Coming into the 2024 season, the first under new head coach Fran Brown, many national and Atlantic Coast Conference pundits, along with legions of Syracuse football fans, figured that star tight end Oronde Gadsden II was primed for a big-time campaign, assuming he was fully healthy.
The 6-foot-5, 236-pound Gadsden, in the 2022 season, was an All-ACC first-team performer after he caught 61 passes for 969 yards and scored six touchdowns through the air. He set single-season program records for receptions and receiving yards by a tight end.
But then in 2023, Gadsden missed most of that term after unfortunately suffering a Lisfranc injury. The redshirt junior, who hails from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., elected to return to the Hill for the 2024 campaign, a huge development for the Orange's roster.
Gadsden began the 2024 season on a positive note, combining for 13 catches, 201 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the team's home wins over Ohio and then-No. 23 Georgia Tech. In the next two home games for the 'Cuse, however, he tallied a combined three receptions for 16 yards as Syracuse football lost to Stanford and then conquered Holy Cross.
Understandably, some Orange fans were concerned about this lack of production by Gadsden, although my response has also centered on the fact that senior quarterback Kyle McCord is spreading the ball around effectively to others such as senior wide receiver Jackson Meeks, redshirt junior wide receiver Trebor Pena, sophomore wide receiver Darrell Gill Jr. and junior running back LeQuint Allen Jr. coming out of the backfield.
Syracuse football tight end Oronde Gadsden II had a bounce-back game versus UNLV.
However, for the 'Cuse to have significant success in 2024, Gadsden has to prove a significant contributor on offense, and my hope was that other receivers faring well would cause opponents to double-team Gadsden less and provide him with more room to maneuver in passing schemes.
Well, OG unloaded on No. 25 UNLV this past Friday evening in Las Vegas, much to the delight of myself and every other Syracuse football fan out there. As the Orange (4-1) squeaked past the Rebels (4-1), 44-41 in overtime, Gadsden was Mr. Reliable for McCord.
While Allen did the bulk of the scoring for the Orange against UNLV, Gadsden was clutch, too. He hauled in team-highs of 10 catches for 142 yards. This non-conference affair in the Sin City was an exciting, tense back-and-forth encounter.
On numerous occasions, when the 'Cuse needed a big play to either secure a first down or set up a more manageable next down, Gadsden was in the house. And at critical junctures.
As Syracuse football jumped out to a 14-0 edge in the first quarter, on one of those touchdown drives, McCord found Gadsden for 39 yards. After spotting UNLV 21 straight points in the second quarter, the Orange managed a field goal before half-time, and Gadsden had a 15-yard catch on that drive.
Most importantly, late in the fourth quarter, the 'Cuse went on a long touchdown drive to tie up the game with 23 seconds to go. Gadsden hauled in a 17-yard reception on that all-important drive to force overtime.
Following his output on Friday evening, Gadsden on the 2024 season to date now has 26 catches for 359 yards and three touchdowns, while averaging 13.8 yards per pass catch. When I wrote this column on Saturday, within the ACC, Gadsden was in the top 10 in various categories, including total receptions, receptions per contest, total receiving yards, receiving yards per game, and receiving touchdowns.
This comes with the caveat that other ACC receivers were playing their week-six games throughout the day and night on Saturday, so Gadsden's placements in these statistical departments could change. I think you get the point, though.
After this terrific performance in the win over the Rebels, SU Athletics said that Gadsden had set Syracuse football program records for career receptions by a tight end (94) and career receiving yards by a tight end (1,395). A huge congrats to Oronde!