Fran Brown’s first press conference of the 2026 season gave Syracuse fans a clear look at where the Orange stand heading into Saturday’s opener against New Hampshire - and which names could shape the early part of the year.
The biggest immediate update came at running back. LSU transfer Ju’Juan Johnson will not play this weekend, but Brown said the Orange expect to have him ready for next week. Ahmad Miller, the Jackson State transfer, is set to get on the field right away.
"Ahmad [Miller] will be playing; Ju'Juan [Johnson] probably won't this weekend. That way, he'll be ready for next week. We're pretty light in the week, but I think it's best for him to be able to protect them and be ready for next weekend," Brown said.
Johnson arrives after a 2025 season at LSU in which he totaled 155 yards on 41 carries and scored two touchdowns. Syracuse added him in the portal to help a ground game that finished in the bottom half of the ACC last season, and the Orange are clearly planning to lean on him once he’s fully available. That timing points to the ACC opener against Cal as the first big spot to watch for him.
Brown also sounded confident about the defense, which is being rebuilt under new coordinator Vince Kehres. The system is new, the look is new, and the personnel has changed with linebacker Chris D’Appolonia and eight transfers joining the mix. But Brown said the group has started to click.
"From where it's going, I think that we've done a really good job of all gelling together, of being in that room, understanding what we're looking for," said Brown.
Kehres comes to Syracuse after guiding a Toledo defense that ranked second in the nation, and Brown said he and the coordinator have been aligned since Kehres arrived this offseason. That relationship has helped the defense settle in quickly as game week arrives.
On offense, Matthew Outten is already showing how Syracuse plans to use him. The Penn State transfer was listed as a running back on the first depth chart, which raised some eyebrows, but Brown made it clear that the label is about versatility, not a full position switch.
"He came here as Percy Harvin. That's how I recruited him, from when he first went to Penn State…He's a really good athlete. I want to take advantage of his skill set that he can do running back and receiving," said Brown.
Outten gives Syracuse another flexible piece in a reworked receiver room, and Brown’s comments suggest the Orange intend to move him around rather than box him into one role.
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Syracuse Lost A Champion Whose Legacy Reaches Far Beyond Football
Gerhard H. Schwedes, the Syracuse University football standout who helped steer the program to its only national championship, died Aug. 23 at his home in Fayetteville, New York. A 1959 captain and All-American, Schwedes was central to an undefeated Orange season that ended with a Cotton Bowl victory, a standard the program still measures itself against all these years later.
Schwedes impact went well beyond that title run. He went on to play professionally in the AFL, later served in the U.S. Army and was inducted into the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame in 2014, a reminder that his legacy was built on more than one celebrated fall in Orange. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuses First Depth Chart Just Raised Real Opener Questions
Syracuses first depth chart for the season opener against New Hampshire did more than map out the early pecking order. It also offered an immediate reminder that Week 1 can be as much about availability as it is about evaluation, with running back JuJuan Johnson likely to be held out even though he has been cleared to play. Ahmad Miller is expected to suit up, but the injury situation around him leaves the Orange with some uncertainty behind the line of scrimmage.
Tylik Hill or Matthew Ouetten now looks positioned to get the start at running back, while several other names, including Tyshawn Russell and Justus Ross-Simmons, were left off the chart because of injury or playing status. On the other side of the ball, Syracuse appears set to open in a 4-2-5 look with a few new starters in the mix, which makes the first game a useful early test not just of depth, but of how quickly the Orange can settle into the roles it wants before the competition gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Fran Brown Hinted At Two Syracuse Questions Still Hanging Over Week 1
Fran Brown met with the media ahead of Syracuses season opener against New Hampshire and spent much of the session reinforcing the same themes that have defined his early tenure: culture, role definition and a roster that looks more settled than it did a year ago. He praised the staffs work in building the team and pointed to sophomore defensive back Demetres Samuel Jr. as one of the players making real progress as camp turns into game week.
The bigger immediate questions are on the depth chart. Transfer running back JuJuan Johnson is expected to sit out the opener as a precaution, and the backup quarterback spot remains unsettled with Amari Odom and Malachi Nelson still competing for the job. Browns comments suggested the Orange are close to final answers, but not quite there yet, which leaves a few important details unresolved as Syracuse gets ready for Week 1. [Read more 🡒]