The 2024 Syracuse Orange football team represented Syracuse University as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Orange played their home games at the JMA Wireless Dome. They were led by first-year head coach Fran Brown. The Orange were in their 123rd season overall and their twelfth as a member of the ACC.
On November 2, the Orange defeated Virginia Tech for their sixth win, securing bowl eligibility for the third season in a row. This was the first time the Orange were bowl eligible for three consecutive seasons since the program played in five straight bowls from 1995 through 1999.
In the regular season finale on November 30, the Orange defeated Miami (FL) to earn their ninth win and deny the Hurricanes a spot in the ACC championship game. Syracuse erased a 21-point first half deficit to win 42–38, which marked the largest comeback win in program history.
For the postseason, the Orange were selected to play in the Holiday Bowl against Washington State. The game was held on December 27 at Snapdragon Stadium, with the Orange winning 52–35. With the victory, Fran Brown joined Paul Pasqualoni as the only Syracuse football coaches to win ten games in their first seasons with the program. Quarterback Kyle McCord set the ACC single-season passing record in the game, finishing the year with 4,779 passing yards.
The 2024 season featured several notable accomplishments for the Orange. For the first time since 1998, Syracuse beat three AP-ranked teams (Miami (FL), UNLV, and Georgia Tech) in the same season. The Orange won nine regular season games and had ten overall wins for the first time in six seasons, and joined the 2001 and 2018 teams as the only Syracuse squads to win ten games since 2000.
Offseason Preseason Dino Babers, who coached the team from 2016 to 2023, was fired from his role as head coach at Syracuse on November 19, 2023, one game before the end of the 2023 regular season. Babers had just two winning seasons during his eight years at Syracuse. He moved to become the offensive coordinator at the University of Arizona. First year offensive coordinator Jason Beck took the same position at New Mexico. First year defensive coordinator Rocky Long was hired as a defensive analyst at Fort Lewis College.
On November 28, 2023, Fran Brown was named the 31st head coach of the Orange. Brown was named #1 national recruiter by 247Sports in 2023, and previously served as the defensive backs coach at Georgia, Baylor, Rutgers, and Temple. His deep recruiting ties in South Jersey, one of Syracuse's primary recruiting grounds, were cited as a major reason for his hiring.
Jeff Nixon and Elijah Robinson were hired as OC and DC, respectively.
The Syracuse Orange were ranked 16th nationally with 77% of their production returning, according to data compiled by ESPN’s Bill Connelly.
Team departures Over the course of the off-season, Syracuse lost over 35 players to graduation and to the transfer portal (29). No Orange players were selected in the 2024 NFL draft, but three former Orange were selected in the first round of the 2024 CFL draft.
Recruiting
Syracuse's 2024 class consisted of 25 signees. The class was ranked eighth in the ACC and 37th best overall by the 247Sports Composite.
2024 Overall class rankings
ESPN -- -- 0 4 16 On3 Recruits 37 9 0 3 19 Rivals 36 7 0 4 16 247 Sports 37 6 0 4 17
Transfers Syracuse had 29 departures with an average 247Sports rating of 85, and welcomed 23 transfer players with an average rating of 87.17. This net rating gain of +2.17 tied for fifth best in the ACC.
