Syracuse’s special teams room is starting to take shape as Week 1 approaches, and coach Alex Bayer already has a short list of players he believes can matter in that phase.
That matters for an Orange team spending August trying to build off last season’s 3-9 record. Training camp is still about sorting out the roster and finding snaps wherever they can be found, and special teams remains one of the easiest ways for players to carve out a role.
Bayer, a former Bowling Green tight end who earned two All-MAC selections and spent two seasons in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams, has been around plenty of football stops. After his playing career ended, he moved into coaching with stops at Bowling Green, Valparaiso, Wake Forest and Otterbein.
From his view, there are a few names worth watching.
"There are a few guys. Demetres Samuel Jr. and Kerr (Davian Kerr) both did it last season.
You got Ju'Juan Johnson back there as punt returners. You got Amare' Gough, we are training him.
Shavane Anderson, we are training him."
Samuel is one of Syracuse’s more prominent players and is expected to spend most of his time at defensive back, though he could also see work at wide receiver and on special teams. Johnson, a transfer from LSU, could also be in line for action at running back.
The kicking game has a familiar face at the top. Tripp Woody is projected to open the season as the starting kicker again after arriving from Iowa last year.
In his first season with Syracuse, he played in every game and hit 12 of 14 field goal attempts, including a spotless 10-for-10 from inside 40 yards. He also finished 22-for-22 on extra points.
At punter, Syracuse is expected to turn to freshman Jimmy Gregg, who was ranked the No. 1 punter in the country by 247 Sports. The Orange had to replace Jack Stonehouse, who was cut by the Houston Texans earlier this summer.
The long-snapping job appears headed to newly converted Fran Brown Jr., a transfer from St. Francis who began his college career at linebacker before switching to long snapper. The holder has not yet been announced.
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 🡒]