SYRACUSE, NY—The 2025 spring football game has wrapped up for the Syracuse Orange. The event was full of fans. And although Rickie Collins wasn’t available (hand injury), the matchup between the Blue Team and the Orange Team was full of action. I was fortunate enough to attend the event on Saturday, and here are my thoughts and notes from the team’s spring game.
Syracuse Football: 2025 Spring Game Notes
Demetres Samuel Jr. Struggles
I’ll be the first to say that a poor performance in a spring game should be taken with a grain of salt. Demetres Samuel Jr. has been hyped up by both the coaching staff and reporters all spring. And, to be fair, he’s looked very good in the practice sessions I’ve viewed, too. So, it was surprising to see him struggle during the game.
At cornerback, Samuel was beaten multiple times by receiver Jaylan Hornsby, who put together an excellent practice session on Saturday. Yet, Samuel showed good technique at the position, and these struggles will likely lessen as we get closer to the regular season. However, the 17-year old also struggled while playing receiver, too.
Samuel looked very raw as a receiver, running a fairly simple route tree during the game. He was targeted multiple times throughout the game, with little success. Again, it’s not worth putting too much stock in a poor performance here, but it’s worth keeping an eye on as we head into the summer.
Defensive Line Looks Strong
When the defensive line consistently wins against the offensive line, there’s questions as to whether that’s because the unit is a strength, or if the opposite side is a glaring weakness. Whatever the case may be, the Syracuse defensive line on both teams looked great in the spring football game.
While there were some occasions where there were running lanes (and some success in the screen game), the defense shut down multiple run plays with little yardage. On top of that, the defense would have had a multitude of sacks if it were a live contest.
Two players that really stood out were freshmen Maraad Watson, and KingJoseph Edwards. Watson had a great tackle for loss and a would-be sack in the session. Meanwhile, KJE had two sacks in the game. After the game, head coach Fran Brown spoke about how the redshirt freshman has matured from last year to this year.
Fran Brown on how redshirt freshman edge KingJoseph Edwards is maturing:
“King has changed over the last 2.5 weeks of spring. He started out in my doghouse- I was on King, because I care about him and I love him.” https://t.co/r1jVGHEHZ9
— Ashley Wenskoski (@AshleyWenskTV) April 12, 2025
Stacked receiving room?
With Jackson Meeks and Oronde Gadsden II leaving for the NFL, there were questions as to how the receiving room would look. It’s early, but it’s safe to say that the unit should be fine.
Hornsby, who we mentioned before, put together an incredible performance. He was all over the field, making incredible plays. Hornsby showcased a high football IQ when faced with zone coverage, utilized his leverage successfully against man coverage, and made contested catches when draped in coverage – which included a truck stick of Demetres Samuel along the sideline.
Rich Belin is in at quarterback. He completes to Jaylan Hornsby who stays open as the play breaks down. Horsnby then lays out Demetres Samuel before going out of bounds. Horsnby has looked fantastic today.#Syracuse | #LetsGoOrange
— Thomas Christopher (@ThomasCP_NFL) April 12, 2025
I’ve mentioned Darius Johnson in my previous practice articles, and once again the freshman stood out in the spring game. Johnson was used as a returner on special teams. He was also the primary slot receiver on the Orange Team. The freshman looked fantastic in his route running all day, and made an incredible catch between two defenders – holding on after contact.
freshman 🤲
Orange Nation 🤝 Darius Johnson pic.twitter.com/zToV6oZK8L
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) April 12, 2025
Justus Ross-Simmons also performed well in the session, making a great contested catch in the end zone.
Please remember we have this demon. Never was fully healthy last year and still balled out. @ross_justus is the truth pic.twitter.com/LHdmtB1Ykt
— fran brown burner (@FranBrownBurner) April 12, 2025
Emanuel Ross, another freshman who has performed well in the spring practice sessions thus far, looked great on Saturday, too. Ross scored on a 22-yard touchdown through contact in what was an excellent performance.
Other Notes
- The quarterback play was inconsistent throughout the event. Jakhari Williams got the start for the absent Rickie Collins, and looked the best out of the group.
- Davien and Davion Kerr both were beaten regularly in coverage and were penalized multiple times in the event.
- Jordan Montanez looks like he may be the change of pace back on this team. He looked quick and decisive when lanes were open.
- True freshman Nathan Nyandoro looked promising. He was consistently around the ball carriers and even secured a sack.
- Fran Brown was seen talking with defensive back Rayshon Andrews consistently throughout the spring game. Andrews was a three-star prospect out of Avon Old Farms in Connecticut.
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