Fran Brown didn’t need long to identify what changed around Syracuse football this offseason. The obvious answer is Steve Angeli’s health. The other, Brown says, is bigger than one player: the Orange finally have the kind of leadership he believes can hold the whole thing together.
Brown pointed to last season as a warning sign. The problems were there before the losses piled up, he said, and they surfaced in the little stuff - even in how the team reacted when sprints were handed out as punishment.
Instead of pulling together, players started blaming one another and turning on each other. Early wins and Angeli’s presence covered some of that up, but once the losses mounted, the season unraveled into an eight-game skid, one of the worst runs in school history.
This time, Brown says, the foundation feels different.
“I’m happy with the leaders we’ve got,” Brown said. “I think we have real leaders that got to be here last year and are here again.
My first year we had those guys. And then they all left.
So then it was trying to develop them again.”
Brown made those comments Tuesday, just before Syracuse’s first official preseason practice Wednesday.
During his first year in charge, when Syracuse won 10 games, Brown had a core of established voices already in place: Marlowe Wax, Oronde Gadsden II, Justin Barron and LeQuint Allen. The roster also included veterans like Kyle McCord and Fadil Diggs. But after that wave of leadership and talent moved on to the NFL before last season, Brown said the Orange felt the loss in a major way.
“Over the summer there was different runs and stuff that had to happen and guys were arguing about it,” Brown said.
Now, Brown says he has a much clearer grip on the group. He called out a long list of players as part of his “champions group,” a label he used for the guys who have already shown the mentality he wants.
The group includes Antoine Deslauriers, Boobie Johnson, Byron Washington, Chris Peal, Cornell Perry, David Clement, Demetres Samuel Jr., Fran Brown Jr., Gary Bryant III, Joe Cruz, Josh Kubala, Kam Pringle, Nissi Ogbebor, Steve Angeli, Umari Hatcher and David Omopariola.
Brown also said newcomers Chris D’Appolonia and Dillan Fontus have already earned that same status.
He said he chose those players himself by watching for specific traits.
“We picked guys who performed under pressure, whose actions stay the same and are always willing to do what’s best for the guy next to him,” Brown said.
Brown also believes the staff around them is better equipped to help this team take a step. Syracuse lost starters at running back and wide receiver to the transfer portal last year - Yasin Willis, Johntay Cook and Darrell Gill - but Brown said he wasn’t bothered by those exits.
“I’m happy for all of them,” Brown said. “I’m really not (upset).
You want me to tell you who I was upset about? My man who went to Penn State (Trebor Pena).
I was upset about him two years ago. I thought he was an electrifying player.
I thought he was extremely tough.”
He then said the Orange should be better at both positions because of the coaches now in place.
“I think we’re better, to be honest,” Brown said. “I think we’re better because I believe in the coaches more. That’s not (directed) towards those other coaches, so when you go over this don’t try to make it as if I was coming at them.”
Brown followed that by listing Josh Gattis, Dennis Thomas, Sean Ryan and Juan Castillo and their credentials, saying he wanted to make sure the point was clear.
Even with Brown’s confidence, Syracuse enters camp without much national belief behind it. Las Vegas has the Orange’s over-under win total at 4.5 in most places, and the ACC preseason poll put Syracuse 14th.
Brown, though, said he doesn’t spend much time worrying about rankings or projections.
“I’m not supposed to be the head coach Syracuse (based on the polls),” Brown said. “I beat the odds on that.
My mom had me at 13 ... I beat the odds.
“I wish I went to the casino. I’d probably have good luck.”
In Other News...
Syracuse Leaders Think This Orange Team Is Far Better Than Expected
Syracuse is headed into its third season under Fran Brown, and theres a growing sense inside the program that this group has a lot more going for it than the preseason chatter suggested. Sophomore linebacker Antoine Deslauriers is expected to be one of the voices in the locker room, and he has been among the players pointing to a defense that feels sharper and more settled as camp unfolds.
A big part of that confidence comes from new defensive coordinator Vince Kehres, whose scheme has already made an impression on Deslauriers. He says the system helps the Orange play faster and more comfortably, a welcome sign for a team picked to finish 14th in the ACC. Syracuse still has plenty to prove, but the early mood around the defense suggests the Orange may be better positioned than outsiders think. [Read more 🡒]
Fran Brown Clarified Two Syracuse Questions Right Before Camp
Fran Brown used his pre-camp media session to clear up a couple of the most pressing questions around Syracuse football as training camp approaches in 2026. The Orange coach touched on the health of key players, including Calvin Russells Achilles injury and quarterback Steve Angelis recovery, while also offering a quick read on where the team stands heading into the season.
Brown also addressed the broader roster picture in an offseason shaped by changing NCAA eligibility rules, including the new 5-in-5 framework and the legal questions still hanging over athletes from the high school Class of 2022. For Syracuse, the message was less about chasing outside help and more about working with the group already in place, even as the rules around who can still play keep shifting underneath college football. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Just Added A Transfer With One Big Eligibility Question
A late eligibility ruling has opened the door for a class of players who fit a specific academic timeline, and Syracuse has moved quickly to take advantage of it. The Orange added a transfer who gives Gerry McNamara another familiar piece to work with, bringing in a player he already knows from past evaluation and one who could help deepen the roster as the program keeps building through the portal.
There is still a catch, though, and it is the kind that can linger well into the offseason. The rule is not settled, the NCAA has challenged the injunction, and the final answer on whether this addition can actually stick may depend on how that appeal plays out. For Syracuse, it is another reminder that roster construction now comes with as much legal and administrative suspense as basketball suspense. [Read more 🡒]