Syracuse is catching a break on the schedule front, even if it comes in the form of an opponent’s bad luck.
Boston College tight end Kaelan Chudzinski, one of the top freshman tight ends in the country in 2025, is expected to miss the season with an Achilles injury, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. That takes him out of the Nov. 21 meeting with Syracuse in Chestnut Hill, Mass., the second-to-last game on the Orange’s schedule.
It’s the kind of development that can matter late in the year. Syracuse is trying to get back to bowl eligibility after going 3-9 in 2025, a season that followed a 10-win run in 2024 and a trip to the Holiday Bowl. Boston College, meanwhile, handled Syracuse 34-12 in last year’s finale, and Chudzinski was part of that game, finishing with 41 receiving yards on one catch.
The Orange are also set to hear from their head coach this week. Fran Brown will address the media on Thursday at 12:00 p.m.
ET during the ACC Football Kickoff special, where he’ll talk about the state of the program heading into 2026. The event runs through Friday, and Syracuse will also send three players to speak, including quarterback Steve Angeli.
There was also some conference news tied to the kickoff event. As Tom Goslowski noted, the ACC revealed details on a new football tiebreaker system.
Because teams won’t be playing the same number of league games, head-to-head will be the first tiebreaker. If that doesn’t apply, the league can use resume to determine ACC title game participants, which could mean a 6-3 team with the stronger profile gets the nod over a 6-2 team with fewer losses.
And on the broader Syracuse front, fans got an early dose of basketball reality on Tuesday when ESPN’s Joe Lunardi released his first bracketology for the 2026-27 men’s season. Even with the first tip still 3.5 months away, Lunardi doesn’t currently have Syracuse among the top 84 teams.
In Other News...
Fran Brown Arrives At ACC Kickoff With Syracuse Fans Wanting One Answer
Fran Brown is heading to Charlotte this week with a few familiar faces, and Syracuse fans already know the conversation waiting for him. The Orange coach will be joined at the ACC Football Kickoff by Steve Angeli, Antoine Deslauriers and Demetres Samuel Jr., giving the program a chance to put its people in front of the leagues media as all 17 ACC teams cycle through their preseason turn in the spotlight.
For Syracuse, the event is about more than the usual summer talking points. Brown and his players will field questions about where the Orange stand entering the season, but the loudest curiosity is centered on Angeli and what his status means for the offense after the injury he suffered against Clemson. It is the kind of backdrop that turns a routine kickoff appearance into a real checkpoint for a team trying to answer big questions before camp gets fully rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Why Malachi Nelson Is A Syracuse Quarterback Fans Need To Know
Malachi Nelson is the kind of quarterback addition that can get overlooked in the shuffle of a transfer cycle, but Syracuse has reason to keep him on the radar. The redshirt junior arrived from UTEP after committing in January 2024, bringing a rsum that includes real starting experience and the kind of arm talent that once made him one of the most talked-about recruits in the country. He spent 2025 opening six games for the Miners, throwing for 1,163 yards with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions, a line that shows both the upside and the growing pains that come with a young passer still trying to settle in.
For Syracuse, the immediate interest is less about the headline and more about the depth chart. Steve Angeli is the likely starter for 2026, which makes the backup job a meaningful one, especially in a sport where one injury can change everything in a hurry. Nelson is expected to be in that mix, and the competition around him will tell the Orange plenty about how comfortable the staff feels with its quarterback room heading into the season. [Read more 🡒]