Despite Syracuse football's struggles in the 2025 season, when the team lost eight straight games to finish at a disappointing 3-9 overall, the Orange had two of the best freshmen in the country.
Linebacker Antoine Deslauriers was a freshman All-American, while defensive back Demetres Samuel Jr. ranked as one of ESPN's top 25 freshmen last year. Both decided to return to the 'Cuse for their sophomore seasons, although head coach Fran Brown said on Thursday at the annual ACC Kickoff event in Charlotte, N.C., that other teams tried to poach the 6-foot-1, 235-pound Deslauriers and the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Samuel.
Neither Samuel nor Deslauriers elected to enter the transfer portal. However, it's entirely possible that other college programs reached out to their agents, which isn't a violation of NCAA rules.
"Antoine, everybody tried to take ‘Toine," Brown said. "Guys were trying to take Demetres from right under our nose. But those guys stayed because you go and pick the right guys where we build the right relationship."
Syracuse football retained two key freshmen on defense for 2026.
Deslauriers, Samuel and redshirt senior quarterback Steve Angeli represented SU, along with Brown, at the ACC Kickoff. It's telling that Brown had two rising sophomores at the event, because Deslauriers and Samuel, although underclassmen, will be leaders of the Orange defense under new defensive coordinator Vince Kehres.
Deslauriers, when asked by a reporter on Thursday what made him decide to return to Syracuse as a sophomore, politely replied: "It's not something that made me want to stay at Syracuse, right? It’s everything that didn’t make me want to leave."
He said that ever since he arrived at SU, Deslauriers has had a strong relationship with Brown and the other coaches. Deslauriers heaped praise on Kehres. The talented linebacker says he's been on the same page with Brown about the program's direction and where it's headed in the future.
Deslauriers added that Brown is all about character, both on and off the field. He's helping us "to prepare for the rest of our lives," Deslauriers says.
Brown says that his star rising sophomores were among several 'Cuse players who conversed with the Orange coaching staff this past offseason about which transfers would mesh well with the Syracuse football program.
Looking ahead to 2026, prognosticators have featured a handful of Orange players in their preseason All-ACC teams. Deslauriers and Samuel are among them.
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