Syracuse has all five of its starters returning on its offensive line, yet it doesn’t have a single starter.

‘There’s no starter on that line right now,’ new offensive line coach Chris Wiesehan said. ‘There are five steaks on the table, and the hungriest guys in the group will start on the offensive line.’

This isn’t merely something Wiesehan preaches to the media. The players hear the same claims, too.

‘It’s a new coach, you have to show the new coach you can play,’ rising redshirt freshman Adam Rosner said. ‘If you’re a starter last year and go out there and think, ‘I was a starter so I’m starting,’ you’re wrong. One of his quotes is there’s five steaks on the table…

‘Five spots are open. May the best man win.’

For Syracuse football fans, that might be the best news of the spring. No position was more scrutinized during last season’s 4-8 finish than the offensive line, which used five different starting lineup combinations. Though offensive linemen don’t generate personal statistics, Syracuse’s offensive statistics were dismal and much of the blame fell on the leaky line. SU finished 97th in the nation in rushing offense, 103rd in passing offense, 110th in total offense and 116th in sacks allowed, averaging 3.75 per game.

Syracuse head coach Greg Robinson fired former offensive line coach Bob Wylie in January and hired Wiesehan a month later.

There was a perception that Wylie’s hands were tied because SU’s most promising linemen were actually freshmen that redshirted the 2006 season. Robinson’s first full recruiting class – last year’s freshmen – included five offensive linemen. The two biggest were 6-foot-6, 315-pound Rosner and 6-foot-5, 330-pound Tucker Baumbach.

Now that those redshirt freshmen are eligible to play, it puts the heat on last season’s starters – Carroll Madison, Corey Chavers, Larry Norton, Ryan Durand, Marvin McCall and Eugene Newsome.

‘We have to get better this year,’ Durand said. ‘Now we have a new coach, we’re working on new line calls and trying to be part of a unit.’

Rosner said a new coach brings new opportunity, which could in turn help the freshmen. Wiesehan emphasized he’s not looking at the past and everyone has a clean slate. With the fresh start, it might be the redshirt freshmen – Rosner, Baumbach, Ryan Bartholomew, Jim McKenzie and Jonathan Meldrum – who reap the benefits.

‘We’re going to rely on those guys not just for depth, but for a chance to start,’ Wiesehan said.

The redshirt year helped the freshmen learn the mental part of college football, which was a challenge for Rosner, who thought he was physically ready last season. But SU’s zone-blocking scheme takes time to learn. The time last season helped, plus the arrival of Wiesehan has every player – not just the younger ones – adjusting to new terminology.

Baumbach had offseason shoulder surgery and is not competing in live drills, although he’s still participating with the team and Wiesehan credited him for staying attentive in meetings. The injury might set him back, though he still figures to be a player in the running for what’s advertised as five open offensive line spots.

That creates a competitive spring camp, where players who were firm in their spots last season might be looking over their shoulders more than they expected.

‘You got to fight to win games, you got to fight to win a spot,’ Rosner said. ‘When you’re the field, your friends with that person, but you’re trying to win the spot. We know that. I see that as the best man wins.’

Published on March 25, 2007 at 12:00 pm