Calvin Russell III’s rise has given Syracuse a much-needed jolt, but it also throws the Orange’s biggest offensive problem into sharper focus: there still isn’t enough behind Umari Hatcher.
Russell was eased back in after his Achilles injury, and Fran Brown said a few weeks ago that the plan was simple - keep building his role little by little. After two catches on four targets in his debut against UConn, he was held without a catch against Virginia, then turned six receptions on nine targets into 53 yards at Louisville. By Saturday at North Carolina, the freshman had fully arrived, going for eight catches, 86 yards, a touchdown and the two-point conversion that lifted Syracuse to an overtime win.
Brown had made his intentions clear before that breakout.
“We want him to catch passes every game, and we want him to score touchdowns every game, which we’re hoping to be able to do,” Brown said. “He’ll get more reps.”
That production matters because the Orange are leaning hard on Hatcher, and there isn’t much else there yet. Hatcher leads Syracuse with 887 receiving yards on 54 catches, while no other pass catcher has reached 300 yards or 20 receptions.
When opponents tilt coverage his way - as North Carolina did on Saturday - Syracuse has needed another receiver to punish them. Russell has become that guy recently, and the rest of the room still hasn’t.
“We just wanna be able to be well balanced. The more that we’re balanced, the better it’ll be for all of us in every position,” Brown said Monday. “Guys will keep trying to go double on (Hatcher), we just gotta make sure the other guys step up.”
That need for balance has been obvious from the start. Syracuse lost six of its top seven receivers from last season and tried to patch things together with transfers Cole Weaver, Matt Outten and Elijah Moore, while sophomores Darien Williams and Darius Johnson and redshirt junior Tyshawn Russell returned after limited work a year ago. Even Hatcher came in as something of a question mark after injuries cost him time in each of the previous two seasons.
Instead, he has become one of the most productive receivers in the country. In his sixth year at Syracuse, Hatcher already has more yards this season than he had in his first five seasons combined.
He ranks fourth nationally and second in the ACC in receiving yards, and he has gone over 100 in four straight games. No matter who is at quarterback, he has been the safety valve.
Hatcher has said he doesn’t care who’s throwing him the ball, and his season has backed that up. Ross-Simmons called him a “speed demon,” contrasting his game with his own bigger frame and ability to win contested catches.
“You gotta respect his speed because if you don’t, he would run right by you,” Ross-Simmons said of Hatcher. “I’m more of the big body type, get you out of my way, possession receiver.”
Ross-Simmons has not produced much this season, though. He has 170 yards in six games, and 105 of them came in Week 2 against Cal. His year also began in uncertainty after he had already exhausted his four years of eligibility in 2025, before a preliminary injunction hours before the Cal game allowed him to play a fifth season.
He said the late start hasn’t affected his conditioning; it just means he has had fewer reps than the others.
The transfer additions haven’t changed much either. Weaver has only seven catches for 73 yards.
Outten has been used more at running back. Brown said last week he is moving Moore to safety.
Among the sophomores, Johnson is the only one to clear 100 receiving yards.
Russell has become the answer Syracuse hoped for. Before his debut, tight end Daunte Bacheyie was the team’s second-leading pass catcher, but Russell has passed him over the last two games and now sits fourth on the team with 153 yards in four appearances.
Brown said after the Louisville game that Russell is “extremely strong” despite being a “tall, skinny guy.” Linebacker Chris D’Appolonia said he’s a tough cover in practice because he has a rare combination of size and speed.
“A big body receiver is always tough to guard,” D’Appolonia said. “A lot of times either you’re fast or you’re big, and when it comes to him, he’s both.”
That ability showed up in a big way against North Carolina, when Russell delivered the clutch score and two-point conversion that helped save Syracuse.
Hatcher said the Tar Heels played him with a lot of outside leverage and a safety over the top, taking away the downfield shots that make him so dangerous on the perimeter. That kind of attention is exactly why the Orange need Russell to keep growing.
“I think that as (Russell) gets rolling, having him and Hatcher on the football field along with the other guys, it’s going to be something to be reckoned with,” Brown said.
The problem is that Syracuse still looks like a team with one sure thing, one promising newcomer and too many options that haven’t produced enough. Hatcher is the clear WR1.
Russell has pushed into the WR2 spot. After that, the drop-off is steep.
That matters even more with Steve Angeli and Danny Lauter under center. Angeli looked better in his first start in more than a month against UNC, while Lauter still has to prove himself as the fourth-string option. If the receivers can create separation, it would make the quarterbacks’ jobs a lot easier.
Hatcher and Ross-Simmons have tried to help bring the younger receivers along. Hatcher said that even while he was recovering from ligament tears in his knee last year, he was still trying to train with the rest of the group. Ross-Simmons said the two veterans share “gems” with the younger players - little details to help round out their games.
Brown believes more help is coming.
“I think we got other weapons. So if you wanna take somebody away, we’ll put another guy,” Brown said. “I think it’ll be hard to double one person when you got all these other guys out there that can play, too.
“So double him. We got another guy that could play.”
But until that shows up on Saturdays, Syracuse’s receiver room remains top-heavy - and that’s a problem the Orange still have to solve.
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