Syracuse’s first week of training camp has already put one name front and center: Chris Peal.
The defensive back enters the 2025 season as one of the Orange’s biggest storylines after a standout year in a 3-9 campaign. In 12 games, all starts, Peal finished with 47 tackles, seven pass breakups and a forced fumble, production that has him showing up on multiple national draft boards as a potential first-round pick in 2026 NFL draft analyses.
Peal is a redshirt junior, which technically leaves him with two more seasons of eligibility. Still, the expectation is that this will be his final college season, and his stock could rise even more if he follows up last year’s breakout with another strong year.
A big part of that outlook ties to Syracuse’s new defensive coordinator, Vince Kehres. Peal spoke this week about what Kehres brings to the Orange, and he was quick to point to the coach’s history with NFL talent, especially in the secondary.
" He plays to player's strengths," Peal said of Kehres. "He knows what he is doing.
He does it so well. The scheme is so sound.
He puts everyone where they can be their best."
That reputation isn’t empty talk. Six defensive backs from Toledo, where Kehres previously served as defensive coordinator, are currently on NFL training camp rosters.
Peal also has a new look for the season: No. 12 is back on his jersey. He wore No. 16 last season because his preferred number was already in use by senior Justus Ross-Simmons on offense and Anwar Sparrow on defense. With both players gone, Peal reclaimed the number that has meant the most to him.
Back in 2022, while at Georgia, Peal explained why No. 12 carries so much weight. According to DawgNation, he said it honors his late brother, A.J. Peal.
"I’m wearing his number actually. No.
- That’s his number.
I hold it close to my heart. He passed away last year in August due to some gun violence.
I’m really playing for my brother. I want to be great for him.
I want to make it to the league for him. I pray to him every day."
Syracuse will keep working through preseason practices in August before turning its attention to a Sept. 5 opener. That game is scheduled for noon ET at the JMA Wireless Dome.
In Other News...
Syracuse Defense Is Giving Fans A Reason To Believe Again
By the time Syracuse wrapped its third fall training camp practice, the tone around the defense was already starting to shift. New coordinator Vince Kehres, fresh in from Toledo, spent his media session talking up the groups strength and the kind of standard he expects it to play with, while defensive back Chris Peal offered a players view of the transition. Peal, a preseason All-ACC cornerback and a name to keep in mind for the NFL draft picture, said the group is still sorting through the details as it settles into Kehres system.
What makes the early buzz matter is how much Syracuse needs this side of the ball to hold up if it wants to turn belief into something more concrete this fall. Peals presence gives the secondary a clear anchor, and his comfort level in the new defense will be one of the cleaner indicators of where this unit is headed. For now, the signs are encouraging, but camp has only just begun, and the real test will come once the pace and pressure pick up. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Defense Faces One Huge Test Under Vince Kehres
Vince Kehres arrives in Syracuse with a reputation that should matter immediately. After five seasons coordinating Toledos defense and a head-coaching stint at Mount Union before that, he steps into a program whose defense spent 2025 near the bottom nationally in both total and scoring defense, the kind of slide that demands more than a cosmetic fix. The Orange are hoping his track record in a very different environment can translate into something sturdier when the 2026 season opens.
The first place that makeover figures to be judged is up front, where Kehres has already sounded encouraged by the defensive line room as camp approaches. Syracuse needs that unit to hold up if the rest of the defense is going to follow, and the mix of portal help, younger returnees and incoming freshmen gives the staff at least some reason to believe the group can be deeper than it was a year ago. The question now is whether that depth can become something more than optimism once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Is Gaining Early Ground With A Fast-Rising New York Big Man
Syracuse has made a clear early push with Damian Mojica, the fast-rising New York big man in the 2028 class whose recruiting stock has climbed quickly in recent months. The four-star prospect already has scholarship offers from Syracuse and Purdue, among others, and his growing national profile has made him one of the more intriguing in-state names for the Orange to track this cycle.
Mojica was on campus in late June, giving Syracuse an early chance to strengthen a relationship that has been building through active contact with the coaching staff. For a program that has long valued keeping top New York talent home when possible, his rise adds another layer to a recruitment that still has plenty of time to develop, but already looks like one worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]