Syracuse Football: Jim Harbaugh, Justin Herbert rave about Oronde Gadsden's NFL start

Former Syracuse football All-American tight end Oronde Gadsden II is crushing it in the NFL these days for the Los Angeles Chargers.

On Thursday night, at home, the Chargers beat Minnesota, 37-10, to improve to 5-3 this season. The 6-foot-5, 236-pound Gadsden caught five passes for 77 yards and one score. The week before, he was lit.

Gadsden hauled in seven catches for 164 yards and a touchdown. Through the six games that he has played in this season, he has 27 receptions (33 targets) with 385 yards and two scores. Projected out over a 17-contest regular season, Gadsden is on pace for 57 catches with 818 yards and four receiving touchdowns.

Not too shabby for a guy selected in the fifth round, at No. 165 overall, in the 2025 NFL Draft this past April. Currently, among tight ends, Gadsden is No. 12 in the NFL in total receptions and No. 3 in receiving yards, although others will play this weekend.

Former Syracuse football All-American tight end Oronde Gadsden II is getting rave reviews in the NFL.

In an ESPN article, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, who won a national championship as Michigan's head coach at the end of the 2023 college football season, said that Gadsden is "super talented."

"The thing that strikes me the most is he plays like he's been playing in the NFL for two, three, four years. He seems like a four-year, five-year player to me," Harbaugh said, according to ESPN.

Los Angeles' star quarterback, Justin Herbert, said the team knew Gadsden "was going to be pretty good" as he arrived at preseason camp. "He made a ton of plays, picked up the offense really quickly and just found a way to get open, and that's what he did tonight. And we're definitely going to get him the ball as much as we can because good things happen when he gets it," Herbert said.

Gadsden, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was a two-time All-ACC first-team performer for the Orange. In 2024, as he caught 73 passes for 934 yards and seven touchdowns for the 10-3 'Cuse, Gadsden was named to the Associated Press All-America third-team.

When his tenure on the Hill wrapped up, per SU Athletics, Gadsden held program records for career receptions and total yards by a Syracuse football tight end.