Sports journalists predict that SU will finish with the best result since 2018

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Yracuse football is headed toward one of the most exciting seasons in program history. Since the Orange hired Fran Brown as their 31st all-time head coach on November 28, 2023, there has been more excitement surrounding SU than it has seen in a long time.

Brown, the reigning National Recruiter of the Year according to 247Sports, has already equipped Syracuse with two top-40 recruiting classes in 2024 and 2025 – the program’s two best freshmen since 2001. He also secured high-profile transfer commitments from Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord and Texas A&M edge Fadil Diggs to bolster SU in the short term.

With the return of veteran stars like Oronde Gadsden II, LeQuint Allen Jr., Justin Barron and Marlowe Wax, Syracuse is showing potential. Brown is in a great position to move SU away from Dino Baber’s mediocre eight-year tenure at the helm. He’s done just about everything he could do off the field, establishing an improved recruiting pipeline in the Northeast and implementing a brand new culture. Time will tell if Brown can make more drastic changes to the on-field product.

Here’s how our sports reporters think the Syracuse football team will fare in its first season under Brown:

Aiden Stepansky
A fresh FRANchise
Record: 8-4
Best Player: Kyle McCord
X-Factor: Offensive Line

The disappointing Dino era is behind us, and a new era of Syracuse football is upon us. First-year head coaches often begin their tenures trying to build for the future and abandon the present. But in his first offseason at the helm, Brown has only stepped on the accelerator.

With a clear push and one of the easier schedules in the country, FRANchise will enter as an immediate ACC contender and be at least 4-1 in a ranked game against NC State. The key to SU’s offensive success is in the trenches and the addition of two gigantic tackles in Da’Metrius Weatherspoon and Savion Washington is crucial.

Not only will they help Allen Jr. take a leap forward in year three if the unit is successful, but McCord will continue to excel, as he ranked 19th nationally in clean-pocket passing grade (90.0) according to PFF in 2023. An impressive O-line will make McCord the team’s MVP and help him become only the second SU quarterback to ever throw for 3,000 yards in a season.

Games against Virginia Tech and Miami at home will pose a problem for some of the conference’s best quarterbacks, but a fast start and consistency in ACC play that has been lacking in the past will produce a better record in the end. Eight wins in his first year will give Brown the most wins by a first-year SU head coach since Paul Pasqualoni’s 10 in 1991, perfectly ushering in the new brand of Syracuse football while honoring its glory days.

Cooper Andrews
A new hope
Record: 9-3
MVP: LeQuint Allen Jr.
X-Factor: Secondary

Kyle McCord has never seen Star Wars. But in Syracuse’s version of A New Hope, he’s the star of the cast. McCord’s December 2023 transfer from Ohio State has given SU’s new program a new lease of life. It was the first major recruiting domino effect for Brown, and he got a veteran quarterback with experience in beating the top competition in the Power Four.

McCord’s signing reflects a major changing of the guard at Syracuse. Brown’s dominance in recruiting in the Northeast is a reversal of Babers’ shortcomings in the region, and he has already made decisive moves to strengthen SU’s local influence. The future is tantalizing. But the 2024 squad could be one of the Orange’s best since the turn of the century.

Plenty of weapons, like a tight end room with Gadsden’s Dan Villari and redshirt freshman wide receiver Zeed Haynes, surround McCord and fit into what should be more of a professional drop-back offense. A more experienced offensive line blocks Allen Jr., who is expected to take over the leadership role in Syracuse’s offense and become one of the best backs in the ACC. The defense is somewhat of an unknown, but Wax as a backup to the linebackers and a lethal secondary led by Alijah Clark and Duce Chestnut make defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson’s group dangerous in his first year.

If you don’t find this team exciting, you’re just a pessimist. Brown’s team is capable of competing at the top of the ACC in its first year. I envision the Orange taking advantage of a relatively weak conference record and setting the stage for the program’s limitless future en route to a respectable nine-win season.

Justin Girshon
Building block for year 1
Record: 8-4
Best player: Marlowe Wax
X-Factor: Offensive Line

There is a lot of optimism for Syracuse football in Central New York, and rightly so. Brown brings a confidence that the Orange often lack in their head coach. McCord is expected to deliver one of the best single-season performances by a quarterback in program history. A defense commanded by fifth-year senior Marlowe Wax, who recorded 110 tackles and four sacks last year, has the potential to be one of the best in the ACC.

While it’s always said that the Orange have one of the easiest schedules in the country, people overlook some of their opponents. Facing Georgia Tech in Week 2 to open their ACC schedule is no easy task. Having their first road game across the country at Allegiant Stadium after four home games against UNLV could also pose problems.

After a potential 3-2 start to the season, Syracuse has a number of key conference opponents ahead of it, starting with No. 24 NC State on the road. From there, a potentially tough but winnable series against Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Cal will define SU’s season before a likely tie with UConn and season-closing matchup against No. 19 Miami.

If all goes well, Syracuse can win ten games. If all goes wrong, the Oranges will be 6-6 for the second year in a row, despite all the positive changes during the offseason. Of course, I’m predicting something in between.

Eight wins would be a huge step in the right direction for the program in Brown’s first season at the helm, but with the talent from top to bottom, the program could definitely make a national splash.

Photo by Joe Zhao | Video Editor