Earlier this offseason, the Syracuse University football team hired former Toledo defensive coordinator Vince Kehres as its new defensive coordinator.

The hiring is supposed to help the Orange on the field, as Kehres built a top-ranked defense at Toledo, but it helped the Orange off the field on Thursday as Syracuse secured one of Kehres's former players in the transfer portal.

As noted by Mike McAllister of 24/7 Sports on social media:

BREAKING: Toledo LB Chris D’Appolonia has committed to Syracuse football. He brings multiple years of experience in Vince Kehres system to the Orange.

D'Appolonia has appeared in 26 games over parts of three seasons with the Rockets, but he only played two games in 2024, meaning he earned a medical redshirt. As a result, he'll have two years of eligibility for the Orange, similar to new running back Ahmad Miller, who committed on Wednesday.

This past season for Toledo, D'Appolonia had 36 solo tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack. He also had four pass deflections and a forced fumble.

In the era of the transfer portal and NIL, continuity is hard to come by. Having one of Kehres's former players on the roster, who knows the expectations of the coach, of the defense, and who knows the language of the defense, is a big thing. He can absolutely be a resource for other players on the defense, in addition to a solid contributor himself.

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Syracuse went 3-9 in 2025, losing eight straight games to end the campaign in the wake of quarterback Steve Angeli's season-ending Achilles injury. With Angeli back in the fold for 2026, there is optimism for Fran Brown's team, though SU has 30 players of its own currently in the portal.

As is the case with every team in the country, we have to wait until the portal is done to see how the roster shakes out in comparison to 2025, but Angeli's health should go a long way toward making the team competitive again.

Ahmad Miller, RB (Jackson State)

Jartavius Flounoy, DT (Georgia State)

Cole Weaver, WR (Miami of Ohio)

Ju'Juan Johnson, RB (LSU)

Michael Smith, TE (South Carolina)

Chris D'Appolonia, LB (Toledo)

--The Syracuse University men's basketball team defeated Georgia Tech 82-72 on Tuesday to move to 10-5 on the season. They'll be back in action on Saturday afternoon (2 p.m. ET) at Pitt.

--The SU women's team is 13-2 overall and 3-1 in ACC play. They'll host Virginia Tech on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.

--The Syracuse men's lacrosse team began practice on Wednesday. Both the men and women are ranked in preseason polls. The men are ranked No. 2 while the women are ranked No. 11.

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