It’s not really a secret that we’ve been pretty bullish about Eric Dungey’s talent. The relatively under the radar quarterback recruit from Oregon came to Syracuse with terrific athleticism, Ivy League smarts, and a confidence level that’s already impressed his older teammates. With the QB position up for grabs in 2016, he’s already starting to look like a frontrunner for the job.
With Kenterius Womack having moved to wide receiver, Dungey is now the only QB in the Orange recruiting class of 2015, and the 6-foot-3, 202 pounder has earned praise not just from his teammates but also his coaches. His knowledge of the playbook this early in camp has been particularly worth noting, and with AJ Long sidelined with a hand injury he’s taken advantage of extra reps in practice.
Quick timeout here – I’m writing this on the fly, and in the midst of writing that last paragraph, word has come out that Dungey may be even more ready to play that we actually thought:
Shafer says Eric Dungey and Austin Wilson are in a battle for the No. 2 quarterback spot.
— Paul Schwedelson (@pschweds) August 20, 2015
The true freshman clearly has all of the boxes checked, at least on paper, and now it’s just a matter of putting things to work on the field. He’s got good size, terrific mobility, a good, accurate arm, and again – and this can’t be stressed enough – he’s incredibly intelligent. Syracuse has been searching for a steady, reliable, playmaking QB since Ryan Nassib graduated, and apologies to the occasionally solid Terrel Hunt, but Dungey is starting to look like the answer at the quarterback position once the fifth year senior moves on.
Check out a couple of Dungey’s throws from the scrimmage up at Fort Drum today:
Brisly Estime scores a touchdown off a pass from Eric Dungey. Estime's second TD of the scrimmage. pic.twitter.com/CtoDQrOHGQ
— Paul Schwedelson (@pschweds) August 20, 2015
Video: Freshmen Eric Dungey and Dontae Strickland connect. Strickland doing really well after the catch today. pic.twitter.com/ARR3WDgmqU
— Stephen Bailey (@Stephen_Bailey1) August 20, 2015
Obviously, it’s early to anoint a kid the savior at the quarterback position for next season when we still haven’t officially kicked off this season, but at this point it’s just looking more and more likely that it’ll be Eric Dungey’s job to lose, particularly with a full year working with Tim Lester as well as the Syracuse strength and conditioning staff.
Dungey will certainly be pushed by Rex Culpepper, as well as Long and Austin Wilson. But based on early returns, he looks more than ready to handle the challenge.
[…] has been turning a lot of heads, and looking like he just may be the quarterback of the future for the Orange. The question then comes up: under what circumstances should, or could, we see […]