3 takeaways from Syracuse football’s Aug. 26 media session ahead of Tennessee

Syracuse is gearing up to face Tennessee in its season opener in Atlanta on Saturday, Aug. 30.

Ahead of the matchup with the Volunteers, the Orange have been listening to loud music at practice to emulate the atmosphere at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

After practice Tuesday, Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli, offensive lineman Joe Cruz and linebacker David Omopariola spoke with the media.

Here are three takeaways from the media session.

Offensive weapons finding their role

Syracuse is set to start its 2025 season with a new-look offense. That starts with Angeli taking the reins from Kyle McCord at quarterback. Angeli recently was named the starter over Rickie Collins, and Cruz says the Orange will be strong with whoever is at signal caller.

“Whoever goes in there, any player in the season, we have confidence to go out there and play,” Cruz said.

Running back is another position that is shifted from last season. LeQuint Allen Jr., now with the Jaguars, led the Orange with over 1,000 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. The next two players that led SU in rushing were Yasin Willis and Will Nixon, who combined for just over 200 yards on the ground.

The duo is expected to step into a larger role this season. However, it doesn’t change much for Cruz, in terms of blocking.

“LeQuint taught a lot to Yasin and taught a lot to Will how to run the ball and fit the gap,” Cruz said. “It's pretty similar actually [to blocking for LeQuint].”

SU’s receiving group is also looking for new pieces to step up. Darrell Gill Jr., Umari Hatcher and Justus Ross-Simmons are the only returning players among the Orange’s top seven receivers from 2024.

Angeli has liked Ross-Simmons’ leadership in the receiver room and his play on the field.

“[Ross-Simmons] has some of the strongest hands I’ve ever seen catch the football,” Angeli said. “He runs really well, he’s aggressive at the point of attack, [he] runs great routes.”

SU’s o-line gelling

SU offensive line coach Dale Williams spoke with the media on Aug. 19 and addressed the changes to the offensive line unit. Williams said portal additions such as Austin Collins and TJ Ferguson are expected to play a lot.

On Tuesday, Cruz spoke highly of Collins, who last played at Louisville.

“He brings a lot of experience from Louisville,” Cruz said. “He played guard and center, so he's able to teach us different things, and he sees the game differently than everyone else.”

Cruz, who’s played at Syracuse since 2022, has been with the Orange through its roster changes since the end of last season. With this new group, Cruz said the offensive line has been working harder than in the past leading up to this season.

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“We got a lot of talent coming in and coming back from last season, a lot of experience, a lot of new guys,” Cruz said. “I would say that we've definitely come together as a group over this time.”

Cruz is using his experience to mentor some of the younger players, such as freshman Byron Washington.

David Omopariola stepping up

As a redshirt sophomore, Omopariola has developed into one of SU’s next key pieces among its edge rushers. After practice on Aug. 22, SU edge coach Nick Williams spoke about his connection with the Baltimore-native, who is a hard worker.

Omopariola attributes some of his growth in his first years at Syracuse to former SU linebacker Marlowe Wax, now on the Chargers.

“He brought me under his shoulder, how to watch film, how to play football, attacking blockers, making tackles,” Omopariola said. “I learned a lot from Marlowe actually. That’s someone I looked up to.”

Now, coming off a season in which he played in 12 games and made his first start, Omopariola is looking to be more of a leader. Omopariola said he is pushing Cal-transfer David Reese at practice while the two of them hold each other accountable.

“We just want to put our foot down, stop the run, get some pressures, get some sacks, really be a dominant group,” Omopariola said about SU’s defense.

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