Syracuse freshman Demetres Samuel Jr. poised for a big role

Freshman Demetres Samuel Jr. was one of the crown jewels of Fran Brown's 2025 class. The Palm Bay (FL) Heritage athlete was uniamous four-star prospect by all of the major recruiting services (247 Sports, Rivals, On3) , and even though he's listed as a defensive back on the Syracuse roster, he's expected to be far more of an impact player than that.

If fall camp has been any indication leading up to SU's opener against Tennessee later in August, Samuel will not just be featured in the defensive backfield, but he will be lining up on offense as a receiver, a rare two-way college football player, and even rarer for a freshman to be making an impact on both sides of the ball so early in his career.

“When we recruited him, we told him he was going to play both [sides of the ball],” offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon said earlier in the week. This is nothing new for Samuel, who played defensive back and wide receiver while also returning kicks in high school.

Samuel projects to play mostly defense

Based on what the coaches are saying, Samuel will primarily play defense, with him crossing over to the offense a few times per game. It seems unlikely that he will get the Travis Hunter treatment and play close to every snap of every game, but it will be interesting to see how Nixon and defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson balance his snaps.

Samuel projects as a starter in the Syracuse secondary, whether at safety or corner, is unclear at this stage. He could wind up being a crucial player for Robinson’s defense.

The Orange needs to replace Alijah Clark, Clarence Lewis and Jayden Bellamy. Marcellus Barnes likely would’ve stepped into a bigger role, but he bolted for SMU in the portal.

But he may be needed just as much on offense

That being said, Syracuse does not have many returning playmakers at receiver either. Oronde Gadsden and Jackson Meeks are in the NFL now.

Trebor Pena chased NIL money in the transfer portal as well. Zeed Haynes got off to a strong start, but then left the team due to personal family reasons.

For as much as Samuel would be an asset on defense, his presence on offense might be required as well. It will be intriguing to see his usage throughout the season as he adjusts to playing college football.

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