Syracuse’s tight ends have gone from question mark to one of the most dependable parts of the offense, and the final drive against SMU made that impossible to ignore.
On the 68-yard march that ended with the winning touchdown, the Orange leaned on all three of them. David Clement slipped out of the backfield for a seven-yard catch on fourth down to extend the drive.
Two plays later, Daunte Bacheyie turned a catch into 15 yards and put Syracuse at the two-yard line. Then Noah Myers finished it off with the touchdown grab from Steve Angeli.
Three tight ends. Three big plays. One game-winning drive.
That sequence fit the way this season has unfolded for Syracuse. The tight end room entered 2026 with plenty of uncertainty, but it has turned into a real strength for Fran Brown’s team. That matters even more now, with the Orange likely to keep finding themselves in close games as the season winds down and a bowl bid comes into view.
Before the season, the position was all about “mystery” and “potential.” Syracuse had been spoiled by recent tight ends like Oronde Gadsden and Dan Villari, and after Villari’s eligibility ended last year, there were real questions about who would carry the load.
Clement was the obvious starter, but there were doubts about how much he would give Syracuse as a receiver. Myers arrived as a transfer from Western Kentucky, where he had been a bigger part of the passing game, but he had to adjust to a tougher level of competition. Bacheyie was the wild card, coming off a freshman season in 2025 in which he caught just five passes for 42 yards.
All three have answered in 2026.
Clement hasn’t piled up flashy numbers, but he has been steady with his hands and valuable as a blocker. Brown has also praised the leadership he has brought while helping the other tight ends develop.
Myers has found a different role than the one he had at Western Kentucky, where he caught 32 passes last season and finished fourth on the team in receiving yards. With Syracuse, he has only eight catches in eight games, but two of them have gone for touchdowns near the goal line, making him one of the Orange’s most useful weapons inside the five-yard line.
And Bacheyie has been the breakout. He ranks second on the team behind Hatcher in receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns.
That gap is significant, but until Calvin Russell III started emerging over the last two games, Bacheyie was Syracuse’s most dependable threat behind Umari Hatcher. His role in the SMU-winning drive was no accident.
The Orange’s passing game may be spreading out more as the season goes on, but the tight ends still matter. That was the lesson from the SMU finish, and it’s why this position group now looks like a reliable part of Syracuse’s late-season push.
With six of Syracuse’s eight games decided by one score, the Orange should expect more tight finishes ahead. If that happens, the details will matter.
So will the tight ends. And so far, they’ve proven they can handle that responsibility.
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