Players arriving Syracuse incoming transfers Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous team Source(s) Duce Chestnut 0 DB 6-0 205 Junior Camden, NJ LSU Justus Ross-Simmons 2 WR 6-3 205 Junior Rochester, NY Colorado State Clarence Lewis 3 DB 6-0 201 Senior Edison, NJ Notre Dame Dion Wilson Jr. 4 DL 6-5 300 Senior Perris, CA New Mexico State Kyle McCord 6 QB 6-3 215 Senior Mount Laurel, NJ Ohio State James Heard 6 LB 6-2 230 Freshman Camden, NJ West Virginia Jackson Meeks 7 WR 6-2 205 Senior Phenix City, AL Georgia Zeed Haynes 8 WR 6-1 170 Freshman Philadelphia, PA Georgia Isaiah Hastings 9 DL 6-4 290 Sophomore Toronto, Canada Alabama Michael Johnson Jr. 9 QB 6-3 213 Senior San Jose, CA Florida Atlantic Fadil Diggs 10 DL 6-5 260 Senior East Camden, NJ Texas A&M Devin Grant 23 DB 6-4 190 Junior Elmont, NY Buffalo Will Nixon 24 RB 5-11 202 Junior Waco, TX Washington Marcus Washington Jr. 31 CB 6-1 189 Sophomore Grovetown, GA Louisville Codie Hornsby 54 OL 6-3 322 Junior Dallas, TX Grambling Da'Metrius Weatherspoon 57 OL 6-7 335 Junior Clairton, PA Howard Joshua Miller 72 OL 6-4 300 Freshman Chesterfield, VA Georgia Savion Washington 77 OL 6-8 340 Junior Akron, OH Colorado Jacob Zuhr 90 LS 6-0 220 Junior Oviedo, FL Wake Forest
Players leaving Syracuse players leaving Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown College transferred to Source(s) Kevon Darton 0 DL 5-11 271 Junior Fitchburg, MA Arizona Damien Alford 5 WR 6-6 210 Junior Montreal, Canada Utah Jakobie Seabourn 5 DB 6-1 208 Junior Houston, TX Northern Arizona Stefon Thompson 7 LB 6-1 248 Sophomore Charlotte, NC Nebraska Leon Lowery 9 LB 6-4 239 Sophomore Elizabeth, NJ Wisconsin Mekhi Mason 13 LB 6-2 228 Sophomore Pembroke Pines, FL Louisiana Tech Jeremiah Wilson 14 DB 5-10 179 Sophomore Kissimmee, FL Houston Luke MacPhail 18 QB 6-4 212 Sophomore Boston, MA Utah Tech Myles Farmer 20 DB 6-3 200 Junior Atlanta, GA App State Bralyn Oliver 21 DB 6-2 194 Sophomore Anderson, SC Florida A&M Muwaffaq Parkman 21 RB 5-11 180 Freshman Newark, NJ Robert Morris Deston Hawkins 22 RB 6-0 200 Sophomore Menlo Park, CA Nevada Quan Peterson 22 DB 6-1 197 Freshman Chester, SC Coastal Carolina Ike Daniels 23 RB 5-11 188 Freshman Stafford, VA Towson Khalib Gilmore 25 LB 6-4 225 Junior Melbourne, FL Ball State Aman Greenwood 26 DB 5-10 197 Junior Washington, DC Akron Malcolm Folk 27 DB 6-1 192 Sophomore Pottsgrove, PA Kent State Juwaun Price 28 RB 5-10 208 Junior Phoenix, AZ North Texas Josiah Jeffery 38 LB 6-1 220 Freshman Greenwood, SC Anderson (South Carolina) Jayden Bass 69 OL 6-6 310 Freshman Springfield, MA Connecticut Wes Hoeh 73 OL 6-4 283 Sophomore Glen Ellyn, IL Connecticut Joe More 77 OL 6-5 309 Senior Franklin, TN Arkansas Isaiah Jones 80 WR 6-4 200 Junior Cocoa, Florida New Mexico Bryce Cohoon 83 WR 6-2 187 Freshman Wichita, KS Kansas Donovan Brown 87 WR 6–1 178 Freshman Montgomery Village, MD Lackawanna College Steven Mahar Jr. 88 TE 6-5 240 Junior Rochester, NY Duquesne Terry Lockett 90 DL 6-3 280 Sophomore Springfield, MA James Madison Jalil Smith 91 DL 6-5 266 Freshman Brooklyn, NY Warner Ty Gordon 93 DL 6-1 273 Freshman Gainesville, VA William & Mary Francois Nolton Jr. 95 DL 6-4 252 Freshman Miami, FL
Schedule
Game summaries Ohio
Statistics OHIOSYR First downs 26 25 Total yards 436 480 Rushing yards 255 126 Passing yards 181 354 Turnovers 1 1 Time of possession 31:28 28:32 Team Category Player StatisticsOhio Passing Parker Navarro 18/30, 181 yards, INT Rushing Anthony Tyus III 16 rushes, 203 yards, 2 TD Receiving Coleman Owen 10 receptions, 137 yardsSyracuse Passing Kyle McCord 27/39, 354 yards, 4 TD, INT Rushing LeQuint Allen 15 rushes, 98 yards Receiving Oronde Gadsden II 15 receptions, 98 yards
Georgia Tech
Statistics GTSYR First downs 19 27 Total yards 378 515 Rushing yards 112 134 Passing yards 266 381 Turnovers 0 0 Time of possession 23:06 36:54 Team Category Player StatisticsGeorgia Tech Passing Haynes King 29/39, 266 yards, TD Rushing Haynes King 6 rushes, 67 yards, 2 TD Receiving Eric Singleton Jr. 5 receptions, 86 yardsSyracuse Passing Kyle McCord 32/46, 381 yards, 4 TD Rushing LeQuint Allen 15 rushes, 83 yards Receiving Oronde Gadsden II 6 receptions, 93 yards, 2 TD
Stanford
Statistics STAN SYR First downs 21 18 Total yards 351 365 Rushing yards 173 26 Passing yards 178 339 Turnovers 2 2 Time of possession 31:40 27:16 Team Category Player StatisticsStanford Passing Ashton Daniels 23/38, 178 yards, TD, 2 INT Rushing Chris Davis Jr. 9 carries, 79 yards Receiving Elic Ayomanor 7 receptions, 87 yards, TDSyracuse Passing Kyle McCord 27/42, 339 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Rushing LeQuint Allen 8 carries, 25 yards Receiving Trebor Pena 10 receptions, 101 yards
