Senior defensive end Jameel McClain (above) and junior receiver Taj Smith will lead the 2007 Orange as team captains.
McClain and Smith Are 2007 Orange Football Captains
8/27/2007 3:24:06 PM | Football
Syracuse senior defensive end Jameel McClain and junior wide receiver Taj Smith will lead the 2007 football Orange squad as team captains, head coach Greg Robinson announced Monday.
“Our players voted for two people whose actions speak so loudly we can hardly hear them speak,” Robinson said. “Jameel and Taj have rare work habits and truly inspire others through their actions.”
McClain, a 2007 All-America and Nagurski Award candidate, led the BIG EAST and was 18th nationally with 9.5 sacks and second in the conference with 14.5 tackles for a loss. He was a semifinalist for the Ted Hendricks Award, which is given to the national's best defensive lineman.
He is sixth on the school's all-time tackles for loss list with 14.5 tackles for 61 yards. As an Orange, McClain has registered 100 tackles (51 solo), 15.5 tackles for lost and 10.5 sacks.
A 2007 All-American candidate, Smith had 12 receptions for 227 yards and three touchdowns, including a 65-yard touchdown reception at Illinois, in just four games in 2006. Nine of his 12 receptions resulted in either a touchdown or first down for the Orange. He injured his collarbone in the Orange’s fourth game and missed the rest of the season. Smith, who enrolled at Syracuse after playing two years at Bakersfield Community College, was granted a medical hardship by the NCAA and has two years of eligibility remaining.
The Orange hosts Washington in the season-opener Friday, August 31 (8p.m., ESPN). Tickets are available online (click here) or at the Carrier Dome box office (888-DOMETIX).
Postgame Press Conference vs. SMU - ACC 1st Round
Tuesday, March 10
Highlights | Syracuse vs. SMU - ACC 1st Round
Tuesday, March 10
Stanchion to Stanchion | Kiyan Anthony
Monday, March 09
Adrian Autry postgame vs. Pittsburgh
Sunday, March 08
