Syracuse tests young core in 25-point loss to No. 7 GT
Despite getting trounced by Georgia Tech, Syracuse tested many of its young players, preparing the group for prominent roles in the future. Courtesy of Scott Schild | syracuse.com
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
ATLANTA — Looking for a jolt with minutes to play in the first half, Fran Brown went with his young guns.
At running back was true freshman Tylik Hill. In the slot, true freshman Darius “Boobie” Johnson. Redshirt freshman Emanuel Ross was out wide. At right guard was true freshman Byron Washington.
The trend continued into the final 30 minutes.
Syracuse’s 2025 season is in turmoil. The loss of starting quarterback Steve Angeli caused a sudden four-game losing streak in the heart of its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule. SU’s (3-5, 1-4 ACC) 41-16 loss to No. 7 Georgia Tech (8-0, 5-0 ACC) Saturday didn’t appear very different from the previous three defeats.
However, Brown’s insertion of young talent displayed a time machine into the future, allowing seven true freshmen and 18 underclassmen overall to appear in the boxscore.
“That was always my plan from before we started,” Brown said postgame. “I want them to play. I want to start to make sure that I get a lot of these guys in the game.”
Dan Villari is far from a true freshman. In fact, when he was a true freshman quarterback at Michigan in 2020, cornerback Demetres Samuel Jr. was 12 years old. Villari has also seen a broken season a few times in his career. Now, as a veteran leader, he understands that it’s part of Brown’s job to give the underclassmen “some burn.”
“Those guys are young, and they’re going to win a lot of games,” Villari said.
Washington has worked his way into the lineup throughout the year, playing over 20 snaps at right guard versus Duke and SMU. He missed SU’s matchup with Pitt with a concussion but played 31 snaps at right guard against the Yellow Jackets, compared to starter TJ Ferguson’s 48 at left guard.
As a future building block of the program, Washington was tasked with blocking for a fellow true freshman. Hill rushed for a New Jersey state record 2,372 yards last year at Pope John XXIII. Head coach Dom Gaston said SU was a school Hill “wanted to be at” and was one of his few Power Four offers.
Hill has found a role with the Orange as a kick returner following the injury of Malachi James. He showed a significant burst against Colgate on two carries but didn’t receive more touches until Syracuse touched down in Atlanta. Hill’s increased workload of four attempts for 23 yards didn’t come as a surprise to him, he said, as he had earned reps with the ones and twos over the last few weeks.
“I finally got a chance to show what I can do out there,” Hill said. “Looking forward to doing more.”
Even with Hill being a newcomer, Brown was quick to point out Yasin Willis’ youth. The sophomore continues to find his stride, though in a primary role as the starter. His 41-yard burst to begin the game was quickly slowed by nine more rushes for 35 yards.
With two young running backs, Syracuse also showed off its emerging wide receiver depth. Johnson, a slot receiver from Miami Northwestern (Florida), missed most of fall camp and the first half of the season with an injury. He tallied 28 snaps and a four-yard catch.
Ross played 51 snaps, the most of any SU wide receiver, per Pro Football Focus. His one catch went for five yards. Even Davion Kerr, a freshman listed as a defensive back, recorded an offensive snap.
“They’re very explosive. Those guys can go, and they know what they’re doing, so (Brown) does a good job of making sure everyone was ready,” SU quarterback Rickie Collins said. “The opportunity came. I felt that they were ready for the stage, and they came in and made their plays when their number was called.”
SU’s youth movement continued on the defensive side of the ball. Samuel Jr. and linebacker Antoine Deslauriers are two true freshmen who have already earned starting roles. The duo was joined on defense by cornerback Kaylib Singleton, a four-star from Jacksonville. He played 12 snaps and recorded two tackles.
A duo of Canadian interior defensive linemen is also finding roles. Nissi Ogbebor and Nathan Nyandoro continue to add depth following starter Rashard Perry’s season-ending injury. While the true freshmen have stepped up, maybe the biggest unexpected contributor on Saturday was redshirt sophomore Zyian Moultrie-Goddard.
The linebacker established a role on special teams over his first two seasons, especially in 2024. He’s continued to elevate his status in 2025, but has mixed in play at linebacker. When SU’s leading tackler, Gary Bryant III, went down against GT, Moultrie-Goddard filled in.
Moultrie-Goddard said he and Bryant are in “constant communication.” With Bryant out, he remained on the sidelines and gave Moultrie-Goddard words of encouragement and tips of the trade.
Moultrie-Goddard played 24 snaps and tallied a career-high four tackles. When asked postgame how he’d evaluate Moultrie-Goddard’s game, Brown said he’d have to watch the film.
“The coaches have done a really good job just keeping us all prepared,” Moultrie-Goddard said. “Regardless if you’re playing or not, you still have to get a lot of reps, so there’s constant coaching. I feel like I was ready to jump in.”
Brown is building the pieces of the puzzle.
The 2025 season, while still possible to make a Bowl game, is all but over in the sense of competing for a championship, a standard Brown continuously holds his program to. But by giving SU’s underclassmen real-game experience, Brown is continuing forward on his long-term goals of creating a national powerhouse in Central New York.
