Syracuse Sets Spring Game for April 11 Amid Key Roster, Staff Overhaul
Syracuse football has circled April 11 on the calendar for its annual spring game - a date that also features a heavyweight lacrosse matchup between the No. 2 Orange and No.
13 Virginia. But for Fran Brown and his retooled coaching staff, the football scrimmage is more than just a date - it’s a checkpoint in what’s shaping up to be one of the most pivotal offseasons in recent Syracuse memory.
The Orange are slated for 10 practices between March 20 and April 10, with the spring game landing at the tail end of that stretch. That leaves room for two additional practices and two scrimmages, per NCAA guidelines, which allow 15 total practices over a 34-day window.
Of those, only 12 can involve contact, and just eight can include tackling. Full-contact sessions can’t begin until the third practice, and only three of those can be full 11-on-11 scrimmages.
It’s a tight window, and every rep matters.
Last year, Brown chose to hold one more practice after the spring game - a move that could be repeated depending on how the spring unfolds. He also took a practice on the road to Rochester in a strategic recruiting play aimed at four-star wide receiver Messiah Hampton, who eventually signed with Oregon. Whether we see similar moves this year remains to be seen, but the intent is clear: Brown is pushing every lever to elevate the program.
This spring carries added weight with a near-complete overhaul of the coaching staff. Syracuse is breaking in new defensive and special teams coordinators, along with a new quarterbacks coach tasked with managing a room that includes three transfers and a true freshman. That’s a lot of new voices, new schemes, and new expectations - all needing to gel quickly.
Quarterback Steve Angeli, expected to be the starter, won’t be fully available this spring as he continues his recovery from a torn Achilles. He’ll be limited to non-contact work, which puts more pressure on the rest of the QB room to get up to speed - and fast. Those reps will be crucial, not just for development, but for sorting out the depth chart behind Angeli.
Offensively, the Orange are also replacing their top seven pass catchers from last season, and they’ll be working in a new lead running back. Wide receivers coach Josh Gattis, a former Broyles Award winner, will be entering his first full season with the unit - and he’ll have his hands full rebuilding a receiving corps from the ground up.
On the defensive side, Syracuse is starting fresh along the defensive line and in the secondary, particularly at safety. That means this spring isn’t just about refining - it’s about installing, evaluating, and building chemistry across the board.
There was some buzz last year about a potential joint spring practice with Deion Sanders’ Colorado squad, but the NCAA shut that idea down. No changes have been made to those rules, and there’s been no indication that Brown and Sanders are revisiting the concept this time around.
As usual, Syracuse’s spring practices will be mostly closed to the public, with media access limited to a small portion of each session. Scrimmages outside of the spring game are typically off-limits as well. But come April 11, fans will get their first real glimpse of what Brown and his staff have been building, as the Orange take the field at the JMA Dome for their lone open scrimmage of the spring.
With a new staff, new schemes, and a roster in transition, this spring isn’t just about shaking off the rust - it’s about laying the foundation for a new era of Syracuse football.