Syracuse football fans root for a lot of things over the course of the average season. First downs, sacks, touchdowns, turnovers, and wins are all common goals every member of the Orange faithful hopes for.
But, they should keep it simple and root for one thing in 2024: health.
Why is health the most important thing to Syracuse this season?
August 30, 2025.
Yes, the health of the roster is the most important thing for this season due to the beginning of the following season. Nine months to the day from when the Orange host Miami is a special occasion and not for the usual reason two events are nine months apart.
August 30, 2025 is the date of Syracuse’s season opener, which involves a trip to Atlanta to face off with Tennessee in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic, which will be nationally televised by either ABC or ESPN.
A lot will happen between the start of this campaign and the start of the subsequent one, most notably and obviously Orange head coach Fran Brown’s first entire season on the sideline. Some other things will also happen between those two events, including the following:
· a high school recruiting cycle, including signing day
· the post-2024 season transfer portal opening
· the spring 2025 transfer portal opening
Those things all combine to build future SU rosters and, while Brown has built substantial buzz around the program with the recruiting prowess he and his staff have already shown, 2024 on-field performance is likely leading to either a loss of momentum or another step forward in their climb up the ladder. Brown certainly has cache as a recruiter and adding a successful first season would strengthen Syracuse even more.
Which gets back to the health of the football team. In 2018, the Orange had their last double-digit win campaign, going 10-3 under Dino Babers… and a slew of healthy players who provided consistent performance to the team, including its starting lineup.
Eric Dungey started all 13 games that year for SU, as did four of his offensive linemen – Cody Conway, Aaron Roberts, Airon Servais, and Koda Martin – who all started at the same position every time out. The fifth offensive lineman, right guard Evan Adams, started a dozen times, missing only the game against FCS opponent Wagner. Wide receivers Jamal Custis and Sean Riley matched those 12 starts.
All told, 18 players started on offense for the Orange that season and 16 played in at least a dozen games, as tight end Ravian Pierce appeared in ten contests and wideout Sharod Johnson just seven.
On the other side of the ball, five defenders also started every game. Chris Slayton did so on the line, backed by linebackers Ryan Guthrie and Kielan Whitner with Evan Foster and Chris Fredrick roaming the backfield. Four other players started at least ten times, led by Kendall Coleman and Alton Robinson netting a dozen starts each to all but sew up the defensive end spots.
The defense matched their offensive mates with 18 total players starting and 15 of them played in at least a dozen games. Those falling short of that mark were defensive lineman Josh Black (11 appearances), and defensive backs Antwan Cordy (ten) and Allen Stritzinger (nine).
In summation, almost all of the best players on the Orange roster punched the clock almost every week. And they handled the workload that went with it.
On offense, players who started at least one game handled 473 of 602 rushing plays (third-string/goal-line running back Jarveon Howard and redshirt freshman quarterback Tommy DeVito had most of the rest) and amassed 266 of the team’s 271 receptions. The defense told the same story, as players who started piled up 37 of the team’s 43 sacks, 17 of their 18 interceptions, and 11 of the team’s 13 fumble recoveries (the outliers were logged by wide receiver Jamal Custis and punter/kickoff specialist Sterling Hofrichter on special teams plays).
To repeat, the top players were available and produced accordingly, both on the stat sheet and in the win column.
Moreover, that kind of health has been a rare sight around the SU football program in recent years. Last year’s team had four different quarterbacks throw at least one pass. That number does not include former quarterback-turned-tight end-turned-emergency quarterback Dan Villari.
The 2022 team had 23 different players start on offense, including six different players start one game and four different players start at tight end. That squad also had 21 different players start a game on defense, including five players doing it once and another pair twice.
It is not a coincidence that being able to turn to the same players to play every game helped that 2018 team get to ten wins. That level of availability helped make a team that was probably not the most talented group (Andre Cisco is the lone player to start for the Orange in 2018 currently in the NFL) succeed as a collective unit.
Behind that same five on the offensive line that showed up every week but one, Moe Neal, Dontae Strickland, and Jarveon Howard combined for 1,772 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground. With the group protecting Eric Dungey, four different wide receivers caught at least 40 passes, combining for just under 200 receptions and 2,800 yards while reaching the end zone 16 times.
With the top defensive linemen consistently on the field (only six different starters across four positions in 13 games), Ryan Guthrie and Kielan Whitner made hay at linebacker, each finishing in triple figures in tackles. The three of those linemen who started at least a dozen games each (Coleman, Robinson, Slayton) led the team in quarterback hits and made the top four in tackles for loss along with Guthrie. Spending the majority of his time on the field with the other starting defensive backs allowed Andre Cisco to be a ballhawk, picking off seven passes and breaking up 11 others.
All those names and numbers show why health is important for SU for the 2024 season.
When added to the future, they also point to what Brown and his staff might be able to do with a successful first season at Syracuse under their belts. They earned impressive results both in the transfer portal and high school recruiting with no resume written in Orange. With the proof of concept of a winning first season under their belts, the ceiling for Brown and his lieutenants should be even higher headed into the offseason.
Which leads back to August 30, 2025 and Tennessee. That opener is the start of what should be a challenging season. That neutral site matchup with the Volunteers kicks off a slate that features several other dangerous trips away from the JMA Wireless Dome. Notre Dame, Clemson, Miami, and SMU are all road trips for SU, who will also host North Carolina and Pitt.
As such, the 2024 season and the recruiting periods immediately following it are the last chances for the Syracuse staff to bolster its roster before a true measuring stick season. While this season is one where the Orange look to make a splash, it needs to be a big enough one that the ripples help carry them into 2025.
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