College football: Babers stresses players' health and safety in SU spring game

Apr. 20—SYRACUSE — Syracuse University football players vying for vacant roles throughout spring practice get their final chance tonight to leave a lasting impression before training camp kicks off in August.

The annual SU Football Spring Game will begin at 7 p.m. at the JMA Wireless Dome and be streamed on ACC Network Extra, culminating the offseason training session that included 15 practices and three scrimmages.

Quarterback Garrett Shrader and linebacker Marlowe Wax — each recently named captains for the upcoming season — are among multiple starters held out all spring recovering from injuries that will not participate in the game.

The exhibition will be conducted in an offense versus defense 11-on-11 format with no official scoring system, and SU players will greet fans afterward. Tickets are free but must be claimed at cuse.com/tickets.

Syracuse coach Dino Babers acknowledged the team will display very little of what first-year offensive coordinator Jason Beck and new defensive coordinator Rocky Long have been cooking this spring and will prioritize health above putting on a show.

"Not a lot," Babers said with a laugh when asked what to expect.

"Those things are televised and everybody's watching, I got through watching some games last night that are televised, they're all being taped at home, so we'll give the fans a little bit of something, but we'll keep something in the back pocket as well."

Babers later added of the top scrimmage priority: "Health — when we go in and we play, the same guys that go in, I want to come out with the same guys. That would be great for me."

Here are developments to watch as some look to state their final case in the spring portion of positional battles that will extend into the summer.

BACKUP QB WATCH

With Shrader helping from the sideline as he recovers from a procedure to his right arm, incumbent backup Carlos Del Rio-Wilson has divided first team reps with fellow redshirt sophomore Justin Lamson, who returned from a season-ending knee injury suffered after a standout 2022 spring session.

Babers hasn't identified a front-runner yet and said they received the same exact grade in the first offensive scrimmage.

They should be expected to operate a roughly even split of series with the first team as fans will get to gauge the battle behind their returning QB1 before the summer.

GLIMPSE AT NEW RBs

Sophomore LeQuint Allen provided flashes of excitement in limited action behind star running back Sean Tucker last year and could again electrify in a small sample size in the spring game.

Last year, SU surprisingly rested several starters that had practiced all spring, so Allen's time is likely to at least be limited.

Allen has worked as the starting halfback and been used heavily in the passing game with Juwaun Price as his direct backup.

Price, the redshirt junior, could carve a larger role from the No. 2 back than SU has offered in recent years in his second season as a transfer from New Mexico State.

Solvay product and walk-on defensive lineman Elijah Wright has been tested at fullback this spring and could debut at the position.

CORNERBACK OPENINGS

The loss of starting cornerbacks — Garrett Williams to the NFL draft and Duce Chestnut to LSU via the transfer portal — has created welcomed competition with Babers stating it seems SU defensive backs recognize: "Two jobs open, not one."

Four-star transfer Jaeden Gould (Nebraska) and three-star Jayden Bellamy (Notre Dame) join incumbents Isaiah Johnson and Jeremiah Wilson as the headliners of the hungry group.

"It's as close to gameday as you can get outside of the season, so as a football player, you love to compete and you love gameday, that's what you practice for," Johnson said.

RECEIVER PECKING ORDER

Beyond the focal point of All-ACC tight end Oronde Gadsden II and involvement from Allen out of the backfield, targets are up for grabs in the SU pass game.

The group of returning receivers led by Damien Alford, Isaiah Jones, Trebor Pena, D'Marcus Adams, Donovan Brown and Umari Hatcher will all be aiming to gain a slight edge ahead of the summer.