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Syracuse Football: Where did Amba Etta-Tawo come from?
Syracuse football star, Amba Etta-Tawo continues to impress. Which begs the question, where did this Maryland transfer come from? We sat down and spoke with, Chris Bengel, Site Expert for the Terrapin Station to find out.
Nov 29, 2014; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo (84) runs for a first half touchdown after his catch against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Historically speaking, Syracuse sports in general haven’t been big proponents of utilizing the transfer process. This year is the try-out basis for both football and basketball.
With how good Amba Etta-Tawo has looked, Jim Boeheim should feel pretty good about new Syracuse transfers: John Gillon and Andrew White. While the Orange football team found a gem in Etta-Tawo this offseason.
He has absolutely exploded onto the scene here early and often for the Orange. 40 receptions, 706 yards, and five scores to be exact.
But where did all this production suddenly come from? We decided to sit down with, Chris Bengel, Site Expert for the Terrapin Station to find out.
Nov 29, 2014; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo (84) celebrates his touchdown catch against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights with wide receiver Jacquille Veii (34) at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Paul Esden Jr: So first off when the Maryland Terapins lost Amba Etta-Tawo through the grad-transfer process, how much of a loss if any did you think the team had?
Chris Bengel (@CBengel_TSMD):
A: Honestly, I didn’t anticipate Amba Etta-Tawo being a huge loss. Throughout his Maryland career, he showed flashes of being a productive wideout, but never a game-changer.
Next: 5. Was Amba ever looked at as a high-potential guy?
Sep 2, 2016; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo (7) catches a pass for a touchdown as Colgate Raiders defensive back Cortney Mimms (26) defends during the first quarter at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Paul Esden Jr: Did you ever think he had anywhere near this kind of potential when he was at Maryland?
Chris Bengel (@CBengel_TSMD):
A: I didn’t see anything close to this type of potential from Etta-Tawo. His best year at Maryland came as a freshman in 2013 when he caught 31 passes for 500 yards and two touchdowns. While with Syracuse, he’s already at 706 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 2015. I honestly didn’t expect this, but Etta-Tawo is a hard worker, so you could certainly make a case that it was doable.
Next: 4. Why did things never work in Maryland?
Nov 29, 2014; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo (84) runs for a first half touchdown after his catch against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Byrd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Paul Esden Jr: With that being said, why do you think he never realized his full potential in a Maryland uniform?
Chris Bengel (@CBengel_TSMD):
A: That’s easy. The quarterback play definitely wasn’t the best during his three years in College Park. If I remember correctly, he played with five different quarterbacks during that time. While he was mainly used as a downfield threat, so targets weren’t exactly what you would call plentiful.
Next: 3. How good can Amba be?
Paul Esden Jr: Amba Etta-Tawo is in the top-5 of receiving yardage in all of college football right now, what’s his ceiling this season in your opinion?
Chris Bengel (@CBengel_TSMD):
It’s insane that Etta-Tawo is averaging 17.7 yards-per-catch and producing at such a high rate. While clearly he has a great rapport with Eric Dungey and that may be the top reason that Etta-Tawo is having this type of success. He’s on pace for a monster season and is already blowing by his career numbers. If he continues to receive targets, he could end up having one of the top single-season performances in Syracuse history. Considering the likes Marvin Harrison and Art Monk called the Carrier Dome home, that’s pretty remarkable.
Next: 2. Does he have a NFL future?
Syracuse football WR Amba Etta-Tawo sets SU single-game receiving record vs. UConn: https://t.co/KbaQBHPY4f
— Syracuse Football (@syrfootball) September 24, 2016
Paul Esden Jr: I know we are still very early in the season here, but what do you think of potentially an NFL future for Etta-Tawo?
Chris Bengel (@CBengel_TSMD):
While it’s certainly possible. One stellar season can definitely get the attention of NFL scouts. While mixing that with a strong Combine and maybe he gets scooped up on Day 2 or 3. While it’s not likely, anything is possible. One thing is definitely for sure: Etta-Tawo will put the work in to make it a possibility.
Next: 1. Final thoughts on Etta-Tawo from Chris
Maryland had a team total of 239 receiving in a win over FIU today. Amba Etta-Tawo had 270 yards today. #ThanksMaryland
— Syracuse Memes™ (@Cusememes) September 24, 2016
Paul Esden Jr: And finally any other thoughts on Etta-Tawo that we didn’t get too that you wanted to share from a Maryland perspective?
Chris Bengel (@CBengel_TSMD):
I think I speak for all Maryland fans when I say that we wish Etta-Tawo all the best. Definitely no hard feelings for deciding to transfer. He was simply the victim of a loaded depth chart at wide receiver during his time with the Terps. While he had to contend with the likes of Stefon Diggs, Levern Jacobs, Deon Long, and D.J. Moore for playing time during his three years with the program. Therefore I would love nothing more than to see Syracuse get to a bowl game and end Etta-Tawo’s career on a positive note.
Aug 6, 2016; Canton, OH, USA; Indianapolis Colt former wide receiver Marvin Harrison poses with his bust during the 2016 NFL Hall of Fame enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
A huge thanks to Site Expert, Chris Bengel, for taking the time to do this interview. Make sure to go give him a follow @CBengel_TSMD.
Also for all the latest with the Maryland Terps, make sure you follow @TerpStationMD. This was an incredible find for this Syracuse team.
While no one expected this kind of performance out of the Maryland transfer and apparently neither did Chris. This was a very insightful interview and provided a lot of context and back-story to the remarkable senior campaign for Etta-Tawo.
While just to give some of his stats some context. Etta-Tawo has already eclipsed his previous highs in just four games. While some of the tweets implied throughout the presentation, a healthy Etta-Tawo is going to obliterate every significant receiving record this season.
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