Holy Cross (FCS)
Statistics HC SYR First downs 8 32 Total yards 203 541 Rushing yards 9 125 Passing yards 194 416 Turnovers 1 2 Time of possession 25:58 34:02 Team Category Player StatisticsHoly Cross Passing Joe Pesansky 14/25, 167 yards, TD, INT Rushing Jayden Clerveaux 10 rushes, 10 yards Receiving Max Mosey 5 receptions, 105 yards, TDSyracuse Passing Kyle McCord 28/50, 385 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT Rushing LeQuint Allen 16 rushes, 81 yards, TD Receiving Jackson Meeks 10 receptions, 161 yards, TD
at No. 25 UNLV
Statistics SYR UNLV First downs 34 20 Total yards 492 354 Rushing yards 137 127 Passing yards 355 227 Turnovers 1 1 Time of possession 39:38 20:22 Team Category Player StatisticsSyracuse Passing Kyle McCord 40/63, 355 yards, 3 TD, INT Rushing LeQuint Allen 19 rushes, 71 yards, 2 TD Receiving Oronde Gadsden II 10 receptions, 142 yardsUNLV Passing Hajj-Malik Williams 21/25, 227 yards, 3 TD, INT Rushing Jai'Den Thomas 6 rushes, 64 yards Receiving Ricky White III 10 receptions, 135 yards, TD
at NC State
Statistics SYR NCST First downs 25 18 Total yards 424 411 Rushing yards 78 82 Passing yards 346 329 Turnovers 0 3 Time of possession 36:52 23:08 Team Category Player StatisticsSyracuse Passing Kyle McCord 31/42, 346 yards, 2 TD Rushing LeQuint Allen 21 rushes, 91 yards, TD Receiving Jackson Meeks 11 receptions, 116 yards, TDNC State Passing CJ Bailey 17/24, 329 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing CJ Bailey 7 rushes, 28 yards Receiving Noah Rogers 4 receptions, 95 yards, TD
at No. 19 Pittsburgh (rivalry)
Statistics SYRPITT First downs 23 13 Total yards 327 217 Rushing yards 6 73 Passing yards 321 144 Turnovers 5 0 Time of possession 41:12 18:48 Team Category Player StatisticsSyracuse Passing Kyle McCord 35/64, 321 yards, 5 INT Rushing LeQuint Allen 15 rushes, 32 yards Receiving Emanuel Ross 5 receptions, 78 yardsPittsburgh Passing Eli Holstein 11/15, 108 yards, 2 TD Rushing Desmond Reid 11 rushes, 47 yards Receiving Raphael Williams Jr. 2 receptions, 31 yards, TD
Virginia Tech
Statistics VT SYR First downs 24 23 Total yards 455 410 Rushing yards 249 130 Passing yards 206 280 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 16–24–0 24–36–1 Time of possession 34:18 25:42 Team Category Player StatisticsVirginia Tech Passing Collin Schlee 16/24, 206 yards, 1 TD Rushing Jeremiah Coney 9 carries, 96 yards Receiving Stephen Gosnell 5 receptions, 118 yardsSyracuse Passing Kyle McCord 24/35, 280 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing LeQuint Allen 21 carries, 121 yards, 3 TD Receiving Justus Ross-Simmons 4 receptions, 88 yards, 2 TD
at Boston College
Statistics SYR BC First downs 26 22 Total yards 431 378 Rushing yards 39 313 Passing yards 392 65 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 31-48-0 7-13-1 Time of possession 29:17 30:43 Team Category Player StatisticsSyracuse Passing Kyle McCord 31/48, 392 yards, 2 TD Rushing LeQuint Allen 16 rushes, 51 yards, 2 TD Receiving Oronde Gadsden II 9 receptions, 114 yards, TDBoston College Passing Grayson James 5/6, 51 yards, TD Rushing Kye Robichaux 28 rushes, 198 yards, 2 TD Receiving Lewis Bond 5 receptions, 42 yards, TD
at California
Statistics SYR CAL First downs 26 19 Total yards 471 391 Rushing yards 148 166 Passing yards 323 225 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 29-46-0 22-34-2 Time of possession 38:41 21:19 Team Category Player StatisticsSyracuse Passing Kyle McCord 29-46 323 Yards 1 TD Rushing LeQuint Allen 23 Carries 109 Yards 2 TD Receiving Oronde Gadsden II 8 Receptions 109 YardsCalifornia Passing Fernando Mendoza 22-34 225 Yards 1 TD 2 INT Rushing Jaivian Thomas 3 Carries 80 Yards 1 TD Receiving Jonathan Brady 6 Receptions 54 Yards 1 TD
UConn (rivalry)