Syracuse Football: All-ACC performer Justin Barron to return, big boost to secondary

Syracuse football got a nice present on Christmas Day, as All-ACC player Justin Barron said via his X page that he was coming back to the Orange for another season.

The 6-foot-4, 231-pound Barron, who hails from Rocky Hill, Conn., had an impressive 2023 season, when the ‘Cuse went 6-7 overall, losing to South Florida a few days ago in the Boca Raton Bowl.

Barron, one of the Orange’s team captains in 2023, received an Atlantic Coast Conference honorable-mention nod when the league announced its All-ACC teams in late November.

Barron’s decision to return to the Hill for another year is a big-time development for the squad’s defense, particularly in the secondary. He’s a veteran player, for one, and his experience and talent will prove critical as the ‘Cuse has a new coaching staff beginning in the 2024 campaign.

Syracuse football will have star defensive back Justin Barron for another term.

In the 2023 season, Barron put up some impressive numbers and was a steady presence among the Orange’s defensive backs.

According to the ACC’s Web site, Barron tallied 90 total tackles in the 2023 stanza, which put him at No. 8 overall in the conference.

He had 50 solo tackles, 40 assisted tackles, three forced fumbles, one interception and eight passes defended, per the ACC’s Web site and his bio on ESPN’s Web site.

Per ESPN, in total during his collegiate career, Barron has registered 197 total tackles, 113 solo tackles, 84 assisted tackles, 12 passes defended, 1.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and one interception.

In recent weeks, the Orange’s 2023 roster has seen several defensive backs announce that they are entering the transfer portal, although some current players who suit up in the secondary are likely to return.

Additionally, within its 2024 class, the ‘Cuse has at least one high school senior, three-star defensive back Braheem Long of Camden High School in Camden, N.J., and one college transfer, three-star Buffalo sophomore safety Devin Grant, who will provide depth in the Syracuse football secondary for next season.

But the importance of Barron electing to give it another go in Central New York cannot be overstated. To me, his decision is massive for the Orange and its new head coach, former Georgia defensive backs coach Fran Brown.

In the 2024 term, the new ‘Cuse defensive coordinator will be Elijah Robinson, who is currently the interim head coach and co-defensive coordinator at Southeastern Conference school Texas A&M. Robinson and Brown are long-time friends who grew up together in Camden, N.J.

I’m so excited that Justin Barron will don a Syracuse football uniform for another year!