2026 Syracuse offensive line preview: Projected starters, depth & key portal additions

Football is a game decided in the trenches, and in 2025, the Orange O-line was one of the worst in the ACC, which was reflected in their record.

Last year, SU allowed 37 sacks, third most in the ACC, and it wasn't necessarily because of injuries. LT Trevion Mack and center Austin Collins did miss several games, but otherwise, the line was healthy.

That led head coach Fran Brown to change offensive line coaches, and he's hired 40+ year veteran Juan Castillo. He'll work with an offensive line that brings in several key transfers, while returning several players from the previous roster.

Left Tackle

Starting with the left tackles, the starter of this group is expected to be Trevion Mack. Mack started in the 10 games he played in in 2025 and allowed just one sack in 368 passing snaps. Behind Mack will be Naquil Betrand and Vito Shevchenko. Betrand appeared in eight games in 2025 and started two. Shevchenko is a rising junior who played just one game in 2025, against Colgate.

Left Guard

Joe Cruz is Syracuse's most experienced offensive lineman, and early reports out of fall camp is that he's assumed a leadership role on this group. Cruz has appeared in 37 games over three years with the Orange and started every game in 2025. He allowed zero sacks on 432 passing attempts last season and has not allowed a sack in his career.

Behind Cruz are Oluwafunto Akinshilo and Jayden Mann. Akinshilo is a 6'5", 330-lb guard entering his sixth year after transferring out of UCLA. Akinshilo played in all 12 games for UCLA in 2025. Mann is a returning sophomore who played in just two games last year.

Center

Center is one of the ongoing position battles heading into the final weeks of camp. Syracuse's two candidates for the job appear to be Matthew Hawn and Kahlil Stewart.

Stewart has appeared in one college game in a lopsided loss to Notre Dame in 2025. Stewart appears to have the inside track based on reps in spring practice. Hawn, who played at Syracuse (NY) CBA, is 6'6", 310 lbs, and started against Miami last season.

Right Guard

Sophomore Byron Washington is the projected starter. The 6-foot-7, 385-pound lineman saw instant playing time in his freshman season, ranking in the top 10 for true freshman snaps played in the FBS at 398. Washington allowed two sacks last season on 226 passing attempt

Backing him up will be Zach Rice and Travis Brown-Miller. Rice is entering his fifth year and appeared in two games for the Orange last season. Rice was the No. 1 O-line recruit in the 2022 recruiting class and committed to UNC, where he played for three seasons. Brown-Miller is a returning redshirt sophomore who appeared in two games in 2025.

Right Tackle

Syracuse dug into the transfer portal at this position, landing redshirt sophomore Kam Pringle from South Carolina. Pringle appeared in every game in 2025 and recorded one start, playing 161 RT snaps in total.

Backing up Pringle will be Kardiear Shepherd. Shepherd is a 6'7" redshirt freshman who is a Syracuse native and was ranked a top-10 player in New York State coming out of high school.

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