What Kehres, Peal, Deslauriers said after Syracuse football’s 3/23 spring practice

Syracuse’s new defensive coordinator and key defensive players shared updates after SU’s third spring practice on Monday. It was the first chance to hear from SU's defense after head coach Fran Brown and members of the offense spoke a few days ago.

Vince Kehres was hired by the Orange to be their next DC in December after coaching six seasons at Toledo. He shared his plans for SU’s defensive unit while returning standouts Chris Peal and Antoine Deslauriers shared their status.

Here are three takeaways from the media session following SU spring practice.

Kehres brings familiar faces to SU

When Kehres was discussing joining the Orange with Brown, he asked if he could bring anyone from Toledo with him.

The third-year head coach said yes and now Kehres has a few former Rockets coaches serving on the defensive staff.

Perry Eliano is SU’s defensive backs coach and Dan Bolden is a defensive analyst working with SU’s linebackers. Kehres had positive things to say about the coaches joining him at Syracuse.

Eliano joins the Orange with experience at Ohio State and Cincinnati and has coached Sauce Gardner.

“First and foremost, [he’s] an outstanding person and secondly an outstanding football coach,” Kehres said of Eliano.

Bolden brings recent playing experience to SU and once played linebacker for Kehres at Toledo.

“I feel really comfortable with Dan. I’ve been around him the last six years and he’s going to be a really good football coach.”

Multiple players followed Kehres to SU too, including Chris D’Appolonia, who had a career-high 68 tackles last season. Deslauriers said this has helped the defense learn from the new defensive staff.

“It's only been positive for us having him there, him already knowing most of what's going on,” Deslauriers said. “[He’s] really been stepping up as a leader.”

Peal oversees new-look DB room

Peal is one of the top returners alongside Demetres Samuel Jr. in Syracuse’s secondary. The two are set to lead a group that underwent considerable change since last season.

Devin Grant and Duce Chestnut are both set to take part in April’s NFL Draft after strong SU careers. Meanwhile, new faces from the transfer portal and recruiting class joined the program.

Peal made time to watch Grant and Chestnut take part in their SU Pro Day on March 16. They handed the reins of the defense to Peal and the other returners.

“They were like ‘it's up to y'all now, and you're one of the leaders now. You got to take over and make sure that we turn this around, do what we're supposed to do this year,’” Peal said.

One of the top-rated freshmen heading into 2026 is Chase Geter from Virginia. Peal has formed a relationship with Geter, which stems from hosting the three-star on his official visit. Peal also ran track with Geter’s older brother.

“I’m probably like his big bro here,” Peal said of Geter. “He’s asked me a lot of questions, whatever he needs to know.”

Just a few days into practice, as SU meshes, Peal is liking what he’s seeing from the secondary.

“The group is going really well,” Peal said. “We're still getting adjusted [to] new coaches. I'm liking the way we're progressing.”

Defense to be a ‘physical unit’

Deslauriers is set to be a key player on SU’s defensive unit in 2026. The rising-sophomore linebacker is coming off a freshman season in which he tied for the team lead in tackles and earned Freshman All-American honors.

However, those accolades and stats don’t mean much to him ahead of this season.

“It was fun having the awards, but we’re coming back to work,” Deslauriers said.

As a potential leader of the defense, Deslauriers said Kehres isn’t going to treat him differently from other players and it’s his job to prove himself over again.

Deslauriers noticed the accolades that Kehres’ brings to the Orange too. Kehres has been a coach on 10 national champion teams. Under Kehres, Deslauriers sees the identity of the defense taking shape.

“We’re gonna be a physical unit,” Deslauriers said.

Deslauriers said Kehres is “extremely knowledgeable” when it comes to teaching the game and he’s been forming relationships with the players despite being at SU for a short time.

“He has a personalized approach to every player,” Deslauriers said of Kehres.

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