Duke transfer and Central New York native takes the lead
SYRACUSE -- Just one week into pre-season football camp Syracuse University head football coach Doug Marrone has named hometown favorite Greg Paulus as the starting quarterback for the upcoming season. The decision comes after just the third day of practice in pads for the Orange squad.
Coach Marrone is taking over a struggling Syracuse program that has been at the bottom of the Big East Conference since former Coach Greg Robinson took over more than four years ago. Marrone had already indicated he was impressed with the work ethic, leadership and study skills of Paulus before the pre-season camp started.
Once camp began, Marrone noted the quality of Paulus' athletic skills including passing the ball. Marrone has been pressed since the start of camp to detail progress in the quarterback competition. He even got a little testy earlier in the day when questioned about when he would decide.
The decision came Monday night. The team now has less than three weeks to prepare for its opening game against the University of Minnesota.
Here is the news release sent out by the Syracuse University Athletics Department:
Orange head coach Doug Marrone named graduate student Greg Paulus the starting quarterback tonight. The transfer from Duke joined the program when he enrolled at the University in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications graduate program in television, radio and film in July.
A four-year basketball letterwinner for Duke, Paulus was a CoSIDA Academic All-American and two-year team captain. He finished his career tied for ninth with 139 games played and is one of just 20 Duke players to have started 100 career games. Paulus ranks 41st on the career scoring list (1,193 points) and ranks in the top 10 on the all-time record lists for assists (9th, 468), three-point field goals made (8th, 210) and attempted (9th, 527), and three-point field goal percentage (T-6th, .398). He earned third-team All-ACC honors in 2007-08 as the Blue Devils starting point guard.
Paulus earned his undergraduate degree in political science with a certificate in markets and managements studies.
Paulus beat out sophomore Ryan Nassib, senior Cam Dantley and freshman Charley Loeb for the starting position. The 2009 Orange kick off the season on September 5 against Minnesota in the Carrier Dome (12:00 p.m., ESPN2).
