Syracuse

Angeli said at ACC Kickoff that he was 100 percent, running and participating in drills, and he described himself as Syracuse’s quarterback and a team leader. That is the most encouraging development of the offseason, though returning from an Achilles tear places obvious importance on protection and durability. If Angeli remains available, Syracuse regains the passer who directed last season’s promising start. The ordering behind him has not been clarified, making the offense’s ability to function without its starter another important camp question.

The receiving room must establish a hierarchy while five-star freshman Calvin Russell III rehabilitates his own Achilles injury. Brown expects Russell to return at some point during the season, but no firmer timetable has been given. In the meantime, Angeli has highlighted Florida State transfer Elijah Moore, returning receiver Umari Hatcher and tight end David Clement. Hatcher missed 11 games in 2025, so his durability and Moore’s transition could shape the early passing game. At running back, Angeli described a versatile four- or five-player group, but no lead option has emerged. A committee could widen the playbook if Syracuse identifies dependable roles for critical downs.

Up front, new offensive-line coach Juan Castillo inherits a unit central to both Angeli’s protection and the search for a steadier running game. Brown said Zach Rice is competing to start and will play regardless, while Angeli praised the line’s offseason work. The exact first-team combination remains a camp matter. Whoever wins those jobs must give Angeli time without making the offense one-dimensional, particularly before the schedule’s most demanding stretch.

Kehres has useful building blocks on defense. Antoine Deslauriers led Syracuse with 60 tackles as a true freshman, and Toledo transfer Chris D’Appolonia arrives after an All-MAC season with 68 tackles and four pass breakups in Kehres’ system. At corner, Chris Peal started every game in 2025 and Demetres Samuel Jr. led the Orange with nine pass breakups. Samuel expects some receiver snaps but has said corner remains his primary position. Their experience could give Kehres flexibility when designing pressure. The front is less defined, although Deslauriers identified transfer Keyshawn Johnson as an athletic, knowledgeable player capable of contributing. Syracuse needs that group to turn Kehres’ concepts into disruption rather than relying on the secondary to hold indefinitely.

The schedule gives Syracuse an initial window to organize itself. New Hampshire and California visit the JMA Wireless Dome before a Thursday trip to Pittsburgh. The later run is more imposing: the Orange travel to Virginia, North Carolina, NC State and Boston College while hosting Louisville, SMU, Clemson and Notre Dame. That sequence makes early progress valuable. Offensive roles that remain unsettled and defensive adjustments that are still being installed will face sustained pressure once Syracuse reaches the back half of the season.

Syracuse has reasons to believe improvement is possible, beginning with Angeli’s reported recovery and a coordinator whose previous defense produced at a high level. It also has unresolved questions at receiver, running back, offensive line and along the defensive front. Brown’s task is to turn those open competitions into a team sturdy enough to survive adversity. The Orange do not need another offseason story; they need their repairs to hold when the schedule stops offering time to make them.

Win probability

19%

Pass-play rate

51.8%

Rush-play rate

47.0%

Offensive PPA

0.034