Syracuse WR Emanuel Ross Announces Transfer Intentions After Two Injury-Plagued Seasons
Syracuse wide receiver Emanuel Ross, one of the cornerstone recruits from head coach Fran Brown’s first class, has announced his intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal. The redshirt freshman made his plans public via Instagram on Sunday, signaling the end of his time with the Orange after two seasons marked by both promise and setbacks.
Ross came into the program with plenty of buzz. A four-star prospect in the Class of 2024, he was ranked No. 265 nationally in the 247Sports composite rankings and was the highest-rated recruit in Brown’s debut class. Originally committed to Stanford, Ross flipped to Syracuse shortly after Brown took over the reins - a major recruiting win at the time.
Physically, Ross checks all the boxes. At 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds, he brought size and athleticism to a wide receiver room that was already deep. But injuries stalled his momentum, and despite flashes of potential, he never quite got the runway to fully take off.
This past season, Ross appeared in six games and made two starts, finishing with 10 catches for 110 yards. His last action came in the Orange’s loss to North Carolina on October 31, after which he didn’t see the field again. Over 168 offensive snaps, Ross earned a Pro Football Focus grade of 66.8 - the ninth-highest on the Syracuse offense and third among wideouts behind Justus Ross-Simmons and true freshman Daunte Bacheyie.
Considering the depth at wide receiver, Ross was in a competitive spot. The Orange had a crowded receiver room in 2025, with returners like Johntay Cook and Darrell Gill Jr. leading the way. And with incoming freshmen Calvin Russell - one of the highest-rated recruits in school history - and Amare Gough set to join the mix, the battle for playing time was only going to get tougher.
Ross is now the 11th Syracuse player to announce plans to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Notably, none of the players who’ve declared were starters by season’s end. He’s the second wideout in that group, joining fellow redshirt freshman Jaylan Hornsby.
The transfer portal doesn’t officially open until January 2, but players are allowed to declare their intentions ahead of time, as Ross has done.
His departure also marks a trend that Syracuse fans will be watching closely. Ross becomes the third four-star recruit from Brown’s first class to leave the program, joining defensive end KingJoseph Edwards and cornerback Marcellus Barnes. That leaves linebacker Jamie Tremble as the lone remaining four-star from that group.
With Ross-Simmons likely moving on, Syracuse will need to fill at least one starting spot at wide receiver. Gill has confirmed he’ll be back, while Cook has yet to make a definitive call on his future.
In his farewell message, Ross thanked God, head coach Fran Brown, and the Syracuse community - a classy exit from a player who arrived with high expectations and still has three years of eligibility left to fulfill them elsewhere.
For Syracuse, the focus now shifts to reloading and continuing to build under Brown, who’s shown he can bring in top-tier talent. The challenge going forward will be keeping that talent in the building.