Notebook: What Rocky Long’s defense looks like, Isaiah Jones emerges

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Rocky Long has had a simple request for Syracuse’s defensive players when they go into meeting rooms with their position coaches: ask “why?”

Long, SU’s first-year defensive coordinator, wants players to understand why they’re doing what they’re doing. He wants them to recognize why the defensive line is moving a certain direction and why the linebackers are dropping a certain way. He wants them to understand not just their position groups, but the defense as a whole.

On defensive line stunts, two defensive linemen swap gap responsibilities to confuse offensive linemen. In the past, Syracuse would run the same stunt every play, said defensive end Jatius Geer. But Long has changed that. Now, if it’s 3rd down, for example, the linemen are expected to take a step upfield before working forward.

The Orange are still running the 3-3-5 defense they did under Tony White, who left for Nebraska in December, but with some small tweaks. Long is known for the 3-3-5, learning it in 1980 when he coached its inventor, Joe Lee Dunn, at New Mexico. He’s run it for over four decades at six different schools, giving Syracuse a unique opportunity to expand on its base understanding of the defense. Players say Long is trying to get defenders to play as fast as possible while getting back to the ball-hawking defense it had in 2020. So far in spring practice, it’s helped the unit outplay the offense.

“He’s the guru,” said head coach Dino Babers. “He’s the number two guy that created the defense. One guy created it, and (Long) was in the room when it was created, and the other guy’s not around anymore. And this is Long’s defense.”

Babers said it’s been helpful to have a former head coach on staff for when players have questions. Long totaled 18 years as the head coach at New Mexico and San Diego State, winning 146 games and five bowl games.

Linebacker Leon Lowry has put his “full faith” in his new defensive coordinator. While Long is a serious coach, he has another side, said safety Alijah Clark.

“They call him the Godfather,” Clark said. “He has a little bit more insight into what he’s doing, and he’s got his own little swag to him… I love coach Long.”

A focus this spring has been to improve technique through repeated instruction, Clark said. Syracuse might practice a cover two defense for three days straight even though it’s a basic coverage, Clark said, but it’s so Long can ensure every player has perfected their role.

The Orange are still working on fully understanding their assignments on each play, said rover Justin Barron. The defensive linemen are learning new details and slight adjustments are still being implemented. The unit finished 21st-best nationally in yards allowed per game last year but is looking to improve.

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“We’re getting a lot better,” Barron said. “You guys are going to see some stuff that you haven’t really seen from us before.”

Syracuse will have to reboot its secondary after multiple departures, including Garrett Williams to the NFL and Duce Chestnut and Ja’Had Carter to the transfer portal. Clark said those losses have been mitigated by the improvements of defensive backs Isaiah Johnson, Jeremiah Wilson and Gregory Delaine. Players are also excited about true freshman defensive lineman David Omopariola, who has done a good job getting to the ball, Johnson said.

The emphasis in both the secondary and linebacking corps is to, as Clark said, “get money.” SU generated 19 turnovers last season, but just six during the second half. Long has preached rallying to the ball, Barron said, and offensive players have noticed more aggression in practice.

“It’s been war,” said offensive lineman Enrique Cruz Jr. “We go back and forth, back and forth. Iron sharpens iron. I’m glad to go against those guys, because they’re really good and we’re really good.”

Checking in on the O-line

Syracuse lost offensive line coach/run game coordinator Mike Schmidt to Mississippi State in the offseason, replacing him with former Tulsa offensive line coach Steve Farmer. Players said Farmer has already made a quick impression on a unit that lost three starters from last season.

Farmer has helped players focus not just on technique, discipline and assignments, Ellis said, but also with things off the field like schoolwork. Farmer has also provided a good mix of hard coaching while also picking players up after tough practices, Cruz said.

Ellis and Chris Bleich are SU’s two returning starters, with Cruz and Josh Ilaoa expected to join them. Richmond transfer Joe More, who started all 12 games at right tackle for the Spiders last year, has practiced well, Ellis said, as has Jakob Bradford, who made eight appearances at guard last season. Bradford has done a good job not getting pushed back, displaying solid hand placement and footwork, Ellis said. The unit as a whole has been much quicker and more physical, quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson noted.

Isaiah Jones emerges again after return

Going into last season, Syracuse thought it had a clear No. 1 wideout. Wide receivers coach Michael Johnson had told Babers that Isaiah Jones, who hadn’t recorded a catch in 2020 or 2021, was the team’s top receiver. Jones caught four passes for 60 yards over the first three games but suffered a season-ending injury on the final drive against Purdue.

Jones has returned this spring, earning frequent targets in practices. Jones dropped one pass Tuesday, Del Rio-Wilson said, but the quarterback told him to shake it off, and hit the receiver on a post route for a touchdown right after. Mistakes don’t phase Jones, Del Rio-Wilson explained.

“We lost a lot of cats in those first six games (last season), but he was probably the one that really affected the offense a lot,” Babers said of Jones. “It’s good to have him back out there.”

Other notes

— Syracuse hired Dennis Thomas as its director of high school relations last week, and he was present at Tuesday’s practice. Thomas was an offensive assistant at Rutgers last year, and previously led Millville (N.J.) High School for seven years, where he coached LeQuint Allen. He replaces Khalid Ahmad, who left SU in January to become Penn State’s recruiting coordinator. Syracuse hosted an estimated 80 recruits — most of them from tri-state schools — over the weekend.

— Del Rio-Wilson had a strong finish to SU’s scrimmage during Saturday’s practice, running and passing for touchdowns. On Tuesday, Del Rio-Wilson said he came in with the mentality that he wanted to “dominate.” He went into Ensley Athletic Center on Friday night to prepare for Saturday by walking through the reads, coverages and plays he’d be running.

— Syracuse has been missing three injured linebackers with starting experience — Stefon Thompson, Marlowe Wax and Derek McDonald — though each has actively been working on the sideline during practices. Babers said he doesn’t expect any of them to return this spring, but they should all be back by the fall. Leon Lowry and Kadin Bailey have impressed Babers so far, taking advantage of first-team reps they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.