CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVito sat down with us for a one-on-one to discuss the upcoming 2019 season. Here’s what he had to say:
The Juice Online: Tommy, you’re going to be the starting quarterback. This is what you’ve worked hard for coming to Syracuse. The moment is going to be yours as you lead the offense on Aug. 31. Talk about getting ready for that all summer, preseason practice and your debut.
Tommy DeVito: Brad, I can’t wait. It’s been a dream come true playing college football. The offseason workouts, just pushing myself as hard as I can, and trying to push all the other guys around me. I’m trying to be the best leader I can be to get this team in position to do what we want to do.
TJO: Last year, Eric Dungey said, ‘We don’t want just six victories. We don’t want to just qualify for a bowl game. We want to win all of them.’ Of course, you won 10 games, first time since 2001. How did that boost the program and how are you carrying the torch heading into this year?
TD: Right. That shows what we can do and what our potential is. And we haven’t reached our fully potential yet. That is the tip of the iceberg. We don’t have a ceiling. The only ceiling is ourselves. I hope that everyone understands that we need to be a consistent team. That’s what Coach Babers preaches to us. “Being consistently good, not occasionally great.” I think that we’re trying to be consistent week in and week out.
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TJO: You’ll be leading the offense. You’ve got great running backs. Great wide receivers. The offensive line is coming together. Encapsulate the offense for us.
TD: Yes sir. For the running backs, they’re probably our strongest group. There are a lot of guys that can go. Moe Neal. Jarveon [Howard]. Abdul [Adams]. Jawhar Jordan. There’s a whole list I could go through. And they’re all able to go. They’re all very smart, very intelligent. The receivers, there’s a lot of younger guys, but they stepped up. They took on the roles during spring ball and I’m looking forward to seeing them during camp. We’ve got the timing on our routes down. We’ve been throwing a lot of routes on air. Making sure everything is crisp by the time camp comes. The offensive line, the seniors are doing a great job with getting a lot of the younger guys acclimated with the offense. A lot of the times, the offensive linemen aren’t used to going this fast. They’re used to huddling, getting set and then going. They’re not used to a fast-paced offense. They have to be in shape in order to do so. They’ve been doing a great job of that. I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a good time.
TJO: Finally, a personal note. What can we look for from Tommy DeVito? You’re going to be a leader. You’re going to be the man for the offense. Can you share with us just what your feeling is are you prepare to be the starting quarterback for Syracuse?
TD: Pure excitement. Pure excitement. It’s been a long time coming. I can’t wait. It’s going to be awesome. I know the defense has my back. Special teams has my back. The offense has my back. And I’m going to have their back too as much as they have mine. And I think everything is trust moving forward. They trust me. I trust them. I really can’t wait. Words can’t describe how excited I am to officially get it going. There’s been a lot of talk. Spring ball felt like forever. Camp is going to go by quick. August 31 is going to be here before I know it.
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