Former Maryland and current Syracuse receiver Amba Etta-Tawo has been nothing short of elite the first four weeks of this college football season, and it has not gone unnoticed. He was added to the 2016 Biletnikoff Award watch list, rewarding the nation’s top receiver.
Etta-Tawo already has more yards this season (706) than he totaled in his last two seasons at Maryland; not to mention that he has the most receiving yards in the FBS. His 40 catches (tied for fourth most in the FBS) surpass his career high in receptions per season, when he caught 31 passes for 500 yards as a redshirt freshman. He currently averages 176.5 receiving yards per game, and he set the Syracuse single-game receiving record Saturday against UConn.
Once a member of Maryland’s wide receiving corps, the Georgia native had high expectations to fill the role as top receiver last year following Stefon Diggs’ departure to the NFL. However, a combination of poor quarterback play and inconsistent playing time sidelined Etta-Tawo, who clearly had high potential.
Etta-Tawo announced in March that he would be leaving College Park after he graduated earlier this year. The redshirt senior and Syracuse sophomore quarterback Eric Dungey have proved to be a stellar combination.
Syracuse’s new head coach is Dino Babers, whom you might remember from last season when he led Bowling Green to an upset victory against the Terps at Maryland Stadium. In that game, Roger Lewis, now a member of the New York Giants, torched the Maryland secondary, recording 200 receiving yards and a touchdown.
