Next up: Meet the CNY football players with big shoes to fill this season

Syracuse, N.Y. -- With football practices starting this week, many players will have a chance to help replace the contributions of graduated stars and possibly grab more of the spotlight for themselves.

Syracuse.com surveyed football coaches to ask which of their returning players is most likely to get the first crack at stepping into the high-profile cleats of key players who graduated. Here are the responses we received:

Brady Garcia, TeiShawn Wade, Baldwinsville

Replacing: RB Kaleb Young

Scouting report: “They both have carries. They’re different style backs. I think TeiShawn has more speed and I think Brady is more of a slasher. Those two are pretty good.” — Carl Sanfilippo

Kallen Kennedy, OL, Baldwinsville

Replacing: OL Lucas Houghton

Scouting report: “He started left tackle last year. So we’re just going to move him to the right tackle. He’s the real deal. He’s good. And he’ll get better.” — Carl Sanfilippo

Moreese Williams, Bishop Grimes

Replacing: OL, DL Jimmy Zampini

Scouting report: “He pulls with anger. A pulling guard, you try to kick out that end. And he brings athleticism to it, speed and contact.” — Jason Wait

Kyle Caraher, Cazenovia

Replacing: OL/DL Jack Macro

Scouting report: “Super smart on and off the field. Putting up some crazy numbers in the weight room as a junior and very athletic. We will be looking for ways to get him all around the field offensively and defensively.” — Kyle Martin

Bryce Odessa, Dylan Schug, Cazenovia

Replacing: WR/DB Christian Schug

Scouting report: “Bryce is one of our senior captains and has been around football a long time. Played as the No. 3 corner behind two All-CNY corners last year and is up for the challenge. Dylan Schug is Christian’s brother, a sophomore. Has great instincts and is picking up the varsity speed quickly on both sides of the ball.” — Kyle Martin

Seamus Gardner, Mason Corlis, Chittenango

Replacing: QB/DB Jack Lamphere

Scouting report: “Seamus has the varsity experience while Mason is working and learning the offense. It will be competitive. They are both athletic and intelligent.” — Bill Cretaro

Brayden Smith, Christian Brothers Academy

Replacing: QB Porter Matt

Scouting report: “Braden, he got a lot of good practice reps, and he had some reps in terms of game experience, which we thought was very, very important to back up Porter. So he’s coming in with with some knowledge. He’s different than Porter. So we’re working on his strengths and identifying and working on his weaknesses and just developing a relationship with the front line, developing a relationship with the receivers. As with every team, it’s their character is going to be a little bit different and, we just want to make sure, what are your favorite things? — Casey Brown

Darien Williams, Christian Brothers Academy

Replacing: WR/DB Syair Torrence

Scouting report: “Well, right now, being a Syracuse University commit...we’re we’re moving him over, getting some defensive reps as well. So he’s working right now with our defensive back coach working on some of the fundamentals of that. And we’re really excited to be able to see him on both sides of the ball.” — Casey Brown

Brady Collins, Donovan Keener, Cicero-North Syracuse

Replacing: OL Joseph Main

Scouting report: “Both of them are very capable players, very good. So we’re looking for big things from both those guys.”

Marcus Reed II, Cicero-North Syracuse

Replacing: QB Jaxon Razmovski

Scouting report: “He’s starting to settle in a little bit. He was a backup last year, he played in the sectional championship game. He’s got big-game experience. The bright lights aren’t too bright for him. Marcus’ athleticism is probably his greatest strength. His leadership, which is really, really important, certainly in that role.” — Jim Ryan

Davonte Brown, Nate King, Corcoran

Replacing: OL/DL Tyrone Davis

Scouting report: “(Davis) squats 545 pounds. He benches over 300. He was a sophomore last year. He started at left guard for us. He actually was right next to Tyrone. Tyrone was the one who would tell him all the time what to do. Now he’s the one that’s stepping into that role. He’s kind of the leader of the offensive line.

“(King) was on the team last year but we used him mostly as a defensive tackle because of his size. We needed some interior size, especially playing against teams like Whitesboro and Central Square. That wasn’t really his best position. His best position was offensive tackle, but he wasn’t beating out Tyrone. We’re going to try to mold him into the same caliber as Tyrone was. I don’t know if he can fill those shoes. But he’s motivated.” — Tyrone Fisher

Jay-Neil McDuffie, East Syracuse-Minoa

Replacing: RB/DB Mikah Combs

Scouting report: “McDuffie has continued to grow and develop, and we expect him to be a very good defensive player this year. On offense we are hoping he can help fill the void left by Combs in the passing game and as a leader.” — Brad Keysor

