2026 Syracuse Orange Training Camp Storylines
Plenty to talk about yet again and another year of Fran Brown on The Hill.
The NIL and Transfer Portal continue to dominate rosters and news, and Syracuse is no different. Many new faces in new places, players and coaches alike.
Plus, another difficult schedule but somewhat doable if newcomers arrive quickly, you start 2-0 and the most important position in sports stays healthy. With that, let’s dive into the Top 5 storylines from my seat for Orange football camp.
1. Steve Angeli’s health and production.
Syracuse and the offense was humming along until Angeli went down with the Achilles injury against Clemson. Brown, he and staff say the QB is ready to go from day one of camp. This isn’t a secret. Success, a bowl and a potentially explosive and sustainable offense all start and end with the quarterback producing and staying healthy.
2. QB and WR rooms.
Meanwhile, Angeli has all kinds of running backs and wide receivers with open competition. There are unknown depth charts and a lot of questions in terms of who will play where and how much. Who will rise up? Who can learn the system faster? Will a running back that can pick up blitzes be the lead for RB1 because of a polished skill set? Johntay Cook and Darrell Gill Jr. are now at Ole Miss, but the receiver room has plenty of options. Elijah Moore from Florida State and Cole Weaver from Miami University to name two, plus some depth pieces. Can Calvin Russell make it back in time for the last few games? At running back, it could be a rotation of three or four guys with Ahmad Miller from Jackson State leading the way, a tough 1,000 yard runner with LSU’s Ju’Juan Johnson behind him.
3. Attacking defense.
New defensive coordinator Vince Kehres is aggressive and wants to attack, which was probably the main attraction for Fran Brown. He comes from Toledo and his defense finished second overall in the nation a year ago behind powerhouse Ohio State. Last year, getting in the backfield and pressuring consistently were issues for SU. This year? The team has the coordinator and players to do both. The potential is there. The Orange must improve on giving up the big play and those 400-yard games (eight last year).
4. Fran Brown’s mindset.
Coaches think a lot. They tell you one game at a time and don’t get too high or too low and give you all the cliches, but they are always evolving and thinking and strategizing. If they say otherwise, they are lying. The pressure is real, no matter the school or conference or situation. No different at Syracuse. Brown had great success in year one and then things came undone in year two. The QB went down, the depth wasn’t good enough, too many guys underachieved and on and on it went. How will FB approach things? How much did he learn year one to two and now into 2026? What game management things might we see early? Camp can be the place for a lot of this before Week 1. Stay tuned.
5. Two players to watch.
Dillan Fontus (Maryland) and , defensive line. Remember the above note about getting in the backfield and pressuring consistently? It should all start up front with these guys. Fontus can play inside and outside and Adeleye brings it from the edge. Tons of sacks and tackles from guys who have been all over Power 5 and beyond college football prior to the Orange. Strength, skill, athleticism. size, pro potential and the ability to shut down the run and pass. Put these guys with Rashard Perry and Syracuse might have something. The second and third levels of the defense are pretty good, so let’s see if the Orange can shut down more big plays, get more turnovers and earn more short fields to make life easier for QB1 and the offense.
