Who will lead Syracuse in rushing and receiving in 2026?

The turbulent era of the transfer portal has led to college football rosters being remade just about every offseason. Syracuse was no exception, with nearly 20 players arriving via the portal.

Last year, it was Steve Angeli, Johntay Cook, Chris Peal and David Reese who, in many ways, led the team in what was their first season on campus.

Who are Syracuse’s top options at running back?

Yasin Willis never quite found his footing in his two years at Syracuse, resulting in a transfer to Kansas this past winter. Will Nixon entered the NFL draft after his eligibility ran out following an injury-plagued college career. The team’s third-leading rusher, Tylik Hill, is back for his sophomore season, but he only had 24 carries the year prior.

Fran Brown did add a pair of transfers in Ahmad Miller (Jackson State) and Ju’juan Johnson (LSU). Miller is coming off a breakout year for the Tigers in which he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the ground and punched in 5 touchdowns. Johnson did not feature much in Baton Rouge, but did catch 17 passes out of the backfield, which could lead him to a role in the backfield rotation as a receiver.

Miller has the most proven production, but the jump from the SWAC to the ACC is sizable. The likelihood is all three backs will feature regularly. It will be interesting to see if offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon carves out specific roles for them or simply rides the hot hand. SU has struggled to run the rock effectively under Nixon, ranking in the bottom 10 nationally in yards per carry each of the past two seasons.

Who will emerge at WR?

At receiver, it has been a mass exodus. Brown built an incredible receiver room for 2025. Darrell Gill Jr. stepped into a major role in his third year with the program. Brown took a gamble on Johntay Cook in the portal after two seasons at Texas and being dismissed by Washington after briefly committing to the Huskies. Dan Villari continued to be a receiver threat at tight end. Colorado State transfer Justus Ross-Simmons turned into a jump-ball weapon as well.

The four combined for 1,779 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. That was 68 percent of Syracuse’s receiving yards and 70 percent of their receiving touchdowns. Gill and Cook transferred to catch passes from Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss. Villari’s and Ross-Simmons’ eligibility ran out. The only real returners of note are receivers Darrien Williams and Tyshawn Russell, and tight end David Clement. They combined for 20 receptions in 2025. Brown needed to restock his receiver room.

It was supposed to start with one of the biggest recruits in Syracuse football history. Calvin Russell III was a top-50 recruit on most sites, earning five-star status from a number of outlets. He is a good enough athlete that he also played some minutes for the Syracuse basketball team.

The hype was short-lived, though, as Russell suffered an Achilles injury during spring practice and was deemed to be out indefinitely. Brown has said that Russell will play at some point, but it does not seem like there is a clear timeline for his return.

A portal addition will need to rise to the top

That puts a ton of focus on the players added in the portal. Zamondre Merriweather is a JUCO star who previously did not play in three seasons at Boise State. Cole Weaver had a solid season for Miami Ohio and brings good size on the perimeter.

Matt Outten picked Penn State over Syracuse as a recruit, but after a redshirt season and James Franklin’s firing in Happy Valley, he is now in CNY. A former four-star recruit, it will be interesting to see if he is ready to contribute right away. Elijah Moore is another former four-star recruit who has yet to make much of an impact. He had just three catches in his redshirt-freshman season for Florida State.

Brown has shown in recent years that he can build well through a mix of recruiting and the portal. That being said, this feels like a wide-open competition across the board. There will be opportunities, but some of these skill position players are going to need to step up in a big way.

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