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Fran Brown is the only Atlantic Coast Conference football coach who can say three of his players are also on the track and field team. So when one of them — Darrell Gill Jr. — came up during his first spring press conference, the second-year head coach didn’t hesitate to brag.

“You know what’s crazy? Our 4x(100) team, three football players are running in that,” Brown revealed.

But Gill, Malachi James and Malachi Coleman aren’t just participating.

“We’re about to set the school record soon, so just stay tuned,” Coleman said.

Syracuse’s 4×100 program record is 40.06 seconds, which was set by James Nmah, Jaheem Hayles, Anthony Vazquez and Trei Thorogood in 2023. Despite having just four practices before their first race on March 22, Gill, James, Coleman and Nmah — now a redshirt senior — clocked 40.65 seconds, just 0.59 seconds off the record.

“I think they are entirely capable of running that fast,” SU track and field associate head coach Dave Hegland said. “That was the fastest season opener that we’ve had in quite some time.”

The trio’s presence on the track is nearly unprecedented. Hegland noted that football players competing in track have become a rarity since the 1990s and early 2000s. The only other ACC football players on their school’s track and field roster are Trevor Rogers (California) and Micahi Danzy (Florida State). Meanwhile, Sean Tucker is the only other SU football player to compete in track and field since 2020.

Hannah Mesa | Design Editor

While most programs discourage it, Brown embraces the crossover. Known for his recruiting prowess, Brown said on Dec. 9 he looked for size and speed in his 2025 class, which 247Sports ranked No. 42 nationally.

Coleman, a three-star class of 2025 running back, said Brown recruited him as an athlete, offering him to run track and play football. A Virginia native, Coleman set William Fleming High School rushing yards, 55-meter dash and 55 and 110-meter hurdles records.

While Coleman said other colleges gave him similar rundowns during his recruitment process, Brown “stuck with him and let him chase his dreams.” It led to his commitment in April 2024 and his enrollment at SU in January.

James’ process was different. The three-star class of 2024 running back recruit set a New Jersey state record in the 100-meter dash. So, when he was being recruited, he said he always asked coaches if he could run track and play football.

However, the only schools willing to let James compete in both were Air Force, Army and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, per his father Troy. Troy also said Michigan, Purdue and Miami recruited James for track but wouldn’t let him play football. On the other hand, Brown’s immediate yes sealed James’ commitment on the spot.

Gill, who tallied over 140 receiving yards against UConn and Washington State in 2024 en route to notching 31 receptions, 570 yards and two touchdowns throughout the campaign, wasn’t recruited by Brown’s regime. The 6-foot-3 wide receiver was an unranked class of 2023 recruit who committed to SU in February 2023 as part of former head coach Dino Babers’ final recruiting class.

Like Coleman and James, Gill also starred in track in high school, becoming a Texas State Championship qualifier in the 4×200 relay. Atascocita High School track coach Todd Simmons added Gill was the anchor leg of the 4×100 relay alongside teammates who now run at Oklahoma, Iowa and TCU.

Additionally, Gill said he was a “pretty good” long jumper, triple jumper and high jumper. His track and field dominance — and ensuing offers — made him think that’s what he’d do in college. The wide receiver’s first football offer didn’t come until his senior year in late January 2023.

A look back at SU recruiting:

Darrell Gill Jr. had just 3 offers coming out of HS. 1 was Syracuse, 1 was Wash St. & 1 was S. Dakota St.

He was the ONLY unranked recruit in SU’s 2023 class and hails from Humble, TX. @DOsports https://t.co/YFzgtOz62y

— Tim Wilcox (@TimmyWilcox32) December 28, 2024

Shortly after his first offer from Washington State, Gill landed an offer from the Orange and committed. Unlike Coleman and James, he wasn’t offered as a dual-sport athlete. Gill said he asked Babers if he could do both, but SU’s then-head coach told him he had to learn the playbook first. As a true freshman, Gill registered seven receptions, 60 yards and a touchdown.

However, he couldn’t run track in the spring because he had to undergo another transition — learning a new playbook under Brown, who was hired in November 2023. This led to a breakout 2024 campaign, and with Oronde Gadsden II and Jackson Meeks graduating, Gill could be a focal point of the Orange’s aerial attack in 2025. Still, he said he wanted to run track in the spring, which Brown approved.

“I think that it’s rare for a head football coach to be OK with that, much less encourage it,” Hegland, who’s coached at Syracuse since 2004, said of Brown allowing his players to compete in both sports.

Heading into the track season, Gill said he told SU’s coaching staff he’d be happy to do whatever they needed from him — whether in running or jumping. Because of his class schedule, Gill didn’t practice with Coleman or James until his second practice, when he learned they’d be running the 4×100 together.

“The second day I didn’t have class, so I was like, ‘Oh snap, they here. Oh, we all running!’ So then I was like, ‘Oh yeah, we gonna be cooking then,’” Gill said.

Because of their schedules, James said the trio typically only has time to practice with the track team twice a week, which they began doing in January. Initially, Nmah wasn’t supposed to be part of their relay team. The original fourth member, who James said was going to run the anchor leg, left SU for undisclosed reasons.

A few days before their first race, James said he learned he’d be the anchor and the fourth member was no longer with the team. Hegland said James’ speed prompted him to become the anchor — the leg most relays have their fastest runner run. With Nmah stepping in, he became their leadoff man with Gill taking the second leg and Coleman slotting in third.

Hegland said Gill was a natural fit to run second because of his height and natural stride down the back stretch — which is mostly a straightaway 100-meter dash. Because of Coleman’s hurdling background, Hegland mentioned he’s a very “skilled” and “natural curve” runner. Unlike the second leg, the third leg’s portion of the relay is run in a curved route before handing off to the anchor, who runs a straightaway 100 meters to complete the race.

William Fleming track coach Robert Vineyard said when Coleman joined his squad in ninth grade, he wasn’t one of the top sprinters. So, despite having no experience, Vineyard taught Coleman to become a hurdler. From there, he “completely bought in,” becoming one of Virginia’s best high school hurdlers.

While the quartet placed eighth in their first relay, Hegland said it was “far from perfect.” They admittedly were held back by a poor handoff from Nmah to Gill. Gill estimates it added about half a second to their time, essentially the difference needed to break the program record.

What the group is doing is unparalleled in college sports’ ever-changing landscape. The transfer portal and name, image and likeness have made college sports increasingly more professionalized. But Gill, James and Coleman are a throwback to what college sports used to be, maximizing their athletic versatility.

Now, they’re on the verge of setting SU’s new 4×100 relay record.

“Hey world, watch out. Syracuse football, we’re coming,” James said.

Published on April 3, 2025 at 12:35 am
Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon