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When referees jog into the building in full gear at 8:18 a.m., it’s going to be an intense practice. Less than 10 minutes into the media viewing session, Syracuse was already in a full 11-on-11 hurry-up drill.

First, second and third teams all went head-to-head as coaches screamed instructions and pointed emphatically at their players. The crack of helmets and shoulder pads echoed through the indoor facility as rain poured down outside.

After all the units had gone, the team split up into position groups, as they normally do, for individual training with their position coaches. Contact was plentiful for the running backs, who were pass-protecting. Wide receivers coach Ross Douglas fired passes, preparing his receivers for Kyle McCord’s passes that would follow.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s latest spring practice:

McCord shines in hurry-up offense

On the third play for the first-team offense, McCord faked the handoff and then gave a shoulder fake to Darrell Gill Jr. to his left. Freshman defensive back Marcellus Barnes Jr. tried to jump the short hitch, and Gill blew past him. McCord let one go down the sideline, hitting Gill in-stride on his back shoulder for a massive gain.

Douglas, who previously held the same role with the New England Patriots, said he sees a ton of professional characteristics from McCord.

“He’s always around the building, doing extra, pulling guys along with him,” Douglas said. “He’s just gotta be consistent with it, just like all these guys who want to make it to the next level, it’s consistency over time.”

McCord’s reception from his teammates has certainly been consistent in his time at Syracuse thus far. Multiple players, including Trebor Pena today, have complimented how he carries himself, saying he’s been vocal as a leader on and off the field while commanding the respect of everyone, whether they’re old or new faces.

Ross Douglas’ NFL perspective

At 29 years old, Douglas didn’t take the normal path to collegiate coaching. In 2018, he got his first coaching job as a graduate assistant at Rutgers, with Syracuse head coach Fran Brown. He did “every terrible job in college football that you can possibly think of,” Douglas said, until leaving for the Patriots in 2021. That included everything from making airport runs to monitoring study hall, among other things.

With the Patriots, he worked under Bill Belichick as a defensive quality control coach in his first year. Belichick taught him countless lessons about the game of football along with the art of coaching.

“He’s like a living encyclopedia of football,” Douglas said of Belichick. “He could get the whole depth chart and he could tell you where everyone went to college, their height, weight, speed, measurables, strengths, weaknesses…The lessons I’ve learned from him are endless and I’m trying to apply them here every day.”

Douglas switched to assistant wide receivers coach in 2022 before taking over as the primary in 2023. With Belichick gone, Douglas said joining Brown, someone who he looks up to, was a “no-brainer,” and his approach to coaching is the same as it was then.

Wearing cleats to every practice, he’s flying around with high energy and expectations. He shows the receivers exactly what he wants from them, sometimes running the routes himself to demonstrate. Pena said he’d never seen a coach involved to that extent.

As a younger coach, Douglas is great at connecting with the players through things like clothes and music, saying many view him almost like an uncle or big brother. Pena described him as “intelligent” and “charismatic.”

Receivers fighting for spots

There are probably more new faces in the building than old this spring, so the coaches are holding open competitions at each position. Douglas has been very clear with the fact that this is everyone’s chance to prove what they can do, but it won’t last forever.

“If you’re the best player, you’ll play, regardless of if you’re a fifth-year senior, a true freshman, (or) a walk-on. If you can help Syracuse win national championships, then you’ll be out there on the field for us. If you can’t, you won’t be,” Douglas said.

Thus far, he’s mentioned Gill Jr., Zeed Haynes and Ta’Ron Haile as emerging youngsters, while guys like Jackson Meeks, Umari Hatcher and Pena have impressed as veterans. Oronde Gadsden II and Meeks are now out with injuries, but Douglas said Meeks made his mark as a veteran and a proven winner before that happened.

Pena said Gill, who returns from last year, has been showing out early, and he showcased that on the double move down the sideline in today’s 11-on-11 drill.

Published on April 11, 2024 at 3:00 pm

Contact Wyatt: wbmiller@syr.edu