3 takeaways from Syracuse Football’s 2026 spring game

Syracuse football held their spring game on Saturday at the Dome. The players were split into two groups, the Blue team (representing Jim Brown) and the Orange team (representing Ernie Davis).

The two squads started the game with four minutes left in the first half and then played the rest of the game like a normal second half. Here are the key takeaways from the event.

Offense stays simple

The offensive gameplan was pretty basic for the spring game. This makes sense as the team doesn’t want to put too much on tape for other schools to scout, especially considering making schools don’t have spring games anymore.

The offense consisted of a lot of QB read options, outside zone runs and run-pass-options with a slant throw. The slant throw was popular and produced a big gain more than a couple times. The quarterbacks only threw deep about five times producing mixed results.

Kelvin Hopkins, Dre Kates, Jake Balliu and Stack Williams served as the general managers and coaches for Saturday’s event in charge of drafting and leading the teams. Only Kates is listed on the roster as a member of the coaching staff.

“They're always around [the players] so we figured, okay, those two be the GMs, these two be the head coaches,” Brown said.

Need solutions with skill players

Steve Angeli won’t have the same options he once had upon his return as nearly all of last season’s offensive output has departed. Additionally, the injury to Calvin Russell III was a major blow considering the receiving core is looking for a go-to-guy.

Umari Hatcher was given an award commemorating his efforts over spring ball which could be a sign of his status amongst the wideouts. Hatcher entered the portal but then exited, recommitting to Syracuse over the offseason.

“He’ll be a leader…I think he’s going to hold people accountable,” Brown said. “He has got a relentless approach to go make it to the league and make sure he leaves a winner. That's his mindset.”

The running back room also lost its top two rushers. Redshirt-freshman Malachi Coleman had a nice showing in the spring game where he bounced off contact to find the endzone from eight yards out.

“He keeps getting better and he’s not close to where he could be at,” Brown said. “The last two weeks, he's been making those fun plays, the last two weeks, he's been growing.”

Ahmad Miller, a 1000-yard rusher at Jackson State, caught a screen pass and turned it into a first down with a nice run after the catch. Since wide receiver might not be the team’s strength, any contributions the running backs can add to the passing attack will be welcomed.

Redshirt-freshman Matthew Outten, who spent last season at Penn State, is listed at wide receiver. He took a couple handoffs for the Blue team on outside zone runs. He showed good speed going sideline to sideline and could be a useful asset in both the run and pass game.

About the Quarterbacks

Five quarterbacks took snaps in the spring game. First was freshman Zaid Lott who hit a couple easy throws including the slant and a curl out for about ten yards. He was intercepted looking for Tyshawn Russell on a deep pass over the middle. The pass was behind Russell and took an unfortunate deflection before ending up in the wrong hands.

Redshirt-junior Amari Odom “started” for the Orange team and took the majority of their snaps. The Kennesaw State transfer showed solid accuracy and connected for two big plays. The first, a slant with a catch-and-run for 65 yards, the second was a lofted sideline throw about 30 yards down the field.

It wasn’t all pretty as he was picked off on a throw over the middle to end the first half and also missed some easy throws. He eventually led the Orange team 48 yards downfield in a two-minute drill to win the game.

“I was happy for him [Odom],” Fran Brown said. “Any coach in the country will tell you when they get an opportunity to end the spring game with a two minute drive and you can kick a field goal to win it, that's pretty legit.”

Redshirt-junior Malachi Nelson couldn’t find much rhythm while at the helm. He missed a couple throws but also wasn’t aided by poor field position and drops. He and Odom look like the main contenders to be Angeli’s understudy.

Danny Lauter and Rich Belin were the other two quarterbacks involved. Lauter didn’t play many snaps and was decently accurate. Belin showed off his mobility and led the only touchdown drive of the game late in the second half.

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