The Orange had an intact starting five last season… for the first eight games.

Left guard Kalan Ellis got banged up prior to the Pittsburgh game and Syracuse was forced into the first of three different starting lineups over the final five games. That sounds worse than it actually was, as SU would have likely had just two different starting lineups on the season if future second round pick Matthew Bergeron had not missed one game, then opted out of the Pinstripe Bowl.

Ellis and right guard Chris Bleich are the primary returners on the line, meaning the guard spots should theoretically be sewn up by them.

The massive Ellis (6’6”, 375 pounds) followed five 2021 starts with being in the starting lineup for the first eight contests, then returned from injury to start in the bowl game, but has been slowed in preseason camp with a leg issue.

Bleich started a dozen games last season, pushing his total at Syracuse to 20 and his career total to 28. Both guards have seen playing time on both the right and left sides.

Enrique Cruz Jr. started the last five games last season, flipping between both tackle spots. Most notably, Cruz Jr. started at left tackle in the two games Bergeron missed, so it seems the 6’6”, 311-pound redshirt sophomore is ticketed to take over the job of protecting Shrader’s blind spot full time.

Josh Ilaoa and and Jakob Bradford both started once last season, doing so against Wake Forest. The start was the second in Ilaoa’s career and he has appeared in 33 games in three years at SU. Bradford’s start made up the bulk of his time on offense, but he also appeared on the field goal unit.

Some other players of note in the offensive line mix are Wes Hoeh, Joe More, J’Onre Reed, and David Wohlabuagh Jr. Hoeh converted to fullback last season after Chris Elmore’s injury, starting the last three contests of 2022.

More, Reed, and Wohlabaugh Jr. all transferred to Syracuse in the offseason.

More is a graduate transfer from Richmond after starting 37 games for the Spiders.

Reed joins the Orange after playing at Hutchinson Community College, where he was a juco second team All-American last season.

Wohlabuagh played in ten games over two seasons at Kentucky before transferring to Syracuse, where his father lettered in 1992-1994 and was an all-conference lineman prior to a nine-year NFL career.

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