With Syracuse football training camp less than two weeks away, The Daily Orange beat writers, Chris Libonati, Jon Mettus and Matt Schneidman, will analyze one of the top 10 preseason storylines, top 10 position battles or reveal one of 10 player files each day. Check out dailyorange.com and follow along here to countdown to camp.

There’s a lot of hype surrounding Dino Babers’ no-huddle spread offense that will be on display this season. After all, “orange is the new fast.” But its success will not only hinge upon execution of the plays, but also the development of a few playmakers.

Starting with the quarterback, Eric Dungey has the ability to make things happen with both his arm and legs. He already said the scramble-happy freshman version of himself will be left in the past. So now the pressure is on to produce with accuracy from the pocket.

SU needs its biggest playmakers to show up in the passing game. The most likely candidates are wide receivers Steve Ishmael, Brisly Estime and Ervin Philips. Last season, Babers’ Bowling Green squad had a receiver with more than 1,500 yards and two more that had at least 950 yards. Ishmael was SU’s top guy with 570.

Ishmael has been old reliable for the Orange. He hasn’t missed a game over the last two seasons and has produced solid numbers each year. The challenge for him will be adjusting to the load that this new offense will place on his shoulders.

Estime’s and Philips’ mixtures of speed and agility from the inside receiver spots put them in prime positions to get the ball in space and make big plays. Each, however, have their challenges to overcome.

Former offensive coordinator George McDonald’s no-huddle offense was supposed to be perfect for Estime in 2014, but Estime spent most of the year injured and said the offense was hard to learn. Philips will have to adjust from a hybrid position that was tailor-made for him to simply being a receiver.

But both will likely be matched up on linebackers and safeties consistently, which bodes well for SU. And when the more experienced route runner in Estime goes deep, plenty of space should open up in the flat for Philips.

The Orange might not have three 1,000-yard receivers by the end of the season, but each one has a chance for a breakout year in 2016.

Published on July 31, 2016 at 9:55 pm

Contact Jon: jrmettus@syr.edu | @jmettus