Coach's seat hot as ever

SYRACUSE — Just because the Syracuse University football team stopped playing for one week doesn't mean the talk centering on Greg Robinson's future didn't.

While the Orange was off last week, the reputation of SU's embattled head coach continued to take a few hits. The campus was still rife with speculation that Robinson won't have a future with the program after this season.

It didn't help that Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis — also an SU alumnus — fired head coach Lane Kiffin last week. Kiffin, with his University of Southern California coaching roots, was instantly linked to Syracuse athletic director Dr. Daryl Gross, who is a product of USC. So, Kiffin was added to the Orange's coaching merry-go-round with the likes of Buffalo's Turner Gill, and Skip Holtz of East Carolina, among others.

Though Robinson isn't going anytime soon, former Orange tight end Roland Williams believes a past teammate has selected the right candidate for the future. Rob Konrad, who played fullback at SU from 1995-99, sparked the biggest debate last week with a letter sent to Gross, university chancellor Nancy Cantor and the local media. Konrad said Florida's Steve Addazio would be the perfect coach to resurrect the program.

Addazio is the assistant head coach of the Gators' offense and works specifically with their offensive line. He was an offensive-line and tight-ends coach at Syracuse from 1995-98. Williams said Addazio has an infectious personality that excites the players.

"He had fire and an energy about him," said Williams in a phone interview Thursday night. "I loved him. He's a guy who could bring back the program."

Williams, who's a college football analyst for the Versus network, said Addazio has an ability to get the most from his players. Williams credited Addazio for instilling the fundamentals that propelled him to an NFL career that spanned eight years.

Under Addazio's assistance, Florida's offense has ranked in the top 25 the last three seasons, which includes a BCS national championship in 2006. Most importantly for Syracuse, Williams said Addazio would be a significant upgrade as a recruiter.

"The issue with recruiting is that we haven't focused on the right players," Williams said. "We're missing some guys in our own backyard."

To Robinson's credit, seven freshmen on SU's roster are from New York. But what disappoints Williams, a Rochester native, is losing state standouts to budding programs. Two good examples of this would be losing Syracuse products Mike Hart and Marquise Walker — a running back and wide receiver, respectively — to Michigan a few years ago.

With a 1-4 record heading into Saturday's game at West Virginia, there are few signs indicating that Robinson has a solution. Until one surfaces, the coaching merry-go-round will keep spinning.

"I wish Greg Robinson was the guy," Williams said. "For whatever reasons, there is a disconnect. Something has to be done."

REASONS FOR RECRUITING WOES

The musings surrounding Robinson's future as the head coach at Syracuse aren't the only reasons for the Orange's subpar recruiting class.

Mike Farrell, a national recruiting analyst for Rivals.com, said several factors have played into SU's inability to obtain top prospects. The Orange has just four verbal commitments for next season, which is the lowest total of any Big East team.

In fact, the days of receiving commitments from four- and five-star recruits — which are the top ratings based on the Rivals.com system — could be diminished in the years ahead. It goes beyond the futility of the Robinson era.

"Coach (Paul) Pasqualoni left the cupboard bare," Farrell said. "Throw in the fact that Syracuse isn't in a vacation hot land. It's very remote, it's not warm, and the Carrier Dome isn't an exciting facility anymore."

Farrell said Pasqualoni, who was fired by Syracuse following the 2004 season, had recruiting pipelines to Florida, New Jersey and Connecticut, but he struggled to get prized recruits in his final two seasons. Schools such as South Florida and Central Florida, as well as Rutgers and Connecticut, have since taken over their rightful areas. Farrell said SU needs to the follow the models established by Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano and Huskies head man Randy Edsall — a former Orange player and coach.

"They need really good coaches who can work with acquiring and finding talent that other schools are overlooking," Farrell said. "You have to have a great eye for talent to get players to Syracuse."

How bad has it been for the Orange? Farrell said two recruits in the past week chose Delaware and Hofstra — two Division I-AA schools — over Syracuse. The rumors of Robinson's removal haven't helped, but Farrell also believes that SU's current coach doesn't have what it takes to rebuild recruiting connections.

"It takes a different personality than I think he has to turn the program around," Farrell said.

EXTRA POINTS ...

Delone Carterwill be back Saturday when the Orange faces the Mountaineers. The sophomore running back missed the last two weeks with a pulled left hamstring. ... Senior offensive guard Ryan Durand was selected as a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation 2008 Draddy Trophy. The honor recognizes a player for his academic success, football performance and community leadership. Durand is one of five Big East players to be chosen. Fifteen finalists will be picked on Oct. 29. ... The university announced that SU's game on Oct. 18 at South Florida will kick off at noon. ... Be sure to check out "The Express," which is the movie based on the life of former SU star running backErnie Davis. The film will be released nationally in theaters today.