Fran Brown talks depth chart, New Hampshire in weekly availability
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It’s finally game week for Syracuse football. The Orange begin their season against New Hampshire Saturday in the JMA Wireless Dome.
Before SU’s season-opener, head coach Fran Brown addressed his team’s preparation to play the Wildcats, Syracuse’s depth chart for Week 1 and more at his weekly press conference Monday.
Here are some takeaways from what Brown said:
Syracuse’s depth chart
Before Brown took the podium, the Orange released their depth chart. It contained a few surprises, but Brown quickly clarified it applies solely to the New Hampshire game and excludes injured players who likely won’t suit up Saturday.
Among the running backs, LSU transfer Ju’Juan Johnson and Jackson State transfer Ahmad Miller weren’t listed. Brown said Johnson “probably won’t” play versus UNH due to injury.
“He’ll be ready by the midweek, but I think it’s best to be able to protect him to be ready to play next week,” Brown said of Johnson.
Brown said he expects Miller to play.
Penn State transfer Matt Outten was listed as a running back on the depth chart even though he was expected to be a wide receiver. Brown said Outten’s going to play both positions and compared him to Percy Harvin, the former NFL player known for his playmaking ability at running back and wideout.
“That’s how I recruited him when he first went to Penn State,” Brown said of Outten. “He’s a really good athlete. I want to take advantage of the skill set that he can do running back and receiver. He does a lot. It’s more like (a) Deebo Samuel-type of guy.”
Regarding the quarterbacks, Brown announced last week that Steve Angeli will be SU’s starter. He kept his cards closer to his chest on who the program’s backup will be, listing both UTEP transfer Malachi Nelson and Kennesaw State transfer Amari Odom as the No. 2s.
“I’m not looking for the backup to go in (on) Saturday,” Brown said. “You guys probably see it like that. I’m looking to go out and play the best football (we) can possibly play.”
Brown confirmed five-star freshman wide receiver Calvin Russell III is still recovering from his Achilles injury and will be sidelined Saturday, but Brown said he will be “back real soon.”
“Calvin’s Superman. When he gets ready to fly, put the cape on, he’ll be back,” Brown said.
Wide receiver Terrell Wilfong, who Brown said suffered a broken collarbone on Aug. 17, will miss 6-8 weeks.
Wide receiver Tyshawn Russell and linebacker Gary Bryant III were also omitted from the depth chart, but Brown said they’d likely play and “seem pretty good.” Brown added Tyshawn was “battling a little bit of an ankle” injury, and Bryant had some fluid drained from his knee a couple of weeks ago.
“They should be good to go,” Brown said.
Syracuse football has released its depth chart. Head coach Fran Brown said Monday this depth chart only applies for the Orange's opener against UNH Saturday.
Some omissions Brown said could still play: RB Ahmad Miller, WR Tyshawn Russell and LB Gary Bryant III. @DOsports. pic.twitter.com/WonpvbtJev
— Nicholas Alumkal (@nalumkal) August 31, 2026
Facing New Hampshire
Brown stressed his attention isn’t on his first opponent of 2026, New Hampshire; it’s on his own team.
“I don’t really look at the opponent,” he said. “I just look at what we have to do at practice today.”
He said he’s looking for the Orange to play to their standard.
“My expectations are for our football team to go out and play as hard as we possibly can,” Brown said. “For me to make sure that I have the coaches, the players, everybody ready to go out and compete, so our fans can come out and have a lot of fun.”
The Wildcats have already played this season, falling to UAlbany 28-14 Friday, when UNH allowed 374 rushing yards. Still, Brown isn’t dismissing the Wildcats.
“The biggest jump is from Week 1 to Week 2, so I think they’ll come out as a way better football team than you saw them play last week,” Brown said of New Hampshire. “I thought they did some really good things. I think they’ll try to establish the run and they’ll come out and play extremely hard. That first 15 minutes, you’ll see a really good football game with adrenaline and with everybody competing and playing and having fun. I’m excited about that.”
Other scribbles in the notebook
The seesawing Justus Ross-Simmons saga continued Thursday when a Dallas judge signed a temporary restraining order for a lawsuit SU’s wide receiver was included in. As of Monday, Ross-Simmons was eligible to play, but he wasn’t on Syracuse’s depth chart.
“We’re just praying for the best opportunity for him to continue to be a good teammate,” Brown said of Ross-Simmons. “But all the rules said that he’ll be able to play. He’s good to go. So we just got to make sure he’s in game-playing shape, and we’re excited to have him back on our team.”
Brown said he trusts the justice system and the NCAA regardless of Ross-Simmons’ eligibility verdict.
“NCAA college football knows what it’s doing,” Brown said. “It’s been around for a long time. So there’s a lot of things that they’re ironing out. But I feel at the end of the day, what I like about NCAA football and college athletics is they always make sure we work and try to do what’s best for the student-athlete.”
Former Syracuse standout quarterback Kyle McCord impressed on the NFL preseason stage Friday, logging 226 yards and four touchdowns for the Green Bay Packers against the Arizona Cardinals. McCord was traded to the Miami Dolphins two days later.
Brown said he exchanged texts with McCord after Friday’s game, then was surprised by his trade to Miami.
“I just see Kyle being a starter there soon, with all due respect to the quarterback,” Brown said. “I hope he does well… And Kyle’s the epitome of an underdog doing well. It’s exciting to be able to see him do that. No one thought that he would continue to climb and do these things, but for me, this is what he’s been doing since he was (in) Little League. So I’m excited to see Kyle.”
