Only one month away from kickoff in Atlanta, the feeling of football is in the air. While we wait for opening day, here is an update on Syracuse football and everything Orange.
Syracuse Football Update
Recruiting Update
Most recently, Syracuse added five-star receiver Calvin Russell, the first five-star in 20 years. On top of this big moment, the Orange have received verbal commitments from other recruits. Three-star offensive tackle Roseby Lubintus, nicknamed “Purgatory,” flipped from Penn State to Syracuse on July 9th. He becomes their sixth offensive line commit and their third offensive tackle commit. He becomes the highest offensive line commit in their 2026 freshman class.
In just the months of June and July, Syracuse has secured verbal commitments from 15 players on all sides of the ball, including the top punter in the 2026 class, Jimmy Greg, and the seventh highest kicker in the class, Shay Baker. On July 11, they received a commitment from athlete Mateja Pavlovich, who will play punter, and another commitment from three-star athlete Cameron Harris-Taylor. What Fran Brown promised to do since day one in recruiting has come to life, and now the Orange have the 22nd-best class in the nation.
Losing Potential
Last week, Syracuse defensive end KingJoseph Edwards entered his name into the portal. What was built up to be his breakout season now becomes an afterthought. It was only last year that Syracuse recruited Edwards and beat out teams like Florida State and Colorado. The former four-star now looks for a new home and the defensive line loses one of its most promising players.
Media Day and Quarterback Battle Update
With ACC Media Day on July 22, the attendees have been announced. The Orange will bring redshirt senior cornerback Duce Chestnut, redshirt senior linebacker Derek McDonald, redshirt senior defensive lineman Dion Wilson, and redshirt sophomore quarterback Rickie Collins.
Yes, Rickie Collins will attend Media Day, as this is the first big update in the Syracuse quarterback battle this summer. The decision in the battle between him and Steve Angeli has been highly anticipated. Could this be the sign that Collins will start on August 30? Time will only tell.
Make sure to tune in for ACC Media Day on August 22-24.
Top Player in College Football 26
Lastly, a little fun segment highlighting the Orange’s top players in the new EA Sports College Football video game. The Orange have an 81 overall on offense and defense, putting their total overall at an 81. The top players are free safety Devin Grant at an 85, strong safety Duce Chestnut at an 84, and tight end Dan Villari at an 83.
Stay tuned for future Syracuse updates and news, especially the big, full season preview and the week one preview against Tennessee.
Main Image: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
