Syracuse Loses Key Offensive Piece as Yasin Willis Enters Transfer Portal
Syracuse’s backfield just got a lot thinner-and a lot more uncertain. Running back Yasin Willis, who led the Orange in rushing during the 2025 season, announced Tuesday that he’s entering the transfer portal. It’s a major departure for a program already facing offensive instability, and it leaves head coach Fran Brown with a significant hole to fill heading into 2026.
Willis was more than just a starter-he was the focal point of Syracuse’s ground game this season. After stepping into the RB1 role vacated by LeQuint Allen Jr., Willis carried the load with 129 rushes for 558 yards. While those numbers don’t jump off the page, they came behind a struggling offensive line and during a season where the Orange offense sputtered through an eight-game losing streak to close the year.
He’s the most impactful name to enter the portal from Syracuse so far, joining a growing list that includes wide receivers Emanuel Ross and Jaylan Hornsby, linebacker Derek McDonald, and quarterback Luke Carney. But none played a role quite as central as Willis.
What makes this move even more surprising is that just over a month ago, Willis had publicly committed to returning in 2026. Back on November 18, he spoke about his excitement to play alongside quarterback Steve Angeli-who was expected to be fully healthy-and the potential for the two to ignite an offense that never really found its rhythm in 2025.
“Next year, we just gonna have to turn it up off the rip,” Willis said at the time. “I feel like we didn’t really set the tone, especially in the offseason, so when these new guys come in here, it’s straight to business.”
Now, that business will take place somewhere else.
Willis’ exit leaves a major gap in Syracuse’s running back room. As it stands, the Orange are down to Tylik Hill and Malachi Coleman as their most experienced backs.
Malachi James and Jaden Hart are also heading to the portal, thinning out the depth chart even further. There’s still a question mark around Will Nixon, who’s applied for a medical hardship waiver that could grant him a seventh year of eligibility.
But until that gets resolved, Syracuse is staring at a very real possibility of needing to go portal shopping for a starting-caliber back.
This is a tough blow for Fran Brown, who played a key role in bringing Willis to Syracuse in the first place. Originally committed to Pittsburgh in the summer of 2023, Willis flipped to Syracuse shortly after Brown was hired, making his decision official on December 10 of that year. Brown clearly saw something in the young back and believed he could anchor the offense.
As a freshman, Willis saw limited action behind Allen Jr., logging 36 carries for 130 yards. But with the starting job his in 2025, he made a strong opening statement-scoring three touchdowns in the season opener against then-No.
24 Tennessee. It looked like the breakout was on.
But as the season wore on, offensive struggles mounted. Once Angeli went down, the passing threat vanished, and opposing defenses started loading the box.
Backup quarterbacks like Rickie Collins couldn’t keep defenses honest, and the offensive line didn’t help much either. Willis averaged 4.3 yards per carry-not bad, but not enough to carry an offense on his own.
Fran Brown didn’t hide how important Willis was to the team. He called him “SU’s best player” and emphasized the need to get him the ball more. But with the offense stuck in neutral and the losses piling up, the season never gave Willis a real chance to shine.
This isn’t the first time Syracuse has lost a key offensive weapon to the portal-last spring, it was wide receiver Trebor Peña. Willis’ departure might not feel quite as dramatic in the moment, but make no mistake: this is a significant hit to the Orange’s offensive outlook. With their top back gone, several others leaving, and no clear answer at the position, Syracuse is entering the offseason with a major question mark in the backfield-and a lot of work to do.