Syracuse Football: What to Watch at the Spring Game

After some productive practice (and an unfortunate injury), the Syracuse football team will prepare to play in their annual spring game on April 11. The game is expected to take place at 7:30 p.m. EST at JMA Wireless Stadium. Yet, before that happens, it’s worth exploring what fans should be keeping an eye on at the event. So with that in mind, let’s dive in.

Syracuse Football: What to Watch at the Spring Game

With the Syracuse spring football game on the horizon, here’s what fans should be paying attention to at the event.

Who’s QB2?

Quarterback Steve Angeli returns after an Achilles tear sidelined him for a majority of the 2025 season. And while he’s still not 100-percent healthy, he’s the presumed starter (at this time – pending health). With that in mind, Syracuse needs a capable No. 2 quarterback, or potential starter, if Angeli is not ready to go by fall.

The two quarterbacks likely to compete for that position are Amari Odom and Danny Lauter. Both players are transfer quarterbacks, yet both come with experience and strong arms.

Last year, Odom was a great asset at Kennesaw State. The QB threw for 2594 yards with 19 touchdowns to eight interceptions. He also added 347 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. While not over-effective as a passer, Odom averaged roughly 245 total yards per game. However, he was accurate when making plays with a 65-percent completion rate.

During spring, Odom has showcased an accurate arm with poise while making decisions. He has also shown good touch on his passes, with good form as well. Personally, if there’s a player as “the favorite” to have the spot while Angeli’s out, my money would be on Odom. However, Lauter is no slouch in his own right.

The Georgetown transfer missed most of the 2025 season, yet showed potential in 2024 as the starter. In 10 games, he threw for 1871 yards with 11 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. His 61-percent completion rate isn’t bad, and there’s a gunslinger mentality to Lauter that’s hard not to admire.

This spring, Lauter was the quarterback throwing at the Syracuse Pro Day, which can’t be understated. In practice he has shown both fire and ice. While there can be some inconsistency with his passing, he also fits the ball into incredible windows. In an offense like Syracuse where the quarterback is expected to throw a lot, I actually really like Lauter’s upside.

Now, this isn’t to say that the other quarterbacks on the roster aren’t viable options to become the starter. Each player has their own opportunity to earn that right, and we’ll see what they have at the spring game.

Every Position is Open – Literally

What usually happens during coaching changes is currently happening to the Syracuse football program. That is, every position is up for grabs because players have either transferred out or finished their collegiate career. This can be a good, or bad thing, depending on how one looks at it. Regardless, it’s an important aspect for fans to pay attention to.

The biggest key position battles, in my opinion, will be along the wide receivers, running backs, and defensive backs. There’s also massive questions regarding the front seven. Yet, with how little work the media has seen from that unit in spring, it’s best to save that speculation for the summer.

With Calvin Russell’s own Achilles tear, the wideout room becomes one that is wide open. While Darius “Boobie” Johnson is the only player I could realistically assume is a starter, nothing is guaranteed. Even Coach Gattis (Syracuse wide receiver’s coach) has mentioned the possibility of a 7-8 man rotation during the regular season. Hearing that, and watching that position becomes a clear point of interest if I’m a Syracuse football fan.

The other position battle that’s going to be incredibly interesting is the running back room. Similar to the wideouts, nearly all of last year’s production is no longer on the team. To make things more interesting, the room is also extremely young. with just two upperclassmen.

The likely lead back of this group is Ahmad Miller, the transfer from Jackson State. While not much of a receiver, Miller put together a 1000-yard season at JSU, with six touchdowns and 6.4 yards per carry. He’s a big body at 6-foot, 207 pounds, and likely the first back to get called upon.

However, among the underclassmen, a name to potentially keep an eye on is Shavane Anderson Jr. During spring practices, Anderson has looked good in drill work and receiving work. If he’s able to translate that to the real game, he could become a viable option for the team on third down and passing situations.

Who’s Covering the Backend?

With how the Syracuse defense looked last year, the defensive back groups are something to keep an eye on during the spring game. It’s likely that Davien Kerr, Chris Peal, and Demetres Samuel play major roles within the defense. However, other players need to step up in a big way if things want to be different for Cuse in 2026.

One player likely to become a starter on the unit is Nazir Ward. The Miami Northwestern connection finds itself at Syracuse once again, and Ward was a full-time starter for Western Kentucky last season. Ward was fairly average in coverage last season (66.7 coverage grade), but has the size to play outside and shows a knack for finding the ball. He had one interception and five pass breakups last year, showcasing opportunity.

Braheem Long Jr. is another player that is likely to step up this season. He led all defensive backs with tackles last year, and made some big plays during the season. However, the question becomes whether Long is able to put it together to be a full-time starter, or is better-suited to be in a complementary role.

It’ll be interesting to see how this group gels and how snaps get distributed. With questions regarding the front seven for Cuse, the backend will have to perform well.

DART Gone?

The once-established D.A.R.T. slogan of head coach Fran Brown has seemingly disappeared as we enter the 2026 season. And, to be honest, it started to die during the team’s slump last year.

While the motto seems to be gone, the coaches continue to echo it in their media availabilities without mentioning it directly. That’s promising, but still an interesting note to keep as Syracuse enters their spring game. Culture is incredibly important in sports, and especially at the college level. While some have questioned how Coach Brown’s tenure has gone in that regard from his first two seasons, Year 3 will be telling on what to expect from this regime going forward.