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Syracuse is less than two weeks away from its spring game, which will be held in the JMA Wireless Dome — not in Boulder, Colorado. The biggest positional competition headline is at the quarterback position, which is said to be between four or five signal callers. Meanwhile, the Orange’s top-rated freshman is already making national noise, stealing the show through his first few weeks on campus. Through it all, second-year head coach Fran Brown has remained consistent with his high-intensity practices and energy as he tries building off a 10-win 2024 campaign.

Here are some takeaways from Brown’s second spring press conference:

Demetres Samuel Jr. starting at corner

The biggest headline throughout SU’s spring practice has been 16-year-old freshman Demetres Samuel Jr. practicing on offense and defense. The soon-to-be 17-year-old, whose birthday is Wednesday, is Syracuse’s highest-rated class of 2025 player despite reclassifying up a year.

Here’s a quick glimpse of Demetres Samuel Jr. getting an offensive rep. I also spotted him getting some one-on-one training honing in on his footwork at the end of the portion of practice open to the media. https://t.co/uG7gWxoLma pic.twitter.com/FSi4pUwX0v

— Justin Girshon (@JustinGirshon) March 25, 2025

On Monday, Brown said he’d “probably be the No. 1 player in the country, or top-10 ranked” if he remained in high school for another year. Instead, he’s “doing a hell of a job at 16 years old competing with guys on another level.” So much so that he’s in line to be a starter.

“He’s gonna play both ways. It seems like he’ll have an opportunity of starting at corner,” Brown said. “So he should be our starting corner and rotating in and out at receiver.”

The words Brown used to describe his neophyte were “freak athlete.” Time will tell if he can become the next Travis Hunter. Brown’s excited to watch the show.

“He’ll be a sight to see for three years in college,” Brown said.

Future of spring games

Damn.

That’s what Brown said his reaction was to learning the NCAA Division I FBS Oversight Committee opposed SU and Colorado’s proposal to have joint spring practices and a game. During his first spring press conference on March 21, Brown said he and CU head coach Deion Sanders were “locked in” and it was “in the hands of the NCAA.”

Still, Brown said he was excited that he and Sanders came up with the “amazing idea” because it can hopefully come to fruition in the near future. The programs’ discussions this year even sparked Penn State and Temple to explore a similar collaboration, while Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy suggested holding joint practices with Oklahoma.

Brown joked that if Boston College head coach Bill O’Brien and North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick came up with the idea initially, the NCAA would’ve allowed them to do it. He added, “Damn well they wasn’t about to let Coach Primetime and Fran Brown be the first two guys to do it. It was over their dead body. So that wasn’t happening.”

However, Brown quickly backtracked, saying he was just messing with the NCAA and that they had “all the right reasons” to oppose the collaboration and it would’ve given the programs an advantage. Syracuse and Colorado created a new buzz around spring games while programs across the country are becoming increasingly anti-spring game. As soon as next year, it could potentially become a marquee event.

“This spring ball thing, everyone’s trying to fade away from it,” Brown said. “They don’t want everyone to see it. So we’re trying to bring some light to it, to say, like, ‘Hey, this is a huge event.’”

If given the opportunity next year, Brown said he’ll be in.

“NCAA say we could do it, we’re gonna get it done. We’ll have fun,” Brown said.

Tommy Caporale’s new role

Syracuse’s key on-field departures from 2024 to 2025 have been well addressed. But one of the biggest off-field changes hasn’t received much buzz. On Feb. 19, Nate McNeal was announced as Illinois football’s executive director of player evaluations and acquisitions. McNeal served as SU football’s first-ever general manager, joining the program in early 2024.

“I told him I love him. I wish him the best, and I wish the best for Illinois,” Brown said of McNeal. “I hope they do a good job.”

Brown mentioned he always goes through future goals, whether that’s six-month or year-long goals. The head coach said McNeal’s goals “didn’t match up with what he wanted with him being here” and expressed he had a better chance of achieving those in his new role at Illinois.

Though the Orange never made a formal announcement, Tommy Caporale is their new general manager, per his webpage on cuse.com.

According to his https://t.co/3JT86WKVjh page, Tommy Caporale has become Syracuse football's second-ever general manager. The position was previously held by Nate McNeal, who left SU after one year on Feb. 19 to rejoin Illinois. pic.twitter.com/YVs25G3jQ5

— Justin Girshon (@JustinGirshon) March 25, 2025

“I’ve known him for a long time, we’ve always talked about working together,” Brown said. “He’s done an amazing job with all the stuff that he’s done. He’s like family to me. I just trust him.”

Caporale joined Syracuse around the same time as McNeal. His title was quality control coach and a member of SU’s recruiting staff.

Brown credited Caporale for having “a lot of experience” building programs. Before joining the Orange, he was the head coach of Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School (Florida), leading the school to three straight playoff appearances. Before then, Brown also mentioned Caporale’s time coaching at Old Dominion, where he served as a graduate assistant before working with the defensive line and special teams for two years.

Caporale, a Bergen County, New Jersey, native, has also had stints coaching at Springfield College, Christopher Newport University and ASA College Miami. Through his time in the Sunshine State, Caproale developed connections that have transformed Syracuse’s recruiting base in Florida. The most recent example was SU earning a commitment from Florida native Kamron Wilson on Sunday.

“He’s a smart guy, right? He’s a smart Italian guy,” Brown said of Caporale. “I like Italians, you know what I’m saying? He understands business, that’s my guy.”

QB competition

Kyle McCord was the Orange’s missing piece and way more in his lone season starting under center. Now, as McCord prepares for the NFL Draft, Syracuse is still trying to determine his replacement.

Presumably, the favorite is LSU transfer Rickie Collins. Though Brown said he didn’t want to drag out a competition on March 21, he didn’t have any updates when speaking on Monday.

“I’m not gonna really say anything else until I’m ready to say exactly,” Brown said.

Brown didn’t speak about any quarterback specifically — with Michael Johnson Jr. and Jakhari Williams likely the quarterbacks with the next best chance to be the starter behind Collins — but said he was happy with the group’s leadership and how they’ve controlled the team.

“I think we’re in the right direction, and we’ll have a quarterback real soon, real soon,” Brown said.

Published on March 31, 2025 at 10:48 pm
Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon