Syracuse coach Fran Brown made it clear Tuesday that he’s not chasing extra bodies for the Orange’s 2026 roster. Even with last week’s court ruling in Colorado creating a temporary injunction around the NCAA’s recently passed “Five in Five” rule, Brown said he’s comfortable with the group he already has in place.
The ruling could affect Class of 2022 athletes who sued in hopes of being allowed a fifth year of college football. For Syracuse, that included players such as safety Devin Grant, who is now in the Los Angeles Chargers camp, and defensive lineman Denis Jacquez Jr., who has already moved into coaching at South Alabama. Brown, though, wasn’t interested in treating the decision like a roster-opening opportunity.
“We're real comfortable with the team that we have, and we have had a chance to develop,” Brown explained. “We've been together since January.
I feel like we've bonded in a good way - a lot of genuine love and caring for each other. So with Title IX and things of that nature, our team is pretty full.”
Brown’s roster stance was only part of a broader Tuesday session that touched on preseason expectations and the state of his program. He also took aim at Syracuse’s placement in last week’s ACC media poll, where 188 media members slotted the Orange deep in the conference’s lower tier. Brown repeated the number with obvious disbelief, saying, “14th, you have got to be kidding me.”
But he didn’t spend long dwelling on it. Brown brushed off outside opinions and said his focus stays on the work in front of him, not on projections made before the season.
“I'm not supposed to be a head coach, my Mom had me at 13, I always go back to that. I beat those odds, right?” Brown asked rhetorically while stressing that the only thing he can control is how his team prepares.
The message from there was straightforward: Syracuse has to go out and prove it.
“We just got to go play. And when it's time to play, (then) let's see what happens,” Brown added.
“We're going to compete. I know that's what you guys (media/fans) want to see.
A team that wants to compete, a team that is willing to do whatever it takes to win, all 60 minutes.”
Brown also pointed to the Orange’s improved coaching staff and overall talent as part of the picture, while noting that wide receiver Calvin Russell III is expected back at some point during the season after an offseason torn Achilles heel injury. For now, though, the bigger takeaway from Tuesday was Brown’s confidence in the roster already assembled - and his refusal to treat the latest eligibility developments as a reason to start shopping for more help.
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 🡒]
Fran Brown Is Already Leaning Into Syracuses Underdog Season
Fran Brown did not flinch at the way Syracuse was slotted in the ACC preseason chatter, and in some ways that is exactly the point. After a 3-9 finish last year, the Orange are being asked to prove they can climb out of the conference basement, but Brown sounded eager to use the low expectations as fuel as the season approaches.
Syracuse opens on Sept. 5 against New Hampshire, giving Brown and his team an early chance to show whether the outside skepticism is justified or badly misplaced. On the hoops side, Gerry McNamara already added Class of 2027 recruit Jack Donohue as the basketball program gets ready to tip off on Nov. 2, another reminder that there is plenty of Syracuse optimism to track across campus even as the football team tries to change its narrative first. [Read more 🡒]