Syracuse football has plenty to clean up after a 3-9 season in 2025, but there are real reasons to think the Orange can walk into 2026 with more confidence than they had a year ago.
The season opens Sept. 5, when Syracuse hosts New Hampshire at the JMA Wireless Dome, and the roster looks far sturdier than the one that limped to a bowl-less finish after coming off a 10-win campaign in 2024. The biggest difference is that the Orange have more answers in the places that matter most.
Quarterback is the clearest one.
Last season, Syracuse was 3-1 with Steve Angeli under center before he suffered a torn Achilles in that fourth game. From there, the Orange fell apart, going 0-8 while Rickie Collins, Luke Carney and Joseph Filardi tried to hold things together without getting the job done.
Now Angeli is back, and that alone changes the outlook. But Syracuse also has more behind him this time around. Transfer Amari Odom arrives from Kennesaw State with two years of eligibility after a strong season that included 2,594 passing yards, 19 touchdowns, 347 rushing yards, a 64.9 percent completion rate and eight interceptions.
Kennesaw State won 10 games, went 7-1 in Conference USA and beat Jacksonville State in the league title game. He’s played, and he’s won. That matters.
The Orange also added Malachi Nelson from UTEP and Danny Lauter from Georgetown, giving the quarterback room far more depth and experience than it had a year ago.
There’s also a new voice running the defense.
Syracuse moved on from Elijah Robinson and hired Vince Kehres from Toledo as its new defensive coordinator. Kehres brings a strong résumé, with experience not only at Toledo but also as the former head coach at Division III powerhouse Mount Union.
Pete Thamel reported the hire on social media, writing: “Sources: Syracuse is hiring Toledo DC Vince Kehres as the school’s new DC. He’s a two-time national championship winning head coach at Division III Mount Union.”
Toledo’s defense was elite in 2025, ranking No. 3 nationally in total defense and No. 4 in scoring defense. Kehres also helped recruit and develop players for the NFL, including Quinyon Mitchell and Darius Alexander.
And it’s not just the quarterbacks and the new coordinator. Syracuse also dipped into the transfer portal for experienced help across the roster. Ahmad Miller from Jackson State, Dillon Fontus from Maryland and Tunmise Adeleye from UNLV are among the additions who bring plenty of game reps with them to Central New York.
That kind of veteran influx gives Syracuse a more seasoned roster entering an ACC landscape that, outside of Miami - which reached the national title game a year ago - does not appear loaded with top-end teams.
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Buffalo Prospect Left His First Syracuse Visit Wanting More
Alex Davis already had Syracuse on his radar before he ever got to campus, thanks to an early offer and the pull of a program that has made a point of reaching into Western New York. The Canisius High defensive lineman from Buffalo spent June at the Oranges Franchise Camp, where he got a closer look at the staff and the way the program operates under Fran Brown. For a prospect still early in the process, the visit gave him a better sense of what Syracuse is selling, and why it has stayed in his thoughts.
Davis also came away with a clearer picture of the coaching he would be getting there, working closely with John Scott Jr. and Jeremy Hawkins as they talked through his development and next steps. What seems to resonate most is the broader fit, not just the football side but the culture Brown has built and the emphasis on growth beyond the field. For Syracuse, landing that kind of impression with a local prospect this early matters, even if the story is still only beginning. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Recruiting Just Got More Complicated For Several Top Targets
A major reshuffling of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic is about to change the backdrop for a lot of Syracuse recruiting. The circuit is set to trim from 20 member institutions to 15 for the 2026-27 season, and that kind of contraction matters because so many of the Orange's top targets are tied to those schools. For Syracuse, it is another reminder that the recruiting map is not staying still, especially with several prospects the staff has already tracked closely.
The ripple effects reach right into the class of 2027 and beyond, from Zion Green's move to AZ Compass Prep to Syracuse's interest in players at places like Long Island Lutheran, Iowa United Prep and CIA Bella Vista. Gerry McNamara's staff is still working to build relationships across that changing landscape, but the league's revised membership will alter where some of those evaluations happen and which programs remain central to the chase. For a staff trying to stay ahead of the curve, the next few months figure to matter as much as the eventual roster of schools that survives the cut. [Read more 🡒]
Gerry McNamaras First Syracuse Schedule Already Looks Absolutely Brutal
Syracuses first schedule under Gerry McNamara is already shaping up to be a serious early test, with the 2026-27 slate likely to feature a long list of opponents carrying preseason top-25 buzz. Duke, Virginia, Louisville, North Carolina, Miami, Indiana and St. Johns all show up in one form or another across preseason projections from ESPN, CBS Sports and Jon Rothstein, which means the Orange will not have much room to ease into the new era.
For a program trying to establish itself under a first-time head coach, that kind of lineup can be both a measuring stick and a minefield. Syracuse is outside the preseason rankings at ESPN and CBS Sports, while Rothstein slots the Orange at No. 43, so the challenge is obvious: build momentum quickly while navigating a schedule that already looks loaded with chances for statement wins and plenty of chances for trouble. [Read more 🡒]