Angeli's Return Is Syracuse's Whole Season
Syracuse finished 3-9 (1-7 ACC) in 2025, a jarring drop from the 10-3 breakthrough of Fran Brown's debut that closed with a bowl win and a No. 20 national ranking. The unraveling traced to one snap: quarterback Steve Angeli tore his Achilles against Clemson with the Orange sitting at 3-1, and the offense cratered without him, losing the final eight games and failing to top 18 points in any of them. Now in Year 3, Brown (13-12 at the school) has rebuilt nearly every skill spot through the portal and handed the defense to new coordinator Vince Kehres. The whole season rides on keeping Angeli healthy.
Offense
Angeli is the ballgame. Before the injury he was leading the nation in passing, throwing for 1,317 yards on 63 percent accuracy with a 10-2 touchdown-to-interception mark across four starts, including a six-touchdown outburst against Colgate that matched a school record set by Jim Brown in 1956. He came over from Notre Dame, where he spent the 2023-24 seasons, and he was a limited participant in the spring before declaring himself ready to go. This time the room behind him is stocked. Kennesaw State transfer Amari Odom, who quarterbacked that program to a conference title and ran for 347 yards, is regarded as one of the better backups in the country, and UTEP transfer Malachi Nelson brings blue-chip pedigree as the clear No. 2. With five quarterbacks who have started somewhere, depth is a genuine strength for the first time in a while.
The bigger worry is who Angeli throws to. Syracuse lost all three starting wideouts and its top tight end, then absorbed another blow when five-star freshman Calvin Russell III, ticketed for an immediate role, tore his own Achilles in the spring and is expected to be sidelined into November. The rebuild leans on transfers. Cole Weaver, a 6-3, 220-pound target from Miami (Ohio), is the presumptive go-to man after catching 45 passes for 642 yards last year, and the staff likes his speed and his knack for winning jump balls. Umari Hatcher returns from injury as the spring offensive MVP following a productive 2023, while Florida State transfer Elijah Moore, Penn State's Matt Outten and holdover Tyshawn Russell fill out the two-deep. At tight end, veteran David Clement and Western Kentucky transfer Noah Meyers give Angeli reliable underneath options, with sophomore Daunte Bacheyie flashing upside.
The backfield was gutted too, with the top two rushers gone and no returner who gained even 130 yards on the ground last season. Brown restocked with production from lower levels: LSU transfer Ju'Juan Johnson and Jackson State's Ahmad Miller, who ran for better than 1,000 yards at a 6.4 clip, headline the committee, while sophomore Tylik Hill pushes for early carries. The group is unproven at this level, and a functional run game is essential to keep defenses honest and take pressure off Angeli.
The line is the offense's steadiest unit, built on continuity and a stack of veteran starts. Left tackle Trevion Mack, guard Byron Washington, center Joe Cruz and Naquil Betrand all return with starting experience, and the group carries better than 40 career starts collectively. New position coach Juan Castillo, who spent nearly three decades in the NFL, folds in transfers Oluwafunto Akinshilo from UCLA and David Ndukwe from Houston to deepen a rotation that also features promising young tackle Kam Pringle. If the front holds up, the offense should look far closer to its 2024 form.
Defense
The defense was the season's real sinkhole, surrendering 5.3 yards per carry and ranking near the very bottom of the FBS against the run. Brown responded by essentially rebuilding the front, losing all four starters and importing four transfers to remake it. UNLV transfer Tunmise Adeleye, a 6-4, 275-pound end coming off a breakout campaign, headlines the new pass rush. FCS All-American Keyshawn Johnson arrives from UT Martin having piled up 22 sacks over three seasons there and at Grambling, and Maryland transfer Dillan Fontus profiles as a natural three-technique alongside returning starter Rashard Perry. Four-star freshmen Kamron Wilson and Jarius Rodgers could supply rush help right away. Kehres, who built one of the nation's stingiest defenses at Toledo, will run a flexible scheme mixing four- and three-man fronts.
The second level blends transfers and youth. Toledo's Chris D'Appolonia followed Kehres to Syracuse and is charged with running the communication in the new system after a 68-tackle season. Sophomore Antoine Deslauriers, one of the more productive true freshman linebackers in the country a year ago with 60 tackles, returns in the middle, and South Dakota transfer Gary Bryant III adds an experienced, tackle-hungry presence. The staff should have the depth to rotate five or six bodies, though executing run fits cleanly in a first-year scheme is the swing factor.
The secondary is where the talent is most obvious, starting with a cornerback tandem that ranks among the best in the country. Chris Peal, a former Georgia signee, is drawing buzz as a possible first-round pick in the 2027 draft after logging 47 tackles, seven pass breakups and 2.5 tackles for loss, while Demetres Samuel Jr. broke up nine passes as a true freshman starter on the other side. Western Kentucky transfer Nazir Ward, a 13-game starter, and Toledo's Amare Snowden add depth and savvy. Safety is thinner after three veteran starters departed, leaving Cornell Perry and Braheem Long to anchor a spot the staff needs to firm up. With corners this good, expect Syracuse to lean on heavy man coverage.
The kicking game is settled at one spot and starting over at the other. Iowa transfer Tripp Woody was dependable in 2025, connecting on 12 of 14 field goals and every attempt from inside 40 yards. Punter is the question after the departure of a standout, but Syracuse reeled in the top-rated punter in the 2026 recruiting class in freshman Jimmy Gregg and hopes he lives up to the billing immediately. Samuel doubles as the primary man on both return units.
Overview and Prediction
The schedule offers a soft landing early, with New Hampshire, California and a trip to Pittsburgh opening things, but the back half is unforgiving: home dates with Louisville, SMU, Clemson and Notre Dame headline a stretch in which the Orange project as an underdog in most weeks. Oddly, several of the more winnable games fall on the road, at UConn, Virginia and Boston College. The preseason consensus slots Syracuse near the bottom of the ACC, around 15th, with a modest bump up from three wins as the realistic outlook.
The verdict is straightforward, because winning at Syracuse has always come down to quarterback play. A healthy Angeli, a deep quarterback room and a rebuilt-but-talented supporting cast should push the offense back toward the 2024 standard, and Kehres has the personnel and the track record to lift a defense that was among the worst in the country. The make-or-break is protection and health: keep Angeli upright and this is a bowl-caliber team again; lose him and last season's collapse is the cautionary tale. Bank on clear improvement over 3-9, with a return to the postseason the target.