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Duce Chestnut said Alijah Clark is one of the best safeties he’s ever played with. The pair, both natives of Camden, New Jersey, were teammates in high school and played in 7-on-7 tournaments together. After Clark transferred from Rutgers to Syracuse this winter, Chestnut said he knew the Orange were getting an important “playmaker” on the back end of their defense.

“Now, (I just) can’t wait to see him on the field,” Chestnut said.

Chestnut said he didn’t play a role in recruiting Clark to SU, and he only found out about the defensive back’s decision to enter the transfer portal through social media. Clark is a former 4-star recruit and played in seven games with the Scarlet Knights last season. His transfer to Syracuse adds another piece to its secondary, already led by returners Chestnut and Garrett Williams — who spurned the NFL draft for a fourth year at SU.

Williams entered his name into the NFL Draft Advisory Board to see what his draft stock was, and he was told to come back to school, he said. The NFL is still a goal of his, he added, and he’s working on getting quicker and stronger while also trying to make more plays on the ball. Williams didn’t record any interceptions in 10 games last season, and he recorded 12 fewer tackles than he did in 2020.

In his freshman season, Chestnut notched three interceptions and 11 passes defended on his way to being named a freshman All-American. He said his production was there last year, but he’s hoping to improve on limiting big plays and being more consistent. Chestnut even changed his number from 20 to 0 to give him a “better mentality” as he tries to give up 0 catches per game starting with Syracuse’s spring exhibition game on Friday night.

“I’m bringing that swagger this year,” Chestnut said.

Babers talks running backs, injuries

Head coach Dino Babers said Monday that New Mexico State transfer running back Juwaun Price broke tackles and scored the most touchdowns out of any running back in Saturday’s scrimmage which was closed to fans and media. Price provides SU’s backfield with experience, Babers said. The redshirt sophomore ran for 10 touchdowns and almost 700 yards last season with the Aggies. Also new to Syracuse’s running back corps is freshman LeQuint Allen, who Babers said has shown quickness and ability to make defenders miss but also needs to get stronger.

When asked about the several positional changes that he made during the offseason, Babers said moving Chris Achuff from linebackers coach to defensive line coach gives the Orange “incredible experience” at the position since Achuff served as the Arizona Cardinals D-line coach in 2019.

Babers also said that Syracuse needed someone with Bob Ligashesky’s experience to serve as special teams coordinator, and the coach has been a “fine addition” to the staff. Ligashesky was one of four new coaches added to the staff along with wide receivers coach Michael Johnson Sr., offensive coordinator Robert Anae and quarterbacks coach Jason Beck.

“There’s a lot of new guys here,” Babers said. “There’s new techniques. There’s new thoughts, there’s new voices, and I think the kids are energized as well. We’re going to see if it pays off in the long run.”

Babers touched on two injured players, offensive lineman Kalan Ellis and defensive back Rob Hanna, who started in five and three games last season, respectively. Ellis has had a sprained ankle and Hanna has a separated elbow that will leave him out for about 4 to 6 weeks, Babers said, but both will be ready by summer practices.

Francois Nolton Jr. headlines incoming freshmen

Syracuse’s top recruit in the Class of 2022, 3-star defensive end Francois Nolton Jr., is in place to see snaps this season, Babers said. Nolton’s longtime coach, Chuck Brown, said Nolton has started seeing more reps recently after moving from the third team to the second. Achuff has been very “transparent” and has helped Nolton a lot, Brown said. Brown has trained Nolton like a college player since he was young, the coach said, and he’s confident that will transition this season.

“As a freshman, bringing that to the game will be very key,” Brown said. “Syracuse fans will be very happy with him for years to come because he’s only going to get better.”

Brown said he’s hopeful that Nolton will be able to contribute to the Orange’s defense, and he predicted that by week four or five, Nolton will be ready to play “95%” of the snaps. Nolton is best suited to play a three or 4i technique, Brown said, and played in the Orange’s current 3-3-5 system for two years in high school.

Nolton is currently focused on adding weight, and feels most comfortable playing at 255-260 pounds, Brown said, but weighs 240-245 right now. Brown told Nolton a week ago that spring ball is the time for him to learn everything about Syracuse’s defense, something that wouldn’t take place during summer practices. Over break, Nolton and Brown focused on improving his hand work through technique drills.

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Syracuse adds tight end to 2023 class

SU landed its second recruit from the Class of 2023 on Friday when tight end David Clement announced his commitment via Twitter. The 6-foot-7, 265-pound recruit isn’t ranked yet and Syracuse is his only offer, according to 247sports. Clement is an Albany native and attends Christian Brothers Academy. He was recruited by Anae.

Clement joins 3-star quarterback LaNorris Sellers as Syracuse’s two 2023 commits. Sellers, a native of Florence, South Carolina, is the 36th-best quarterback in the class and had offers from Virginia and Virginia Tech, among other schools.

Tight ends haven’t been a huge part of Babers’ offense, and last year’s No. 1 on the depth chart, Luke Benson, transferred to Georgia Tech after the season. Tight end Damien Alford said Monday that tight ends have become a bigger part of the new offense that Anae is installing during spring practices. The extra usage of the tight ends is “opening up everything” as they’ve been running more routes instead of just blocking, Alford said.

There has also been a better balance between running and throwing the ball so far in spring ball, quarterback Garrett Shrader said. Syracuse had the top rushing offense, but the worst passing offense, in the ACC last season. Shrader pointed to redshirt freshmen Kendall Long and Umari Hatcher as receivers who made big jumps during the offseason. Neither recorded any stats in games last season.

Published on March 28, 2022 at 6:46 pm

Contact Connor: csmith49@syr.edu | @csmith17_