How much will these questions impact the upcoming season for the Orange, who are coming off a 3-9 campaign in 2025?
Fran Brown will begin his third season as the Syracuse football head coach this fall. In Brown's first season, the Orange won the Holiday Bowl and finished with the program's third double-digit win victory season in the last 25 seasons (10). In year two, the Orange started strong with a 3-1 record but lost their next eight games to finish at 3-9. As the summer progresses and the Orange get closer to opening their fall training camp, here are the top questions surrounding this season's team.
The injury status of quarterback Steve Angeli
Will Angeli's presence be enough to guide the team to a more successful season in 2026? Angeli guided the Orange to those three wins in 2025, and his absence was clearly felt in those eight losses.
Angeli finished the 2025 season with 1,317 passing yards, 10 touchdown and two interceptions.
The former Notre Dame quarterback was on the field during spring practice but did not participate in the annual spring game. Fran Brown did offer an update on Angeli's injury recovery earlier this spring.
Angeli is expected to be ready by Week 1, but if he's not, the group has some answers available to them on the depth chart that were not there a year ago.
How will the team use Malachi Nelson?
Depending on Angeli's injury recovery, Malachi Nelson could be under center for the Orange in September.
Nelson was a transfer portal addition for the team earlier this year. In 2023, ESPN named Nelson as the No.1 recruit in the country. Nelson signed with USC out of high school but did not see action. Syracuse will be Nelson's fourth school in four years as he also spent time with Boise State and UTEP.
Brown shared how impressed he was with Nelson's continued improvement and talent last month.
It is possible Brown could even play both quarterbacks in different offense sets throughout the upcoming season.
What player will be the primary ball carrier?
Running back Yasin Willis left the team via transfer portal and signed with the Kansas Jayhawks. Malachi Coleman found the endzone late in April's spring game and could be a possibility. Tylik Hill will enter the season as the running back who returns with the most yards from last season. Hill posted 133 yards on 24 carries. The sophomore from New Jersey switched his number from 39 to 20 for the upcoming season.
There were also meaningful transfer portal additions for Syracuse, providing more depth in the running back room.
What's the summer look like for the Orange?
The official first day of training camp has yet to be announced by the school. According to the NCAA rules, schools are allowed to begin practices 31 days prior to their first scheduled fall game.
Last season, Syracuse football camp began on July 30 in preparation for the opening game against Tennessee on August 30. This season, Syracuse will open its season on Sept. 5 against New Hampshire at the JMA Wireless Dome. Thirty-one days prior to kickoff would put this year's training camp beginning on Aug. 5.
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