Yes fans, College football is still three months away. But with me as your writer, it’s never too early to start talking preseason award predictions or any topic relating to College football.

In this edition, I will be writing about the opinions of the 2023 ALL-ACC team predictions for the Syracuse Orange Football team.

All-ACC Team: Syracuse Football

How the Process Begins

The findings are judged on how well players will play in 2023. Career stats and past inceptives are key in evaluating athletes, but selecting them for the 2023 All-America team and All-Conference teams is largely based on guessing and surmising the upcoming season.

The SEC is in front with 30 picks on the 2023 Athlon Sports’ All-America Team, with the Big Ten in second with 27. The Pac-12 follows with 21 selections, and the ACC follows them with 17.  The Big 12 lands 16, Michigan (eight), Ohio State (eight), and Georgia (seven); the leaders for the most choices by team.

Syracuse Seven

Now let’s take a look at the Seven players who were selected from the Syracuse Orange Football Team:

Syracuse Orange TE Oronde Gadsden II (19) – Dennis Nett

Oronde Gadsden II (TE)

Gadsden burst onto the scene last year in his sophomore season, as he was named an ALL-ACC first-team pick by the conference and the AP. He had 969 yards on 61 catches and six touchdowns. At 6’5″, 215 lbs., he was unanimously the team’s leading receiver by over 500 yards.

Marlowe Wax (LB)

Wax, who has already been named a selected captain for the approaching season, had 4.5 sacks, seven quarterback rushes, and two vigorous fumbles and recoveries. Standing at 6’1″, 239 lbs., he was also SU’s forefront tackler with 91 total tackles, 53 of them were solo. Look for Wax to tie or even break his total tackles this coming season.

Syracuse Orange DE Caleb Okechukwu (93) – Timothy T. Ludwig/Getty Images

Caleb Okechukwu (DE)

At 6’4″, 268 lbs., Okechukwu had a stellar Redshirt Junior year. He started in 13 games and was the Orange’s best pass rusher. The tremendous defensive end led the team with seven sacks, two fumbles, and ten tackles for losses.

He was also named an EACAC All-Star, with 48 tackles (27 solo), and one interception while making the third-team all-ACC defensive line.

Okechukwu played a vital role in a defense that was 14th in the country in defending through the air, and the team was 21st in the country in total defense.

Trebor Pena (KR/PR)

The 6’0″, 177 lb. return specialist may be small, but he is a speedster when called to return punts and kicks.  College football adopted a controversial kickoff rule, where if the returner fair catches the kick inside the 25-yard line, the offense gets the ball right at the 25-yard line in order to make kick returns safer. Still, Pena racked up 508 total return yards last year and had a game-long 43-yard punt return and a 57-yard kick return.

Syracuse Orange S Justin Barron (23) – Timothy T. Ludwig/Getty Images

Justin Barron (S)

A big safety at 6’4″, 220 lbs., Barron was the number three tackler for the Cuse, with 65.  To compliment that, he collected a sack, two quarterback rushes, and a fumble. He was also the team’s holder on field goal attempts and played 36 games this season, with 21 starts at defensive back.

 

Syracuse Orange LB Stefon Thompson (7) – Mark Konezny/USA TODAY Sports

Stefon Thompson (LB)

At 6’1″, 250 lbs., Thompson was poised for a big year in 2022. In game one vs. Louisville, he made three tackles last season but unfortunately suffered a season-ending injury. He did not practice in spring camp but should be ready to go in September. Look for the talented linebacker to show off his talents in the fall.

 

Syracuse Orange RB LeQuint Allen (20) – Mike McAllister/Sports Illustrated

LeQuint Allen (RB-KR/PR)

At 6’0″, 195 lbs., Allen showed promise in his freshman year as a member of the Orange last year. The 2021 NJ high school Gatorade Player of the Year was a backup behind Sean Tucker. Tucker is now signed to a six-figure deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an NFL UDFA but he made his mark as a kick and punt returner.

Allen finally earned his first start as a running back in the 2022 Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium after Tucker decided to skip the bowl game to declare for the 2023 NFL draft. Allen rushed for 94 yards on 15 carries, in which both were career highs.

Look for Allen to work for most of the starting reps as the number one running back this year while taking a step up on kick and punt returns.

To see Syracuse’s full 2023 Schedule, please check out:

Syracuse Orange 2023 Football Schedule

To check out another College Football story, please check out:

Syracuse Orange Football Adds 6 Players