Syracuse transfer wide receiver Damien Alford commits to Utah Utes
Syracuse transfer wideout Damien Alford found his new home in the transfer portal on Wednesday evening. The former Orange wide receiver officially committed to the Utah Utes and announced the move on his Twitter page.
The 6-foot-6 wideout was dismissed from Syracuse on Feb. 12.
No reason was provided at the time for why Alford was let go. There’s no doubt that Damien Alford is talented when he’s on the field. During his junior season in 2023, he led the Orange with 33 catches for 610 yards and three touchdowns, while starting all 13 games. Alford was also a team captain for the Orange last season.
In his true freshman season, Alford appeared in just four games for Syracuse as a reserve wide receiver. He caught just one pass for three yards that season in 2020. But in every single season after that, he would show improvement. He saw his role and production inrease for the team year in and year out.
Alford made five starts for Syracuse in 2021 as a redshirt freshman and appeared in all 12 of the team’s games, ending the year with 13 receptions for 249 yards and two scores. He followed that up with a 20-catch, 429-yard, two-score year, before his standout 2023 season.
Alford entered the transfer portal in January of 2023 but withdrew his name just one day later to return for his fourth season with the Orange. He was known for his big play ability with Syracuse, making a multitude of impressive contested catches throughout his career.
Alford played in 42 career games with 67 catches for 1,291 yards and seven touchdowns, securing four catches for 83 yards in the Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl against South Florida, which was the final game of his Syracuse career. He ends his tenure with the Orange ranked 22nd in program history in career receiving yards.
He’s played his entire collegiate career under former Syracuse head coach Dino Babers, who was fired on November 19 and has since been succeeded by former Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown. Brown brought in former Bulldogs’ wide receivers Yazeed Haynes and Jackson Meeks through the transfer portal this offseason, along with former Ohio State starting quarterback Kyle McCord.
Syracuse is coming off of a 6-7 (2-6) season in 2023, which led to Dino Babers being let go. The Orange will begin their 2024 campaign on Saturday, Aug. 31 against Ohio.
On3’s Kaiden Smith and Matt Connolly also contributed to this article.