'Cuse Opens 2017 Spring Practice

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Armed with the most returning starters of any team in the FBS, Syracuse opened Year 2 of the Dino Babers era with its first spring practice session of 2017 on Tuesday, March 21 at the Ensley Athletic Center.

Players wore helmets, jerseys and shorts for the 115-minute workout. As always, practicing at a high tempo was of utmost importance to the coaching staff and Babers said he was pleased with Tuesday's pace.

"I think the main thing is everybody, basically, knows what they're doing. I thought we started practice extremely fast and that's a compliment to the young men," Babers said. "Now they don't have to think. They have an opportunity to react. I really appreciated the speed at which practice went today."

The familiarity with what the coaching staff is looking for is a product of returning 42 lettermen, including 21 out of 24 starters (9 offense, 10 defense, 2 specialists) from last season.

One of those starters is quarterback Eric Dungey, who was back on the field Tuesday morning for the first time since missing the final three games of 2016 due to injury. Dungey set the school records for most passing yards (2,679) and most yards of total offense (2,972) by a sophomore, and was well on his way to shattering several more SU season records before getting hurt.

"He's just a leader," Babers said of Dungey. "He's a lot more confident. Obviously, his head is fine and he's out there leading our football team. We're always better when Eric Dungey's on the field."

Defensively, Syracuse brings back 14 of its top 15 tacklers from a year ago, including stalwart linebackers Zaire Franklin and Parris Bennett. Franklin and Bennett are one of 10 returning linebacker duos in the country with 100+ tackles each in 2016.

They lead an Orange unit that received a boost in the secondary this spring with the addition of cornerback Devin M. Butler and the return from injury of safety Antwan Cordy. Butler is a graduate transfer from Notre Dame and Cordy tallied 68 tackles in 2015, his last full season. Cordy suffered a forearm injury in Week 2 last year versus Louisville.

Their presence, along with the maturation of SU's front seven, are two key factors in shoring up an Orange defense that allowed more than 38 points a game a year ago.

Syracuse continues spring practice Thursday with another morning workout inside Ensley. The session will be the team's last in shorts. Full pads come on Saturday.

Season tickets and group tickets for 2017 Orange football are on sale now online and by phone (888-DOME-TIX). Season tickets start at $125, a savings of more than 15 percent compared to single-game prices. Tickets for groups of 15 or more start at $20 per ticket.

Individual game tickets will be available in late May or early June, while partial-plan ticket packages go on sale in late April. An exclusive pre-sale for Orange Club members and Syracuse University alumni to purchase single-game tickets will precede the public sale. Information regarding the pre-sale will be communicated via email. Individual game tickets start at $25 for non-conference games and $30 for Atlantic Coast Conference contests.

This year's campaign begins Friday, Sept. 1 at the Carrier Dome against Central Connecticut State. The schedule features seven home dates, including conference games against Pittsburgh, Clemson, Wake Forest and Boston College.

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Syracuse University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Parris Bennett

Devin M. Butler

Antwan Cordy

Eric Dungey

Zaire Franklin

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