Syracuse football is down to its last week of training camp, with the program set to shift into game-week prep on Aug. 31.
That means the long stretch since last season finally reaches its next checkpoint. Syracuse is trying to put a 3-9 campaign in 2025 behind it after working through coaching staff changes, the transfer portal, the final recruiting windows, spring ball and now camp. The media may not be buying much, but there’s still confidence from within that the Orange can win enough to get back to bowl eligibility after a year away.
The biggest question hanging over the final days of camp is who will back up Steve Angeli.
Angeli is clearly the starter, and Syracuse needs him to be. But last season showed just how much the quarterback depth chart matters.
The Orange went 3-1 with Angeli and lost all eight games they played with a backup quarterback after his torn Achilles. That makes the battle for QB2 one of the most important storylines on the roster.
Syracuse has tried to shore up that spot with Amari Odom from Kennesaw State, Malachi Nelson from UTEP and Danny Lauter from Georgetown. Even with that group in place, the competition remains open enough that the answer may not come until the Week 1 depth chart is released.
There’s also uncertainty in the wide receiver room as the legal situation involving recently departed seniors seeking a fifth year of eligibility continues to work its way through the NCAA process. A blanket answer still hasn’t arrived, and until it does, Syracuse doesn’t know exactly how that group will look. That matters even more with Calvin Russell out, possibly for the season.
The Orange open the regular season on Sept. 5 against New Hampshire at the JMA Wireless Dome.
In Other News...
Syracuse Is Bringing A Program Legend Back At The Perfect Time
Syracuses training camp will get a familiar boost later this week when Fran Brown said Dwight Freeney will be around for a practice session as the Orange continue getting ready for their season opener against New Hampshire. It is the kind of reminder that still carries weight in this program, because Freeneys name means a lot in Syracuse, where he starred before building a decorated NFL career.
The timing makes sense, too, with Brown trying to sharpen the roster in the final stretch before game week. Freeney has remained connected to the program over the years, from having his jersey retired to showing up for a coaching clinic, so his return to the field fits into a long-running relationship with Syracuse. The bigger question is what kind of impact his presence will have on a team that is trying to make its last camp reps count. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Could Get Pulled Deeper Into A New Ross-Simmons Fight
The transfer and draft landscape around college football may be shifting again, and Syracuse has a direct stake in it because of Justus Ross-Simmons. The wide receiver was initially ruled eligible to return, a development that mattered for a team trying to manage its roster and keep experienced depth in place, but that status changed after an NCAA stay. Now the broader conference conversation is starting to move in the same direction as the Big Ten, which has already passed legislation preventing professional football players from coming back to college.
The ACC is reportedly weighing similar rules, and if that happens it could drag Syracuse further into the middle of the Ross-Simmons situation rather than settling it. The conference is looking at language that would make players who declared for the NFL Draft or signed pro contracts ineligible to return, a framework that would only sharpen the uncertainty around cases like this one. For Syracuse, the issue is no longer just about one players path, but about how quickly the rules around that path may harden around the sport. [Read more 🡒]
Fran Brown Settled Syracuse's QB Race But One Orange Question Remains
Fran Brown has taken one big item off Syracuses offseason checklist by naming Steve Angeli the starter for the 2026 season opener. Browns confidence in Angeli has been clear, and the coach pointed to the quarterbacks leadership and detailed approach as signs the Orange have a steady hand leading the offense after Angeli worked his way back from an Achilles tendon injury.
Justus Ross-Simmons, meanwhile, remains part of the larger conversation around Syracuses roster as Brown addressed the wide receivers eligibility situation and voiced support for him while he continues working toward his degree. With the quarterback decision settled, the attention now shifts to how the rest of the offense comes together, and whether the Orange can get one more key piece sorted before camp arrives. [Read more 🡒]