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Syracuse’s first season under head coach Fran Brown was historic. Quarterback Kyle McCord led the nation in passing yards and the Orange won 10 games for the first time since 2018, capping the year with a Holiday Bowl victory over Washington State.

With McCord and other key figures of the 2024 squad headed to the NFL, Brown is now looking for an encore. SU brought in 14 early enrollees from the 2025 class and seven players through the transfer portal. The new-look roster has developed throughout the spring over three weeks of practices.

Fans will get a glimpse at newly-minted starting quarterback Rickie Collins, 17-year-old two-way phenom Demetres Samuel Jr. and more in Saturday’s spring game. According to Brown, the game will be 90 minutes, feature a standard style of blue versus orange and contain plenty of contact.

Joe Zhao | Design Editor

“It’ll be practice-oriented, but it’s gonna be legit,” Brown said.

Here are four key points to look out for during Syracuse’s spring football game Saturday:

All about the quarterbacks

Brown made it crystal clear on SU’s first day of spring practice he wanted to know his starting quarterback quickly. So, when Brown named Collins the starter 17 days later, it didn’t come as much of a surprise.

“Rickie came in, and from the jump, he was a leader,” redshirt senior Duce Chestnut said. “He showed everyone who he is and what his potential could be.”

After sitting under NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels and star quarterback Garrett Nussmeier for two years in Baton Rouge, Collins transferred to Syracuse to become a starter. Despite attempting just seven college passes, Collins brings a new flavor to the Orange’s offense with a keen dual-threat ability.

Quarterback Rickie Collins fires a pass toward the sideline during Syracuse’s spring workouts. Collins was named SU’s starter last week by head coach Fran Brown after he transferred in from LSU in the offseason. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor

A year ago, McCord sported an orange jersey, while everyone else donned blue or white, quickly showing chemistry with SU’s first-team targets. It’s unknown if Collins will be given similar “no-contact” treatment or if he’ll replicate McCord’s success. But with three years of eligibility, Saturday provides a look into how offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon will use Collins’ dynamic skills.

Collins’ backup remains uncertain, with redshirt senior Michael Johnson Jr. and redshirt freshman Jakhari Williams continuing their competition into the spring game. While Johnson, who backed up McCord last season, has the experience advantage, Brown said Williams is “very close” to the backup role after dominating on the scout team as a true freshman.

Special teams improvements?

Special teams coordinator James Vollono was relieved of his duties two days after Syracuse’s win in San Diego, a culmination of a season’s worth of blunders, including three blocked punts and six blocked kicks. The Orange ranked behind only Nebraska for the most blocked attempts in the country. To make matters worse, SU shuffled between three kickers and ranked last in the ACC with a 59.1% field-goal clip.

Brown said he wants to be more involved in special teams, modeling after what he saw from Rutgers’ Greg Schiano and Georgia’s Kirby Smart while an assistant coach. Following Vollono’s departure, Brown hired former Georgia Tech special teams coach Ricky Brumfield to revive the unit. With the Yellow Jackets, Brumfield’s group outperformed Vollono’s, blocking a kick and a punt while recovering an onside kick to keep the game competitive.

With Brumfield stepping in, the unit’s lone consistent piece returning is punter Jack Stonehouse. The redshirt senior has keyed in on punting outside of the pocket this spring, and as a key returner, Stonehouse is driven to turn a weakness into a strength for the Orange.

“I don’t like when people say, ‘This is the down part of the team,’” Stonehouse said. “That alone motivates me.”

Long snapper Tom Callahan is out of eligibility, opening the door for a competition between redshirt junior Ethan Strangle and Saint Francis transfer Fran Brown Jr., the son of SU’s head coach. Syracuse will also debut Iowa transfer kicker Tripp Woody, who’s battling against returners Jackson Kennedy and Jadyn Oh for the starting spot.

It’d be difficult for the unit to perform as poorly as it did a season ago. Saturday will provide a first look at all the new pieces to the puzzle.

“It has to be an advantage to us,” Brown said.

The Samuel show

Samuel’s routine this spring has been unlike anyone else on SU’s roster. On Mondays, he’s with the offense. On Wednesdays, he’s with the defense. On Fridays and Saturdays, he goes both ways. And on top of it all, he entered spring camp at 16 and turned 17 on April 2.

The four-star recruit, who committed to Syracuse in late September after multiple flips with Florida, is the highest-rated player in the class. While adjusting to college life, he’s learning multiple playbooks, switching in and out of a blue pinnie to get as many reps as possible and finding a groove in individual drills.

“Other than mine, he probably had the hardest job on the team,” Collins said of Samuel.

Standout freshman Demetres Samuel runs a route while wearing a blue pinnie in Syracuse’s spring practice. Samuel has been playing both ways this spring, setting the stage for a potential Travis Hunter-esque role as a freshman. Joe Zhao | Design Editor

Brown said Samuel will “have an opportunity” to start at cornerback in 2025, a role made available after SU lost Clarence Lewis to the NFL Draft and several others to the transfer portal. Samuel said he flipped back to Syracuse largely because of Brown’s influence on defensive backs, and the spring game will give a taste of what’s to come.

We’ll also see Samuel take some reps at wide receiver, where he faces competition from Trebor Peña, Darrell Gill Jr., South Carolina transfer Tyshawn Russell, Emanuel Ross and more. The expectations are high for Samuel, but his age is still low.

Because of his ability to play both ways, he’s received comparisons to 2024 Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter. Still, the 17-year-old is riding his own wave.

“Kudos to (Hunter) cause he had a great season last year. But really I’m just trying to be like me. I’m going to do what I do,” Samuel said.

Brown’s relationship with Colorado head coach Deion Sanders is well documented by now through spring game planning. Though the trip to Boulder didn’t work out quite yet, Coach Prime’s influence could be why Brown pushed so hard to land Samuel. We’ll see for the first time if Brown eases him in or pushes him from the jump to be his version of Hunter.

O-line depth on full display

Syracuse’s offensive line has the talent but needs to find the right formula. SU lost core members in right tackle Savion Washington, center J’onre Reed and left guard Jakob Bradford, but brought in plenty of depth.

Though Brown said David Wohlabaugh Jr. is thinking about entering the transfer portal Monday, the Orange added Alabama transfer Naquil Betrand and 6-foot-7 Texas native Byron Washington to bolster the unit’s size. Da’Metrius Weatherspoon returned and has seen reps at tackle and guard. Meanwhile, starting right guard Mark Petry has shuffled between guard and center and will turn 27 in October.

Another name to look out for is redshirt sophomore Trevion Mack, who played largely in a reserve role over his first two seasons, but Brown said he thinks he’ll start. Saturday likely won’t showcase the final product of the starting five, and there might never be a final product, as SU proved last season, it likes to split reps at multiple positions. Though the depth is an added bonus.

“We’re blessed to have to be deep on the line. That hasn’t been the issue here in a long time,” Brown said.

Published on April 9, 2025 at 11:57 pm
Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky