ACC Network got a front-row look at Syracuse football training camp, and the Orange used the visit to show where things stand as they try to reset for 2026.
The broadcast featured several of the program’s key voices, with the message coming through clearly: last season is in the rearview, and Syracuse wants to get back to the level it flashed early in the 2025 campaign.
Steve Addazio, the veteran coach with head-coaching stops at Temple, Boston College and Colorado State, offered a blunt description of what he wants this team to be. When asked about Syracuse’s identity, he said, “Run it on offense and stop the run on defense.” He also came away impressed with the group up front, calling it “This is a better looking and well-coached offensive line.”
Quarterback Steve Angeli was another focal point of the segment, and his update will matter plenty to Syracuse fans. He said he “reached 100% a couple weeks ago, right before camp started.” Angeli added that the offseason wasn’t just about getting healthy; it was also about getting stronger and improving his body.
“When recovering I learned what could I do to improve my body,” Angeli said when reflecting on his offseason approach. And other thing he revealed was that he experienced a change physically as well, “I put on ten pounds of muscle,” he said.
Angeli also made it clear that last season’s finish still lingers. “For us last year left a sour taste in our mouth,” he said.
That feeling seems to run through the roster. Offensive lineman Trevion Mack said having Angeli back changes the outlook for the offense: “It’s a relief having Steve back at QB because I know what he can do and how he can run the offense.” The panel also pointed out that Fran Brown is 13-4 when he has had a healthy starting quarterback at Syracuse.
Angeli, for his part, pointed to two receivers who have already caught his attention in camp: “Amari Hatcher and Boobie Johnson have done a great job standing out so far.”
On the other side of the ball, cornerback Chris Peal had strong words for defensive coordinator Vince Kehres. “Vince has brought in so much knowledge that I didn’t even know,” Peal said. He added that Kehres has given the defense “new ways to look at the game” and “always providing an answer.”
Peal also had a playful take on Angeli’s condition, saying that “Steve is a different breed, he might have gotten even faster (after his injury).”
Syracuse may also have another offensive weapon coming later in the season. Wide receiver Calvin Russell is expected to return after undergoing the same type of surgery as Jayson Tatum, and Fran Brown has repeatedly said Russell will be ready in October.
With camp in motion, the Orange are trying to build toward a cleaner, sharper season and chase the form they showed in those first four games of 2025.
In Other News...
Syracuse Fans Have A New Dome Challenge Under Bryan Blair
Bryan Blair has given Syracuse fans a new target inside the JMA Wireless Dome, and it is not about attendance or even the scoreboard. The athletic director wants the crowd to chase the Guinness World Record for the loudest roar at an indoor sporting event, a mark that sits at 130.4 decibels and was set by Kansas in 2017.
Blair said the Dome would need to hit 130.5 decibels to take the record, though he did not put a date on when Syracuse might try. Any official attempt would also need Guinness representatives on hand to verify it, which leaves the concept hanging as more of a challenge than a scheduled event for now. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Suddenly Has Two Key Eligibility Cases Fans Need To Watch
A federal appeals court has abruptly changed the eligibility landscape for college athletes who had been counting on one more season, and Syracuse is suddenly paying close attention. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit granted the NCAAs request to stay a class-action lawsuit that had given athletes from the 2022 group a pathway to a fifth year, putting a new layer of uncertainty around roster planning for teams still sorting out late transfers and returning veterans.
For Syracuse, the most immediate names are basketball transfer Amarri Monroe and football wide receiver Justus Ross-Simmons, both of whom had been leaning on that preliminary injunction for extra eligibility. With the class-wide relief now on hold, athletes in their position are ineligible unless they secure their own court orders, and the ruling could push even more players toward state-level lawsuits as they look for individual relief. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Just Got A New Twist In Its Fifth-Year Eligibility Fight
The long-running fight over fifth-year eligibility took another turn this week, with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruling that Syracuse football player Justus Ross-Simmons and projected mens basketball player Amarri Monroe are ineligible to play for the 2026-27 season. The decision stayed a previous temporary injunction that had allowed athletes from the Class of 2022 to claim a fifth season of college eligibility, effectively putting the NCAA back in position to enforce its rules while the larger class-action case continues.
For Syracuse, the ruling adds another layer of uncertainty to roster planning in both football and basketball, especially for players and staffs trying to map out the next several years instead of just the next season. The bigger issue is still unresolved, though, and until the lawsuit reaches a final decision, the path for athletes hoping to use that extra year remains in limbo. [Read more 🡒]