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Ninety-point-one percent.

Of the 81 receptions made by Syracuse tight ends in 2024, 90.1% were hauled in by one man. Seventy-three receptions. Nine hundred thirty-four receiving yards. Seven touchdowns. No other tight end came close.

Oronde Gadsden II was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, leaving a massive void in Syracuse’s offense.

The Orange are banking on redshirt senior Dan Villari to step into the starting role. They hope to answer one of their biggest question marks in 2025: Can Gadsden’s production be replaced? SU head coach Fran Brown said the returners understand Gadsden’s impact. He identified Villari as the guy who will step up, and the tight end wants to do it his way.

“Oronde is his own player, and I’m my own player,” Villari said. “I’ll bring different stuff to the table, and I’m just focused on being the best player I can be and doing my job … Everybody asks about me filling (Gadsden’s) shoes, but I feel like I have my own style.”

Villari played 83 of 90 offensive snaps in Syracuse’s season opener against Tennessee. Pro Football Focus graded him at an overall 64.3, with a 69.0 pass blocking mark. Both figures were far above his average from last season. With 55 receiving yards on five receptions versus the Volunteers, Villari’s already one reception and two yards away from matching his 2024 totals.

A former Michigan quarterback, Villari had his best college season in 2023 when the Orange faced a flurry of injuries. Gadsden suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2, thrusting Villari into a starting role. He was then forced under center when quarterback Garrett Shrader dealt with shoulder issues. He commanded the offense and rushed for 326 yards on 55 carries.

This time around, it’s different. For the first time in Villari’s career, he’s been appointed as the top tight end to begin a season.

“(Gadsden) will never be able to be replaced by one person,” Brown said at ACC Media Day. “But we feel when it comes to the work ethic, the mindset, the ability to make guys miss, to run after the catch. We think Dan Villari is the guy to step into that role.”

As Gadsden starred in Syracuse’s pass-heavy offense in 2024, Villari fought to crack the lineup. He suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder, which caused further nerve damage in his neck.

But Villari played through it all. He taped both shoulders to relieve pain.

Villari prides himself on his toughness, which he credits to watching his father, uncles, cousins and brother work blue-collar construction jobs. Wake up at 5 a.m. Work until 3 p.m. Rinse and repeat.

Gadsden described his heir apparent as the toughest player on the roster. Tight ends coach Michael Johnson said Villari can do it all but is still learning. Offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon added that he has faith in Villari due to his success with limited opportunities.

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The passing of the torch has been in the works for years. Villari would regularly ask Gadsden to go over route concepts together post-practice. Villari said he acted as a sponge, watching plenty of Gadsden’s film. He’s learned to change tempos, be physical at the top of the route and utilize his frame to his advantage. It’s all a work in progress.

“You got to make the plays that come to you,” Johnson said. “You got to be a consistent guy in both the pass game and run game. So Dan is just working hard, trying to make that next step.”

Johnson, who’s in his second year as Syracuse’s tight end coach and co-offensive coordinator, identified physicality and toughness as the top two attributes he desires from his players. He also emphasizes football IQ and fundamentals, but he needs to see a sense of urgency.

Gadsden said when Johnson reviews film, he details a quarterback’s point of view and how the tight end plays into it. Johnson starred as a QB at Akron in the late 1980s and has coached QBs from Doug Flutie and Jim Harbaugh to Drew Brees and Michael Vick. His offensive football knowledge is vast, and he’s implementing it to improve SU’s blocking schemes.

Backup tight end David Clement now dons No. 0 in his junior season. It’s a symbolic change, taking over the role of former No. 0 Max Mang, who moved on to the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad. Mang recorded just one reception in 2024, but his blocking aptitude took center stage. At 6-foot-6, 256 pounds, Clement is expected to do the same.

He recorded 32 snaps against Tennessee, hauling in one catch for eight yards. But Clement served mostly as a blocker, just as he watched Mang do last season. In the fourth quarter, Clement was a part of a three-tight-end wrecking crew that allowed running back Yasin Willis to mosey into the end zone for his third score. Villari, Clement and a fresh face in former defensive end Chase Simmons.

Simmons, the 6-foot-4, 260-pound redshirt senior, recorded six starts and 19 tackles last season. But an offseason conversation with Brown prompted a switch to tight end. He’s increasing the room’s physicality, all a part of SU’s larger goals.

“We want to do better than we did last year,” Clement said. “We want to get more yards than (Gadsden) had and better blocking than Max. We just want to keep growing. The standard never stays the same and always rises.”

With the three physically gifted tight ends leading the way, SU is aiming to develop its next Gadsden. Syracuse’s top recruit in its 2024 class was four-star Jamie Tremble out of Norcross, Georgia. The brother of Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble committed to the Orange under Dino Babers, and he stayed despite the coaching change.

Clement described Tremble as the little brother of the group. Gadsden said he was the fastest tight end in the room last year, even faster than some wide receivers. The problem? Tremble is still working on increasing his weight.

Syracuse’s website lists him at 205 pounds, but on Aug. 25, Brown said he’d reached 225. Gadsden said he was only at 228 as a sophomore. He sees similarities in Tremble’s path.

Unlike Gadsden, however, Tremble mixed in defensive snaps versus the Volunteers. He was featured on defensive goal-line packages and played 18 snaps at right outside linebacker, per PFF. Brown said after reaching 22 miles per hour on the GPS and 39 inches on his vertical jump, he needed to find a way to “get that freak athlete on the field.”

Gadsden would likely consult his former Syracuse and current Chargers teammate Marlowe Wax to teach Tremble about defense. But he said he’s picked up some new pointers to give SU’s unit when he returns from Los Angeles. Some of the lessons are simple: Don’t go to the bathroom during meetings, establish leaders in the room and remain fundamentally sound until the whistle is blown.

The message to the group was simple when Gadsden left Syracuse following its Pro Day in March: with the difficult schedule, “go big.”

“Obviously, missing me and Max is a big thing,” Gadsden said. “But I don’t see it being hard for Jamie, David and Dan replacing what me, Dan and Max did from before.”

Clement said the Orange simply can’t replace Gadsden due to his one-on-one abilities. But they can bring their own games to the table. Villari characterized success for the unit as winning 75% of blocks and catching each target, whether it’s two or seven.

As for recording 90.1% of SU’s tight end receptions, that likely isn’t in the cards for any of them.

Published on September 1, 2025 at 10:44 pm
Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky