Fran Brown’s willingness to fix a problem before it blew up again has kept Syracuse from sliding all the way off the rails.
That doesn’t make this season a success. It doesn’t even make it pretty. But after the way 2025 started to unravel, the Orange at least have something they didn’t have a year ago: answers in the quarterback room.
Syracuse opened the year with promise, then watched the campaign get thrown off course when Steve Angeli got hurt. From there, the team spent the rest of the season cycling through quarterbacks who, as it turned out, were not ready to carry the job. The result was ugly - eight straight losses and a season that became a dud.
Brown, though, deserves credit for seeing the danger coming. Even with Angeli expected back as the Week 1 starter, he went into the transfer portal and added three quarterbacks with starting experience. He made sure Syracuse would not be trapped again by one injury to one player.
That depth got tested immediately, and then some. No one expected all three transfers and Angeli to appear in the first seven games, but that’s exactly where Syracuse found itself.
Angeli’s return wasn’t clean; he did not look sharp at first. He started the first three games, then Brown made a surprise move and started Amari Odom against UConn instead of the former Notre Dame quarterback.
Angeli was available against the Huskies, but he had received a PRP shot in his leg and then missed the next several weeks.
Odom’s run at the job didn’t last long. The Kennesaw State transfer hurt his shoulder in the win, was listed as questionable over the last few weeks, and has since undergone season-ending shoulder surgery.
That pushed Malachi Nelson into action, and the UTEP transfer held up well enough in competitive losses to Virginia and Louisville. Even so, he wasn’t able to stay healthy either, and that opened the door for Danny Lauter to play in both of those games.
Now the carousel has turned back to Angeli, who is back under center for Syracuse’s matchup with UNC. He sparked a fourth-quarter rally and led the Orange to a much-needed win over the Tar Heels.
The bigger point is that Syracuse’s quarterback depth has already paid off. The Orange have not exactly been stacking victories, especially in ACC play, but three of their four conference losses came by one possession. That’s not what fans want to hear, but it is a far cry from last season, when Angeli’s injury triggered an eight-game skid and Syracuse lost by an average of 27.5 points per game.
That difference has to count for something when people talk about Brown’s job security. Losing your starting quarterback is a real obstacle.
It is not, however, an excuse for a 22-point loss to Boston College. ‘Cuse still sits at the bottom of the ACC standings, but the margin has been much smaller this year.
In its four conference losses, Syracuse has been beaten by an average of just seven points.
The UNC win could be the start of something. Saturday brings a tough SMU team, and then Syracuse has a three-game stretch of home against Clemson, at NC State and at Boston College. If the Orange somehow win all three, they’ll be going bowling.
It hasn’t gone the way anyone around the program hoped, but things could have been much worse without Brown addressing a major hole in the offseason. Maybe the next lesson is finding a few dependable kickers in the portal.
In Other News...
Syracuse Just Added A Center Who Could Change Its Identity Inside
Syracuse bolstered its frontcourt with the addition of Luke Wilson, a 6-foot-9 transfer from Appalachian State who went through a crowded portal market before settling on the Orange. Wilson had multiple Power Five options on the table, but Syracuses coaching staff proved to be the draw, especially the chance to develop under big man coach Arinze Onuaku.
For a roster looking to define its interior identity, Wilson arrives with a skill set that stands out immediately. He is expected to compete for the starting center job, and his defensive profile is already established after leading the Sun Belt in blocks last season. If that edge carries over, Syracuse may have found a player who changes the way opponents attack the paint. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Gets A Real ACC Test With Momentum Finally Back
Syracuse finally snapped its conference skid with an overtime win, a result that gave the Orange a much-needed lift after a rough stretch in ACC play. Steve Angeli helped lead the way, and now the challenge shifts quickly from relief to reality, with a red-hot SMU team coming to town and the conference race tightening around both sides.
Kevin Jennings has been the centerpiece of SMUs climb, piling up the kind of production that has made him the most prolific passer in Mustangs history and helped position his team near the top of the ACC standings. SMU is tied for second and chasing a fifth straight win, which makes this a far sturdier measuring stick for Syracuse than the one it just passed, with the Orange trying to prove last week was a turning point rather than a one-off. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Found Unexpected Difference Makers In Its Breakthrough ACC Win
Syracuses first ACC win of the season came with a few unexpected names stepping into the spotlight in the 31-30 overtime victory at North Carolina. The Orange finally snapped a conference losing streak that had stretched more than a year, and the performance felt less like a one-off upset than a reminder that help can emerge from all over a roster when a game turns tight late.
Among the players who drew strong PFF grades were freshman offensive lineman Jayden Mann, junior running back Ahmad Miller, true freshman wide receiver Calvin Russell III and junior linebacker Zyian Moultrie-Goddard. Their work fed a balanced offensive effort and gave Syracuse enough defensive resistance to survive a one-point thriller, leaving the bigger question now whether these breakout contributions can become part of something more lasting as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]