The Orange will need to replace a lot of starters
In what was a year to remember for the Syracuse Orange offensively, it’s easy to forget the woes on defense and mishaps on special teams. SU finished the season among the bottom half of teams in the ACC in points allowed (29.2 PPG), yards allowed from scrimmage (377.5 yards), and takeaways (16) — against a schedule of opponents with a combined win percentage barely above .500. Oh, and the road doesn’t get any easier in 2025, especially without guys like Justin Barron, Marlowe Wax, Fadil Diggs, among others, leading the way.
Let’s look at what the Orange defense has to offer by position next season:
Defensive Line
Departing: Fadil Diggs (eligibility), Braylen Ingraham (eligibility), Michael Nwokocha (transfer)
Returning: Dion ‘Tank’ Wilson Jr., Isaiah Hastings, KingJoseph Edwards, Denis Jaquez Jr., Kevin Jobity Jr, Chase Simmons, Stan Modo, Xavier Miles, Maarad Watson, Rashard Perry, Grant Winter, Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff, and Clark Calloway
Incoming: Chris Thomas, Jr. (Transfer from Marshall), Haleem Muhammad (HS, three-star), EJ Thomas (HS, three-star), Nathan Nyandoro (HS, three-star), Elijah Crawford (HS, three-star), Nissi Ogbebor (HS, three-star)
Early Outlook: Losing Fadil Diggs to the NFL draft stings. A team-leading 7.5 sacks and 45 total tackles as an All-ACC honorable mention edge rusher, and just a real focal point on the defensive line for opposing teams to game plan around. But, that being said, Syracuse returns junior Denis Jaquez Jr. (third on the team in sacks, behind Diggs and Wax), 247Sports’ Midseason Freshman All-American Maarad Watson (2nd among defensive lineman in total tackles), redshirt junior Chase Simmons, and former-four star KingJoseph Edwards, who hopefully continues to develop after not seeing much playing time this season (seven total tackles and three sacks in three games). Plus, the Orange get some help from 6-6 329-pound Marshall transfer Chris Thomas Jr. —who finished his junior season with 43 total tackles, two pass deflections, and a sack— and incoming three-stars Nathan Nyandoro and Nissi Ogbebor (both 6-6 and more than 260-pounds). There’s some potential for this group, considering a lot of these guys are young and still developing, but after what SU’s DL produced in 2024 the bar is set pretty low in 2025.
Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images
Linebacker
Departing: Marlowe Wax Jr. (eligibility), Justin Barron (eligibility)
Returning: Derek McDonald, Anwar Sparrow, James Heard, David Omopariola, Zyian Moultrie-Goddard, Jahide Lesaine Jr., Caden Brown, Mark Short, Garvin St. John, Fatim Diggs, Josh Kubala, Jayden Brown
Incoming: Antoine Deslauriers (HS, three-star), Trey Dudley (HS, three-star), Fran Brown Jr. (transfer from Saint Francis)
Early Outlook: The linebacker position group is arguably losing the most, in terms of production, leadership, and experience, between Marlowe and JB. The two All-ACC honorable mention LBs combined for 130 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, and four total turnovers this season. Derek McDonald is SU’s best returning LB (2nd on the team among LBs in total tackles), which isn’t saying a lot, considering McDonald was issued a 64.0 point PFF grade on defense and a 56.6 point grade on tackling this year. A few guys who could have bigger roles next season, outside of McDonald, redshirt junior Anwar Sparrow, who is back at SU after withdrawing his name from the transfer portal, redshirt freshman James Heard Jr., and sophomore David Omopariola — all three saw more playing time during Wax’s absence mid-season due to injury. There’s some potential for incoming three-star Antoine Deslauriers to make an impact in his first year at Syracuse as well. You might remember the Georgia prospect, originally from Quebec, Canada, for a photo that went viral during his official visit in June. Overall, though, this is a very inexperienced group with a lot to prove in 2025.
Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images
Defensive Back
Departing: Clarence Lewis (eligibility), Alijah Clark (NFL), Jayden Bellamy (transferred to UCF), Jaeden Gould (transferred to UCF), Marcellus Barnes (transfer)
Returning: Duce Chestnut, Devin Grant, Berry Buxton III, Greg Delaine, Jalil Martin, Cornell Perry, Ibn McDaniels, Davien Kerr, Braheem Long Jr., Marcus Washington Jr., Nate Prater, Nakei Johnson, Tommy Porter, Clay Masters
Incoming: Demetres Samuel (HS, four-star), Kaylib Singleton (HS, three-star), Javon Lawrence (HS, three-star), Jordan Gibbs (HS, three-star), Ziyyon Bredell (HS, three-star), Davion Kerr (HS, three-star)
Early Outlook: SU’s secondary was the only real bright spot on a collectively sub-par defense this year, among the better teams in the ACC against the pass — allowing just 220 yards per game through the air in conference games. However, three of SU’s five starting defensive backs are no longer with the program, including Clarence Lewis (Third-Team All-ACC), Alijah Clark, and Jayden Bellamy (who led the team with two INTs). And, though the ‘soft’ deadline for underclassmen to gain special eligibility for the NFL draft is Jan. 6, the ‘hard’ deadline is Jan. 15. So, there’s a good chance this list of departures could change in the coming days — Duce Chestnut and Devin Grant are two guys to keep an eye on. Freshman Davien Kerr (2nd in total tackles among freshmen behind Maarad Watson), Freshman Ibn McDaniels, redshirt junior Berry Buxton III, and redshirt sophomore Greg Delaine are the first few names that come to mind when thinking about the replacements for the production leaving Syracuse. Plus, incoming four-star and top-200 247Sports composite safety Demetres Samuel — held offers from several top power-four programs, including Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Miami (FL), among others. Honestly, despite the number of departures, I think this group is still talented and poised to have another good year, especially if Duce Chestnut and Devin Grant decide to stay for another season.
Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Specialists
Departing: Brady Denaburg (transferred to Minnesota), Tom Callahan (eligibility)
Returning: Jack Stonehouse, Jackson Kennedy, Ethan Stangle, Jacob Zuhr, Jadyn Oh
Incoming: Tripp Woody (transfer from Iowa)
Early Outlook: SU parted ways with its special teams coach James Vollono at the end of this year, after cycling through three kickers and converting 13 of 22 field goal attempts (8-15 from 30+ yards). Syracuse did, however, finish top-four in ACC games in net punting (40.1 yards per punt). Redshirt junior punter Jack Stonehouse will return for another year in the Orange uniform after back-to-back All-ACC seasons. Redshirt junior Jackson Kennedy will compete for the starting kicking position with Iowa transfer Tripp Woody and redshirt freshman Jaydn Oh (who converted on 2 of 5 field goals in four games). Woody announced his commitment to play at Syracuse in December after his official visit, and, though the Charlotte, North Carolina, native did not play in his freshman season at Iowa, as a senior in High School he went 41 of 44 on PATs and 10 of 14 on FGs with his longest make coming from 50 yards out. With Stonehouse back and a competitive rotation for kicking duties, I think we could see a productive special teams unit next season.
It’ll be a ‘new-look’ Syracuse defense next season with six of SU’s 11 starters on the back end departing for the NFL draft or other programs, along with some changes on special teams. Check out our look at the 2025 Orange offense by Finn Lincoln and Kevin Wall.