As Syracuse football heads toward preseason camp, the biggest question hovering over the Orange isn’t about the offense. It’s about whether the defense can stop handing out easy yards.
ESPN columnist David Hale pointed to numbers that jump off the page: Syracuse opponents ran for 5.27 yards per carry and averaged 6.5 yards per play overall. That kind of production puts a defense on its heels fast, letting offenses control the tempo and keeping the Orange from ever forcing teams into a one-dimensional approach.
That reality helped drive major staff changes on that side of the ball, with Vince Kehres coming in from Toledo. The level is different, but the production at Toledo was hard to ignore. Last season, Kehres’ defense held opponents to 2.68 yards per carry and 4.03 yards per play.
Kehres’ approach comes with a simple slogan: “11 vs 1”. He laid out the bigger picture this spring, saying, “We want to put a defense on the field that plays with great effort and tackles well, leverages the ball and plays together”.
Turnovers are another area Syracuse has to improve. Toledo forced 21 last season. Syracuse forced 10.
Now the focus shifts to how Kehres pieces everything together once camp opens. Syracuse appears to have two corners who can handle themselves in coverage, which raises the possibility of getting more aggressive with the safeties against the run. There’s also the question of whether the transfer edge rushers can help revive a pass rush that makes opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable and leads to bad decisions.
There are plenty of moving parts in Syracuse’s push to get back to a bowl game in 2026, but the defensive turnaround sits near the top of the list. The big test is whether the changes Fran Brown made will be enough.
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For Syracuse, the move fits an offseason that has leaned heavily on players with international ties while the roster still has room to grow. The Orange currently list 13 players, and with SMU transfer Tyi Skinner expected to be the lead option at point guard, Ricco looks like another piece in a backcourt picture that is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]