Fran Brown isn’t buying the preseason talk that has Syracuse pegged near the bottom of the ACC.
The Orange were slotted 14th in the 17-team ACC Media Poll, but Brown made it clear Tuesday that he’s already heard enough of the doubters. “They said I wasn’t supposed to be the head coach at Syracuse. I beat the odds on that.”
Miami, which reached the College Football Playoff title game last season, was picked to win the league.
Syracuse is coming off a 3-9 season and dropped eight straight games to close the year after Steve Angeli’s season-ending Achilles injury, so the skepticism isn’t hard to understand. Still, there’s reason to think the Orange can do better than that projection. The belief is that Syracuse can get to 6-6 and secure bowl eligibility, with a shot at finishing 7-5.
A lot hinges on the roster turnover from the transfer portal, and the serious injury to Calvin Russell III adds another obstacle. But a healthy Angeli changes the picture.
Last season, he helped Syracuse jump out to a 3-1 start, throwing for 1,317 yards with 10 touchdowns and only two interceptions. He also guided the Orange to a big win over Clemson while healthy, which still matters in the evaluation of what this team can be.
Syracuse opens the regular season Sept. 5 at home against the University of New Hampshire. Kickoff is set for noon ET.
In other Syracuse news, new basketball coach Gerry McNamara is already working both sides of the calendar - the present and the future. On Monday, Syracuse added Class of 2027 recruit Jack Donohue.
Donohue is listed at 6-foot-8 and played at Christian Brothers Academy in Albany before transferring to a prep school in Massachusetts. Per 247 Sports, he’s a three-star prospect and the No. 4 player in Massachusetts. He’s known as a good shooter, though his eventual role at Syracuse remains unclear with so much still to be determined between the NBA Draft and the transfer portal.
Syracuse basketball finished 15-17 last season and hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament in five years. McNamara will make his first trip to the sideline as head coach of his alma mater on Nov. 2, when the Orange host New Haven.
In Other News...
Gerry McNamara Just Sent Syracuse Fans An Early Rebuild Signal
Gerry McNamara is already shaping Syracuses next roster with an eye on both the present and what comes after it, and the early signs point to a program trying to stay competitive without losing sight of the long game. The Orange have landed Jack Donohue, a 6-foot-8 three-star prospect from Massachusetts in the Class of 2027, a move that fits the idea of building out the front end of the pipeline while the staff continues working the current schedule and the broader shape of the team.
There is also more immediate roster business still hanging over the season, with Syracuse adding Cornell to the non-conference slate and finalizing other games around it. At the same time, the possibility of player departures after this year remains part of the conversation, which is why McNamaras approach feels like more than just a recruiting note. It reads as a signal that Syracuse is planning for both the lineup it has now and the one it may need to assemble soon after. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Leaders Think This Orange Team Is Far Better Than Expected
Syracuse is heading into its third season under Fran Brown with a different feel around the program, and sophomore linebacker Antoine Deslauriers sounds like one of the players helping drive it. He is expected to take on a bigger leadership role this fall, and he pointed to the arrival of new defensive coordinator Vince Kehres as a reason the Orange have been able to settle in and play with more speed and comfort on that side of the ball.
That matters because the outside expectations are still low, with Syracuse picked to finish 14th in the ACC. Deslauriers, though, has made it clear he believes the team is better than that forecast suggests, and his confidence reflects a defense that believes it has made real progress heading into the season. The question now is whether that internal belief shows up once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]