Syracuse dismissed wide receiver Damien Alford, Pete Thamel reports. Alford led the Orange with 33 receptions for 610 yards and three touchdowns as a redshirt junior last season. The football program has not released a reason for his dismissal.
Alford committed to Syracuse as a three-star prospect, rated as the No. 183 wide receiver in the class of 2020. He redshirted his freshman season and broke out during his second year on campus in 2021, catching 13 balls for 249 yards and two scores. He upped his production as a junior in 2022, hauling in 20 passes for 429 yards and two scores.
Alford’s dismissal means new Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord has one fewer weapon at his disposal. The former Ohio State signal caller said the Orange have a chance to contend in the ACC next season in Fran Brown’s debut season as head coach.
“They said that with the guys they’re going to bring in and some of the guys they’re bringing back, we’re going to be able to make a serious run at it,” McCord said in January, via The QB Room podcast. “Their recruiting pitch was, ‘Listen, we’re a quarterback away from being a serious contender in the ACC this year.’ I looked at the schedule and I saw it and I think it’s true. There’s definitely an opportunity for us to go out and win some games.”
McCord finished the 2023 season with 3,170 yards passing with 24 touchdowns against six interceptions and will work alongside new offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon in New York. Nixon has 27 years of coaching experience, including three years as a collegiate offensive coordinator. He just finished his first season with the New York Giants after spending the 2020-22 seasons in various roles with the Carolina Panthers, including a stint as the franchise’s interim offensive coordinator.
During his time as the co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Baylor, Nixon led a resurgence that ultimately saw the Bears rank 17th nationally in scoring during the 2019 season. Baylor improved upon its win total each year throughout his tenure under head coach Matt Rhule and ranked inside the top 20 in total offense during the 2018 and 2019 campaigns.
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The Orange hired Texas A&M interim head coach Elijah Robinson at defensive coordinator. He brings elite recruiting ability to the staff after landing numerous elite high school prospects as the Aggies’ defensive line coach. Brown is a relentless recruiter himself and has strong ties with high school coaches in the Northeast, particularly in his native New Jersey. He is currently the nation’s No. 1 coach in 247Sports’ recruiter rankings.
Carter Bahns contributed to this report.
