With Syracuse’s exhibition opener against UConn set for Oct. 13 at Mohegan Sun Arena, the Orange are now inside two weeks of game action. That makes October a good time to sort through the biggest questions hanging over a team that finished 15-17 last season and missed the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year.
At the top of the list is whether Gerry McNamara has the room fully behind him. There’s no obvious reason to doubt it, but until the players speak and the team gets on the floor, it’s still an open question.
McNamara arrives with momentum after a strong season at Siena University, where he guided the Saints to the NCAA Tournament and nearly knocked off No. 1 Duke.
He also brings familiarity, credibility and a track record that should make his message easy to accept. Still, the real proof will come from how the roster responds once the games begin.
The next major issue is whether Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White can take clear steps forward. Both were true freshmen a year ago, and both flashed promise while also dealing with the usual ups and downs that come with that role.
Their development matters a lot for Syracuse. Anthony is said to have made progress as a three-point shooter, and White appears to be trending that way too.
The Orange added a solid transfer group, but the homegrown players remain central to how this season plays out. Syracuse needs both of them to produce offensively, and Anthony in particular has to improve defensively.
He also looks bigger after the offseason, which should help him handle contact better. On top of that, both players are expected to grow into leadership roles.
Then there’s the Amarri Monroe situation, and that one still isn’t settled. The Quinnipiac transfer is dealing with the NCAA over an extra fifth year of eligibility through the "age-based eligibility" model.
If he ends up on the roster, he would be a major addition after being named the MAAC Player of the Year for 2024-25. For now, though, that remains a very big if, and Syracuse is still waiting for clarity.
In Other News...
Syracuse Just Landed A Recruit Built For McNamaras Rebuild
Syracuse added a major piece to its long-range rebuild when Moussa Kamissoko, the 6-foot-7 forward from the Bronx, committed to the Orange. A consensus Top 20 recruit in the 2027 class, Kamissoko arrives with the kind of profile that instantly raises the ceiling of a program trying to reestablish itself on the national recruiting map. He is also the No. 1 player in New York for his class, giving Syracuse a homegrown centerpiece to build around.
For a program that has been searching for a talent of this caliber, the commitment carries real weight. Kamissokos game is built on length, athleticism and competitiveness, with a reputation for excelling in transition on both ends and rebounding well beyond what his slender frame might suggest. Syracuse has not landed a recruit ranked this highly since Carmelo Anthony, which makes this commitment feel less like another addition and more like a marker for where the Orange hope to go next. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Needs An Answer Fast Before ACC Play Starts
Syracuse heads into its matchup with UConn needing more than just a win. At 1-2, the Orange are trying to steady themselves before ACC play begins, and the quarterback situation has become part of the urgency. Steve Angeli has been confirmed as the starter for the game, giving Syracuse a clearer answer at the most important spot on the field, at least for now.
UConn arrives at 2-2 with a new look of its own under head coach Jason Candle and quarterback Kalieb Osborne, setting up a game that carries more weight than a typical nonconference meeting. For Syracuse, the focus is on showing cleaner play and more consistency before the schedule tightens, because once league games start, there is a lot less room to sort things out on the fly. [Read more 🡒]
How Ex-Syracuse Transfers Are Fueling A Fresh Portal Debate
A wave of former Syracuse football players has scattered across the transfer portal and into new uniforms, and their 2026 seasons have become a useful snapshot of what the modern roster churn looks like. The update tracks 10 ex-Orange players at their new programs, laying out who is seeing the field, who is producing, and who is still battling injury as the year unfolds.
For Syracuse, the larger takeaway is less about any one stat line than the pattern it reveals: some departures are already paying off elsewhere, while others are still trying to get traction. The list doubles as a reminder of how quickly a depth chart can change in todays game, and why every portal exit invites a fresh round of questions about fit, development and what the Orange are losing when players move on. [Read more 🡒]