SYRACUSE, NY—After being completely shut down by the stomach flu, I returned to Syracuse’s Saturday spring practice sessions. The Syracuse football team, led by head coach Fran Brown, are stressed with urgency in this spring practice, with an effort to be completely prepared by the start of the season. As I’ve stated previously, there is no media availability on Saturday practices. However, I believe theses sessions may be the most important of the week. With the limited viewing period, it’s impossible to tell an entire story. However, I can give my takeaways from what I saw. Hopefully, this will be useful to those reading it. Let’s begin.
Syracuse Football: Saturday Spring Practice Notes
Fran Brown talks hips, stresses urgency
The opening practice period was led by Syracuse head coach Fran Brown directly greeting every member in attendance. And, I’m mentioning that because of how rare it is for a head coach to do so. Coach Brown continues to showcase his high character and interest in being involved in the community.
When the practice session began, the head coach quickly made his presence felt. Coach Brown was working closely with the defensive backs during today’s open period, where he was stressing technique to his players. More specifically, keeping their hips fluid while showing how it creates leverage against opposing players.
Coach Brown doesn’t shy away from criticism, and while some players may get frustrated by it in the moment, that type of coaching pays off in the end. With a lot of new players in 2025, coach is establishing culture early.
QB1?
While an official starter hasn’t been named yet, it seems like Rickie Collins has all-but cemented himself as the primary signal-caller for the Orange.
The LSU-transfer led the position in drills today, and also performed at a more consistent level in drills during this practice period.
The Syracuse quarterbacks throwing on air during a portion of today’s spring practice. pic.twitter.com/8pKQEf07KL
— Thomas Christopher (@ThomasCP_NFL) April 5, 2025
Collins looked smooth in play-action drills, too. His footwork has yet to falter in the short time I’ve been able to watch him practice, and his ball-placement has been the best amongst all quarterbacks. It would not surprise me to see him named as the starter sooner than later.
Freshman Phenom
One player who really stood out today was freshman Demetres Samuel Jr. Coach Brown has hinted that the freshman will be one of the primary starters in the secondary for the Orange this season. And, the soon-to-be two-way player looked great at the Syracuse spring practice session today.
During the open period, Samuel was practicing with the defensive backs, and was the top performer of the group in drills. His hip fluidity was elite, as was his stop-start speed on pursuit breaks.
Freshman DB/WR Demetres Samuel Jr. going through a CB drill at today’s practice at Syracuse.
Samuel showed great hip fluidity throughout his coverage drills today. The freshman continues to impress in spring practice. pic.twitter.com/1fVY0LDOAt
— Thomas Christopher (@ThomasCP_NFL) April 5, 2025
It’s early, but it’s hard not to be excited to see how Samuel will perform in 2025.
Under the Radar?
Like the last practice session I attended, freshman wide receiver Darius Johnson once again performed well.
The wide receiver showed great breaks on his routes, strong hands at the catch point, and excellent speed. Going into spring practice, I don’t know if Syracuse fans were expecting Johnson to perform so well, so quickly. Outside of Trebor Pena, it’s hard to say who has performed as consistently as the freshman during the early portion of practice.
On top of his receiving ability, Johnson was also being utilized as a returner.
There’s a real chance that Johnson becomes a dangerous utility weapon for Syracuse this season. Regardless, it’s hard not to be excited about his potential going forward. It’ll be particularly interesting to see how and where he’s utilized once summer comes.
Other Notes
- Running back Yasin Willis is a massive human being. If he continues to improve he could be a dominant force for Syracuse.
- I’ve said it before, but I really enjoy how coach Brown holds both players and coaches accountable.
- Interested to see who takes over in the front seven for the Syracuse defense.
Discover more from The League Winners
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