Max Franco, Homer

Replacing: QB Wyatt Wilbur

Scouting report: “A good three-sport athlete. Had a little foot injury last year. But been in the program forever. He’ll be ready for the moment because we’ve got a lot of good pieces around him.” — Greg Roskos

Ariel Raymond, Indian River

Replacing: RB Kane Lynch

Scouting report: “He is a very talented athlete with some intangibles that we have not had for a bit. He’s a gifted athlete with deceptive speed, very good first step and excellent hands.” — Cory Marsell

Christian Washington, Liverpool

Replacing: WR/DB Jordan Grandinetti

Scouting report: “He’s going to play linebacker and wide receiver. He’s probably going to play running back by the end of the day. He’s big. He’s physical. He has a nose for the game. He’s a downhill player on defense. We like him at linebacker. He just sees it and he goes, and he’s a dog.” — Joe Sindoni

Ricky Zalocha, New York Mills

Replacing: QB Lucas Komnick

Scouting report: “We are looking at Ricky Zalocha to move from TE to quarterback this year. He is big and strong and throws the ball extremely well.” — Tony Ricco

Zadyn Tracy, Jayden Parker, Phoenix

Replacing: RB Joseph Edick

Scouting report: “Just from an offensive standpoint we’re going to have to see how we can get the guys going. We’ve rebuilt the trenches a little bit, and made sure the line is 100 percent on point with everything. Those guys are working hard every day. They’ve had good reps. They’ve been learning. We’re going to see what emerges.” — James Cofrancesco

Colton McDonald, Skaneateles

Replacing: OL/DL Will Feeney

Scouting report: “He’s only going to be a junior. But he has been a starter since he was in ninth grade. So obviously he’s a pretty good player. I would say he’s probably the protege to Will Feeney.” — Jay Steinhorst

Jaedyn Godbolt, Solvay

Replacing: LB Josh Komar

Scouting report: “He played wide receiver and linebacker last season. His season was cut short due to injury, so he is hungry to get back on the field. He will be a leader in our linebacker group on defense. He has had a great summer and is ready to go this season.” — Mike Acchione

Xavier Hardy, Solvay

Replacing: RB/LB Jaysin Bliss

Scouting report: “He was our fullback and did a lot of lead blocking for Jaysin last season. He will be playing that same position and will also be playing running back as well. He is 6-1 210 lbs and is an extremely strong and physical player. He had a great season on both sides of the ball last year.” — Mike Acchione

Caiden Spies, Thomas Bernhardt, Thousand Islands

Replacing: QB Jack Ludlow

Scouting report: Jackson Ludlow will be very difficult to replace, both on the field and in the locker room. We have returning junior RB Caiden Spies, who has expressed interest in competing for the job, and incoming freshman Thomas Bernhardt, who was the modified QB and has varsity experience playing both varsity basketball and lacrosse in middle school. Both have good raw skill and showed improvement in summer camp.” — Ryan Kendall

Nate Burtless, Joel Lopez, Weedsport

Replacing: OL/DL Jacob Guy

Scouting report: “Both have worked hard since last season to be ready to play. Nate has a high motor and is an exceptionally athletic lineman. Joel has put in work in the weight room and uses his technique to his advantage. Both kids are great to work with and are role models for their teammates.” — Robert Piascik

Jack Hayes, Westhill

Replacing: RB/DB Taden Chester

Scouting report: “I think he might be a little faster than Tayden. He’s just got that vision on the field. He makes great cuts. He’s hard to grab. That’s for sure. And he’s also plays corner. I don’t want to call him a shutdown corner just yet, but he takes a lot of the worry about that side of the field that he’s on. We’ll probably put him against our best the the team’s best receiver. Just a great athlete.”

Memphis Ferguson, Whitesboro

Replacing: QB Kyle Meier

Scouting report: “He is a rare three-year starter for us. He played tailback and was an all-state linebacker last year. Memphis typically would have been behind center for us for three years, but he was behind the best player in the state. The 4,300 total yards and 60 touchdowns Kyle had will be hard to replace. Like Kyle, Memphis is a dual-threat QB who is the strongest kid on our team. He will start both ways and I believe after a game or two people will be talking about him.” — Curtis Schmidt

Elijah Apps, West Genesee

Replacing: RB Francisco Cross

Scouting report: “We actually have five running backs on our roster, six or seven when you count athletes that we can attach to a specific role or a package. Elijah Apps is leading that group as of now. He was our “change of pace” back last year, so he is experienced and he’s proven he can be productive. He’s also our top returning linebacker, so we have to be smart with how we handle his reps. Any one or more of the other four could see significant playing time.” — Joe Corley

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