by Mike Held
So we’ve looked at quarterbacks and running backs in our series thus far. We all know that Charlie Loeb is probably good, but we may never know, Ashton Broyld is both a running back and a quarterback, and that Prince-Tyson Gulley is a freak athlete who was able to comeback from a terrible occurrence. But who will Ryan Nassib be throwing to the majority of the time? Hopefully, it’s the wide receivers and not these slant routes that we’ve become accustomed to. Here’s a look at some of the top receivers in the Orange corps.
Alec Lemon
The Lemon Drop Kid will hopefully be the Lemon Grab kid this season. Lemon was one of the keys to the slight amounts of success that we saw from the Orange in 2011. He’s a senior this year, trying to play his way into the NFL, so he’s got motive to succeed. Last season was solid, with 68 grabs for over 830 yards and 6 touchdowns. Lemon came up HUGE on third down on a few occasions last season too.
Lemon is considered one of the best receivers in the big east, and also made the watch list for the Biletnikoff award, which goes to the best receiver in the country.
Here’s the catch to Lemon. He’s hurt right now. He missed spring practices with an upper body injury. If Lemon isn’t out on the field, the Orange may get juiced this season.
Marcus Sales
After being suspended for 2011, Sales looks to rejoin the Orange for the 2012 campaign. Sales, who hasn’t appeared for the Orange since the Pinstripe Bowl, will fit right in. After losing several players (namely Van Chew and Nick Provo) to graduation, Sales will have an immediate presence. Marcus will be a strong addition who many expect to be an instant game changer to an Orange offense that needed a jolt at times last season. QB Ryan Nassib said that Sales “adds a whole new dimension to the offense”
After recently being acquitted of drug charges, Sales looks to come back for the season opener. Entering his senior season, Sales is considered to some to be the best Syracuse receiver since Mike Williams, who we all know is in the NFL. Sales ultimate goal is the NFL, but thus far in his college career, he’s been too inconsistent. Look for Sales to sell you on the Orange this season or else you’ll be selling your stock too low.
Adrian Flemming
Flemming currently sits behind Sales and Jeremiah Kobena as the third wideout on the team. But here’s the deal about Flemming. Despite playing in all 12 games last season, he did not accumulate a single statistic. Not 1. Not even pancakes, whatever those are. But we might just see his production this year, which would be an awesome bonus for the team.
Jeremiah Kobena
This guy could be a very, very solid player for the Orange. He helped out last season, mostly as a return man. Here’s what we know about Kobena: He’s very fast, fast enough to come in 6th place in New York State in the 100 meter dash. Kobena sounds a lot like Kobyashi, which leads me to believe that maybe Kobena is also a competitive eater. Fair assumption, right?
Kobena may start the season as a starter, but a lot of his playing status depends on the injury status of Alec Lemon. If Lemon is still hurt, then Kobena can step up. If Lemon can play, then Kobena will back him up.
At Tight End, David Stevens and Beckett Wales will compete for the vacancy left by the depature of Nick Provo. Incoming freshman Ron "savage" Thompson could also see some time at TE, as well.
The Orange Receiving will be one of the tell-tale signs of how their season goes. The expression during election season is “as goes Ohio, so goes the nation”. The expression here in Syracuse is “As go the receivers, so go the Orange”
