Syracuse, N.Y. -- Dino Babers didn't take a summer vacation this year, opting to spend a brutally hot offseason in Central New York around the football complex and his players.
So, at a time when the team typically gets turned over to the strength coach, Syracuse football's third-year coach didn't need to rely on second-hand feedback as a means to measure his team's growth heading into the first practice of fall camp Thursday morning.
He saw it for himself.
"I gave up my entire summer," Babers said. "I was here the entire summer. I had an opportunity to witness it, and it was the best offseason we've had.