starter Scoop Bradshaw also on the second line. Depth is definitely there.

Syracuse had one of the better special teams units in the country in 2018. Do you see them up near the top again?

Andre Szmyt and Sterling Hofrichter were arguably the best kicking tandems in the country last year and there is no reason to think they won’t be the same this season.  Hofrichter has been good since he arrived on campus and the big question is can Szmyt duplicate his Groza-award winning debut season.  Sean Riley is also one of the most dangerous return men in the ACC, so the Orange have the ability to turn the outcome of games solely on the strength of their special teams.

What is your final assessment of the 2019 Syracuse Orange?

It’s very hard to assess a team until you’ve seen it play a game or two, and the final assessment will be there for all to see when the season is over and the dust settles.  My biggest concern is at the QB position because I think this team will go as far as Tommy DeVito can take it, and as untested as he is there isn’t much experience behind him.  If DeVito stays healthy and is even half as good as he’s expected to be, I’d be shocked if Syracuse doesn’t at least make it to a bowl game.  I think 7 wins plus a bowl win would be a successful season and set the stage for an even bigger 2020.