Week 3 of Syracuse football practice brought a little more clarity, and a lot more questions, as the Orange inch toward their Sept. 5 opener against New Hampshire.
Thursday was the third day of practice in the week and the final stretch before Syracuse shifts into game-week preparation starting on Aug. 31. With next week serving as the last full training camp week, the focus is narrowing - but the big-picture uncertainty around how certain offensive pieces will be used is still very much alive.
The sideline scene was busier than it had been all month. National media members, donors, alumni, Syracuse University staff members and others lined the field, with athletic director Bryan Blair and donor John Lally among those in attendance.
The ACC Network also had a setup on the east end of the field, with the network set to spotlight the Orange on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. ET.
The biggest on-field question remains the running back room. Syracuse still doesn’t have a fully defined answer for how the carries will be split this season. Yasin Willis is gone after transferring to Kansas, leaving the Orange to sort out a new rotation.
Transfers Ahmad Miller and Ju'Juan Johnson appear to be the leading candidates to handle the bulk of the work. Miller arrives from Jackson State, while Johnson comes over after playing at LSU.
The staff also has to figure out where Malachi Coleman and Tylik Hill fit into the mix. Coleman found the end zone late in April’s spring game, while Hill enters the year as the returning back with the most yardage from last season.
Hill finished with 133 yards on 24 carries and has also changed his number from 39 to 20 for the upcoming season.
There’s also intrigue around quarterback Zaid Lott. The three-star prospect from Kannapolis, N.C., is entering his first college season in a quarterback room that already includes Steve Angeli, Malachi Nelson and Amari Odom.
At 6-foot-4, Lott still has a chance to see the field in some form this year. With the age-based eligibility model in place, there’s no longer much reason to simply stash him away for a redshirt season.
Another name to watch is Zamondre Merriweather. The arrival of Justus Ross-Simmons could affect Merriweather’s standing as a projected No. 2 or No. 3 receiver on the depth chart.
Darius Johnson also stood out during 1-on-1 work, where he made several strong plays and drew praise from the coaching staff for both his effort and performance.
Fran Brown wrapped the period with the running back group, and Miller continued to draw positive notice in drills, reinforcing the impression that he’s already becoming a leader in that room.
In Other News...
Syracuse Is Suddenly Tied To A Strange Quarterback Twist
Rickie Collins is in line for a fresh start at Kennesaw State, where a CBS Sports report says the former LSU and Syracuse quarterback is expected to be named the starter this fall. Collins had a difficult run in his lone Syracuse stretch, starting five games when Steve Angeli was sidelined and going winless in those appearances, but the move gives him another chance to reset in a place where the quarterback job is now open.
The twist for Syracuse is obvious: the Kennesaw State opening exists because Amari Odom transferred to Syracuse. So while one former Orange quarterback appears poised to land a new starting job, Syracuse is still shaping its own depth chart with the player who helped create that vacancy. It is the kind of circular transfer-era subplot that can make roster turnover feel oddly small, even across different programs. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Wide Receiver Battle Just Took An Unexpected Turn
Syracuses fall camp is starting to sort out a few of the early questions heading into the season opener, and the receiver room has been one of the more active battlegrounds. Tunmise Adeleye has been drawing notice on the defensive line, but on the other side of the ball, Tyshawn Russell, Umari Hatcher and Julian McFadden have all put together strong stretches as the Orange continue to sort out roles and depth.
The latest wrinkle, though, has changed the feel of that competition. Just as the staff was getting a better look at its options, one young receiver was knocked out for an extended stretch, while another familiar name made his way back onto the practice field after time away from the group. For Fran Brown and Syracuse, the challenge now is less about identifying talent than figuring out how the pieces fit before the opener arrives. [Read more 🡒]