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Down by five in the fourth quarter against Purdue, Sean Tucker failed to convert on a 3rd-and-1 handoff.  At the Boilermakers’ 46-yard line, the Orange were out of field-goal range and decided to go for it.

Off the snap, Shrader dropped back deep and looked to Tucker, who motioned out toward the right sideline. While Tucker was covered, tight end Oronde Gadsden II began breaking out to Shrader’s left. The quarterback found Gadsden at the 37-yard line and the tight end ran into the end zone after getting a block from wideout Damien Alford. 

“It works in practice,” Gadsden said regarding the play. “Anytime we get motion and everyone’s going to the right and I’m going to the left, that corner on man coverage is gonna have a lot to go through.”

Incorporating more plays involving Syracuse’s (3-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) tight ends have been key additions to the pass-centric offense. But with the Orange’s tight end room limited due to injuries, Shrader has connected with Gadsen 12 times this season for 193 receiving yards and three scores.

Gadsden, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, is arguably the most promising contender to remain as Syracuse’s starting tight end over the next few seasons. He has been tasked with filling in for fullback Chris Elmore, who suffered a lower-body injury against Louisville.

“It hurt us a lot,” lineman Matthew Bergeron said regarding Elmore’s injury. “(It’s) next man up mentality, Max Mang gotta step up, Steven Mahar, Oronde. So I’m excited to see what these guys can do.”

With Elmore’s return for a seventh collegiate season in 2023 still in question, Mang, Mahar and Gadsden — all sophomores — will likely return next season. This season, the trio emerged as Syracuse’s tight end options, but Babers only singled out Mang and Mahar during the preseason, not Gadsden.

“We’ve got Maximilian (Mang) coming back, Steven Mahar is coming back,” Babers said after the first day of preseason. “And of course, we’ve got Chris Elmore, so that’s a room. Steve Mahar is extremely talented so you get development out of him and those three guys, so we should be okay.”

The combination of Babers’ preseason expectations and Gadsen’s breakout start have made Syracuse’s tight end room deeper not only for the remainder of the season, but for years to come.

Aside from a six-yard Mang reception against UConn, Gadsden is the only tight end to have a catch from Shrader.

Last season, Mang started following Elmore’s season-ending injury, but he was barely utilized. He appeared in every game, mostly to block, and made just one reception. Even before then, Elmore, who got injured against Virginia Tech, made just one 10-yard reception. Among the four tight ends, only four receptions were made last season.

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The tight end room has also emerged since injuries have affected Syracuse’s wide receivers.  On Syracuse’s final drive against Purdue, Isaiah Jones left the game with an apparent shoulder injury and is likely out for the season. Jones served as one of the Orange’s main deep passing targets thus far.

When Jones went down, Syracuse faced a 3rd-and-10 from Purdue’s 40-yard line, but a Purdue pass interference gave the Orange a first down at the 25-yard line. Following five consecutive incomplete passes on the drive, Shrader looked to his left and saw Gadsden running a post-corner to the front of the end zone, with a step ahead of his defense. 

Shrader took a big hit as he spiraled a pass to Gadsden, who beat Bryce Hampton to lift Syracuse ahead 32-29 with seven seconds remaining, preventing the Orange’s first loss of the season.

“I think Oronde is one of the best at the flex wide position that I’ve seen,” receiver Dan Villari said. “Just being right behind him is great. Watching him, just being a sponge around him is really good for me.”

Published on September 22, 2022 at 12:15 am

Contact Alex: ahcirino@syr.edu