Syracuse Football: Steve Ishmael the most underutilized player in college football
The Syracuse football program is entering a new era under new head coach Dino Babers, and wide receiver Steve Ishmael can help make this transition a success.
The Syracuse football program has been in an aura of ineptitude for the last decade plus. With the firing of Scott Shafer, the Syracuse program got a much needed face lift.
Now with Dino Babers entering the fold he brings with him a tampa-two scheme on defense that relies upon getting after the quarterback with minimal blitzing. While on offense, the slogan of “Orange is the New Fast” has gone viral with the fan base.
Babers wants to implement a high-tempo spread offense that can get after defenses and test their conditioning. To do that he’s going to need to recruit players that can fit his schemes, but there’s at least one player on the team that’s already embracing the offensive philosophy change.
Steve Ishmael, a North Miami Beach, Fla., native is entering his Junior year with the Orange. Ishmael stands at 6’2 and weighs 210 pounds and his career thus far has been detailed by high potential, but little results.
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In his two years with the Orange, Ishmael has racked up 66 receptions for 985 yards and 10 scores. But it’s widely thought that Ishmael could be so much better…so why hasn’t he been?
The answer? There are a lot of reasons why Ishmael hasn’t had the production to meet the hype. Offensive ineptitude is one of the main reasons – he hasn’t had a quarterback that can consistently get him the ball and on top of that there hasn’t been a consistent effort to get him involved.
Ishmael has received passes from five different quarterbacks over his two years at Syracuse. They’ve also opted to throw to other receivers and check to more running plays, again not using their star player to his potential.
He’s a NFL worthy prospect talent-wise, the only reason he hasn’t reached that pinnacle is because coaches have underutilized his talents and abilities. That will all change in 2016 with Babers spread offensive philosophy.
But Ishmael isn’t the kind of guy to complain about that sort of thing, he’s a blue collar, hard working, he punches in and punches out. Similar to his idol former Syracuse star, Marvin Harrison, and now Pro Football Hall of Famer.
When Ishmael first arrived on campus, he found out that Harrison’s former number, 8, was available and he scooped it up. Ishmael has the potential to top his predecessor before everything is all said and done.
Ishmael is just 1,743 yards shy of Harrison’s school record for career receiving yards. It is a record that could fall by the end of Ishmael’s career given the track record of Dino Babers’ offense.
In his first year at Bowling Green, Babers’ offense produced 3,639 passing yards, and three different receivers accrued more yards than Ishmael’s team-leading total last year. With Babers at the helm of the Orange offense, the sky is the limit for Ishmael’s potential.
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Ishmael is the crowned jewel, the center piece, of the Orange’s new offensive identity. With a coach and an offense built around his strengths and with a predetermined game plan of involving him in the offense, the sky is the limit.