Syracuse’s third fall camp practice brought a clear message from the defensive side: the standard is being set early, and Vince Kehres is wasting no time making his presence felt.
After Friday’s session, the new defensive coordinator and defensive back Chris Peal spoke with the media, but the tone of the day had already been established on the field. Fran Brown was in the middle of a drill himself, working alongside the players as they tried to dodge a blocker and finish the tackle.
When a rep wasn’t clean, Brown stepped in with instruction before jumping back into the line. It was a vivid snapshot of how Syracuse is approaching camp after last season’s 3-9 finish.
That push fits neatly with Brown’s D.A.R.T. message - detailed, accountable, relentless, tough - and Kehres is bringing his own version of that same demand to a defense that needs to carry a heavy load this fall. Hired in the offseason to replace Elijah Robinson, Kehres arrives with a reputation for discipline and structure, and he’s making it clear that effort is non-negotiable.
“Great defense is a collection of a bunch of people that really believe in the unit,” Kehres said. “If you are not giving great effort, then you are being selfish, and honestly you are not going to be on the field here."
Kehres comes to Syracuse after coaching at Toledo, where the Rockets ranked No. 3 nationally in total defense and fourth in scoring defense. That background gives the Orange a coordinator with a proven track record, and he inherits a defense with some real building blocks in place.
The linebacker group returns most of its pieces, while former Toledo defender Chris D'Appolonia has followed Kehres to Syracuse. In the secondary, the cornerback room stands out as a strength, with Chris Peal, Demetres Samuel Jr. and Davien Kerr among the returning names.
Peal said Kehres has already shown an ability to put players in the right spots and make the scheme easy to trust.
"He puts people in the right circumstances," Peal said. "He knows what he's doing so well and his scheme is so sound. Everyone fits in the right place."
Peal is one of the most highly regarded players on the defense, and the redshirt junior cornerback entered camp with preseason All-ACC recognition as Syracuse’s only player on that team. He’s also learning his third different defense as a college player, but his view of what’s coming under Kehres is a strong one.
"I feel like you are going to see a very explosive, very hard-playing lockdown defense.” Peal said. “You are going to see something special.”
There’s also a bigger spotlight on Peal than ever. He has shown up in plenty of NFL mock drafts, with some projecting him as high as the first round. If that buzz turns into draft reality, Syracuse could have its first first-round pick since 2013, when Justin Pugh went 19th overall to the New York Giants.
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The first place that makeover figures to be judged is up front, where Kehres has already sounded encouraged by the defensive line room as camp approaches. Syracuse needs that unit to hold up if the rest of the defense is going to follow, and the mix of portal help, younger returnees and incoming freshmen gives the staff at least some reason to believe the group can be deeper than it was a year ago. The question now is whether that depth can become something more than optimism once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
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