It’s time to talk about Dino Babers, his future at Syracuse

The second half of the 2022-23 CFB season was not kind to Syracuse, and one has to wonder if the Orange will be itching for a change anytime soon.

Entering last season, the Syracuse Orange was quite the troubled squad, having only one bowl appearance since 2013, its first season in the ACC. Concerns regarding the state of the program had grown strong enough that some—myself included—were preparing to see it make a move, particularly in regards to its head coaching situation.

Syracuse’s current head coach, Dino Babers, has held the position since 2016. At the time of him taking over, the Orange were in complete disarray, failing to establish any form of consistency and seemingly being stuck on the coaching carousel.

For reference, Babers has been the program’s longest-tenured head coach since Paul Pasqualoni. Pasqualoni was fired after the 2004-05 season, introducing a stretch where three names came and went before Babers’.

With that said, it makes sense that Syracuse was willing to give him a good deal of time to work with, just as long as the team would have a true shot at establishing an identity. And for a moment there, it appeared as if the Orange were on their way to doing so in unbelievable fashion.

Syracuse’s last season without Babers saw only four wins, and there hadn’t been one with more than eight since 2001. But, after going a combined 8-16 in his first two years, he managed to lead the Orange on a surprising 10-3 run in 2018 (tying the record from 2001).

Since that point, Syracuse has been fully committed to the idea of Babers carrying it to further greatness—but all of us on the outside have long realized that such a vision will never take shape. In fact, we were convinced that 2018 was a fluke by the end of 2020.