While holding the team's first practice in the Carrier Dome on Monday, the Orange learned what four student-athletes will be walking out across that same turf for the coin toss against Villanova in the season opener.
Head coach Scott Shafer announced running back Prince-Tyson Gulley, offensive tackle Sean Hickey, linebacker Cameron Lynch and long snapper Sam Rodgers as the team's captains for the 2014 season after a vote amongst players and coaches.
"I was really pleased with the way voting played out," Shafer said. "We actually had 20 guys get votes, 14 of them got multiple votes, but four of them kind of dominated the captainship process that we went through. I thought there was a lot of maturity in the way the votes came across."
Gulley is a three-time letterwinner for the Orange who has totaled 2,644 all-purpose yards since arriving on campus. He has amassed 1449 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground and also caught 53 passes at Syracuse, which ranks sixth among running backs in program history, for 375 yards. The senior has 813 career kickoff return yards, averaging 22 yards per return for his career.
He earned Pinstripe Bowl MVP honors in 2012 after posting 213 yards on 26 carries in the team's win over West Virginia.
Hickey is one of the men that have helped pave the way for Gulley and other Orange running backs in his time with the program. A Preseason All-ACC selection and member of the Outland Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award Watch Lists, Hickey enters his senior campaign following a 2013 season that saw the Orange rush for 194.8 yards per game, good for fourth in the ACC.
The 6-foot-6, 308 lb. tackle has been a staple for 'Cuse in the trenches – starting 26 consecutive contests for the Orange. His strength and conditioning regimen and results earned him a spot on Bruce Feldman's 'Best Freak at Every Position' list earlier this summer.
Lynch was also honored for being a 'freak' this preseason, making NFL.com's '14 Most Freakish Athletes in College Football' list. The three-time letterwinner started all-13 games for SU last season and has played in every contest since arriving on campus. He has 146-career tackles and 10 sacks in his time at 'Cuse.
Rodgers has also played in every game over the last three seasons while serving as the team's long snapper.
In addition to his duties on the field, Rodgers has been a leader off the field in his time at Syracuse. The State College, Pa. native was a two-time Capital One Academic All-District Team selection (2012 and 2013) and is the president of the Syracuse Chapter of Uplifting Athletes which holds fundraisers such as the Lift for Life to benefit brain cancer research. He's also a two-time nominee of the AFCA Good Works Team.
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