Syracuse football enters 2026 with real reasons for optimism, but one question hangs over the offense: who is going to be the big playmaker?
That’s the piece Fran Brown’s team still has to solve after a 3-9 season in 2025. The Orange have already been framed as a group that could take a meaningful step forward next year, and the ACC doesn’t exactly look loaded beyond Miami. Florida State and Clemson have both been down, while Duke and Virginia do not appear to be permanent heavyweights right now.
Still, the roster changes on offense leave Syracuse with some work to do.
The biggest issue is the loss of production and explosiveness from 2025. Tight end Dan Villari has graduated and moved on to the NFL.
Running back Will Nixon is gone. Darrell Gill, the team’s top wide receiver, transferred to Ole Miss.
Receiver Johntay Cook II also transferred, and top returning running Yasin WIllis left the program too.
Syracuse has added some intriguing pieces, but the preseason will be about figuring out who can actually be trusted to create explosive plays. Ahmad Miller, the running back from Jackson State, is among the more interesting newcomers, and he brings accomplishments with him. The Orange also added Elijah Moore from Florida State and Cole Weaver from Miami OH, both of whom could help fill the void in the receiver room.
That room has another major complication: Calvin Russell is expected to miss most or all of the season after suffering a torn Achilles in spring practice. Russell, the freshman receiver from Florida, was one of the best recruits Syracuse has ever landed, so his absence changes the picture even more.
On the recruiting front, Syracuse picked up another piece for the future on Friday night. Elijah Kimble, the Buffalo running back nicknamed “The Ticket,” committed to the Orange and gave the program another win in the Class of 2027.
Kimble has been on Syracuse’s radar since the start of the year. Over three seasons of high school football in Western New York, the three-star recruit rushed for more than 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns while averaging nearly nine yards per carry.
Nothing is final yet, though. He still has to get through the early signing period in December and official signing day in February of 2027. If he stays committed, he’ll be eligible to play for Syracuse in the fall of 2027.
In Other News...
Buffalo Prospect Left His First Syracuse Visit Wanting More
Alex Davis got an early look at Syracuse this summer, and the Buffalo defensive lineman came away with a clearer sense of why the Orange have been on him so soon. The Canisius High prospect attended the programs Franchise Camp in June after landing an offer from Syracuse, spending time around coaches John Scott Jr. and Jeremy Hawkins as they talked through his development and what comes next. For a young lineman still early in his recruiting process, the visit gave him a chance to see how the Orange are building relationships well before the usual pressure points of a recruiting race.
What stood out to Davis was the culture Fran Brown has put in place and the way Syracuse sells growth beyond just football. He has said the programs emphasis on development on and off the field fits what he is looking for, which matters for a prospect from Buffalo who already has a local connection to the Orange. The first in-person stop did what a good visit is supposed to do: confirm the interest, sharpen the picture and leave him wanting another look. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Recruiting Just Got More Complicated For Several Top Targets
The EYBL Scholastic shakeup is going to ripple through Syracuses recruiting board, with the league trimming from 20 teams to 15 for the 2026-27 season and several familiar prep programs losing their place in the circuit. For the Orange, that matters because so many of the players they are tracking are spread across those high-profile schools, where national schedules and constant evaluation have become part of the recruiting backdrop.
Syracuses staff has already been tied to prospects at places like AZ Compass Prep, Long Island Lutheran and Iowa United Prep, while new head coach Gerry McNamaras group is also showing interest in younger targets such as Kevin Wheatley Jr. The change does not alter the talent level of the players Syracuse wants, but it does make their paths a little less straightforward, especially as some recruits will be navigating new homes and new exposure before the next cycle settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Gerry McNamaras First Syracuse Schedule Already Looks Absolutely Brutal
Gerry McNamaras first Syracuse schedule is already shaping up like a crash course in life as a head coach. The Orange are preparing for the 2026-27 season with a slate that could feature a long list of preseason top-25 opponents, including Duke, Virginia, Louisville, North Carolina, Miami, Indiana and St. Johns, based on early rankings from ESPN, CBS Sports and Jon Rothstein.
For Syracuse, the challenge is obvious before the games even arrive. Rothstein has the Orange at No. 43, while ESPN and CBS Sports leave them out of their preseason polls altogether, which means McNamaras team may spend much of the year trying to prove it belongs in the same conversation as the programs on its schedule. The upside is just as clear: if Syracuse can navigate that kind of gauntlet, it will have earned every bit of attention that comes with it. [Read more 🡒]