Did Syracuse gamble on a troubled but talented and academically intelligent student-athlete? Syracuse football recently picked up a graduate transfer at safety from Nebraska named Myles Farmer.
He is 21 years old and is officially legal to gamble, but instead of rolling good luck at Blackjack, the grad student has rolled some very poor and untimely luck at his previous stop.
First Suspension (DUI)
On November 8, 2022, Farmer was supposed to be suiting up for the Cornhuskers defense for a big conference game in the Big House in Ann Arbor against No. 3 Michigan.
Instead of putting on his uniform, he almost put on an orange jumpsuit. Farmer was suspended after being caught drinking and driving the following weekend.
He was pulled over in downtown Lincoln around 12:30 a.m. for violating traffic. Farmer’s BAC was 0.123, which is over the legal limit in Nebraska. His official charge was a DUI and failure to use a turn signal. He was later released.
Former Nebraska Safety Myles Farmer (8) – Rich Schultz/Getty Images
Second Suspension and Transferring to Syracuse Football
At the beginning of August 2023, Farmer was suspended indefinitely during the beginning of the Cornhusker camp. He decided to enter the portal where he is now a grad transfer at Syracuse football.
The suspension was bad enough for him to leave the team, but it wasn’t that bad for new head coach Matt Rhule to disclose the suspension. Still, this is the second time Farmer has done something wrong, and Syracuse may be his last chance to prove he’s a changed man.
The only thing Rhule stated, however, is that Farmer “failed to adhere to team standards”. That doesn’t reveal his true character, and the fact he’s a graduate student at Syracuse football shows that academics matter just a little more.
Despite his troubles, Farmer had a solid four-year career at Nebraska while playing in 31 games total. At 6′ 1″, 200 lbs., he recorded 73 tackles, disrupted four passes, and had one int.
Just like in football, where nowadays there’s a fine line between having a winning and losing record, there’s a fine line between A DUI and a DWI in legal cases.
Syracuse football added Farmer because of the experience he brings to Syracuse’s secondary in a year where they lost cornerbacks Garrett Williams (third round-NFL draft), transfer Duce Chestnut (LSU), and safety transfer Ja’Had Carter (Ohio State).
He does join a group of fellow transfers, including his former teammates Jaeden Gould, Jalil Martin, and Jayden Bellamy (Notre Dame).
Those guys transferred because they barely played or didn’t play at all at their old schools, whereas Farmer was a regular for Nebraska on the field.
Background
Farmer hails from Atlanta, Georgia, and felt like transferring out of Nebraska because it was in the best interest of the Cornhusker Program, starting a new culture under head coach Matt Rhule.
Syracuse HC Dino Babers – Dennis Nett
As much as Syracuse football likes to have high standards and a culture of their own under Dino Babers, he has been testing that theory out by sticking with runningback LeQuint Allen through his wild suspension story.
Now, he keeps his standards going by signing a very smart and talented player with a checkered past in Farmer.
Still, Farmer will most likely be there for just one year as a grad student, where if he plays well enough, he could declare for the NFL draft later in December.
Opinion
While I do not condone what he did in Nebraska to earn his suspension, keep in mind that Farmer is still a 21-year-old kid living in today’s America, where even buzzed driving is considered drunk driving. He is always learning what to do and what not to do, even as a mature older student in college.
Let’s hope that he has learned his lesson this time. He may have done wrong, but it sounds like he’s great at academics, and even smart people make crucial mistakes.
The football player in him is tough and rugged, and he likes to play scrappy in the backfield. He’s a perfect fit for the 3-3-5 defense with Syracuse football as he is a physical corner who comes up and goes after the quarterback on corner blitzes.
Conclusion
Let’s all hope Farmer can leave his past behind and bring with him new memories and exciting plays he had during his last four years at Nebraska.
The Syracuse football fanbase and I welcome him with open arms, and we’re excited to add another former Cornhusker to our secondary.
We wish him the best of luck, and please don’t let us fans down, Myles.
