As the days get closer to Syracuse football's 2025 opener against Tennessee in Atlanta, which will kickoff at 12:00 PM on ABC, the transfer portal has taken a much more minimal role. The spring window for undergraduates has closed, so the only portal news will come from graduate transfers and players already in the portal. Syracuse has not had any portal activity since Georgia CB transfer Chris Peal's commitment on May 5th, and it looks like they won't have any more.
In total, Syracuse added nine players in the spring and lost 12. According to 247Sports, all of the additions are three stars with the exception of four-star TJ Ferguson, an interior offensive lineman from Florida State. Of the five departures graded by 247Sports, three are three-stars while WR Trebor Pena (Penn State) and DL Maraad Watson (Texas) are four-star recruits.
It was apparent Fran Brown and the coaching staff wanted to improve the offensive line, adding four transfers for a position group that was set to be an inexperienced position group, now only returning one starter following the loss of Mark Petry to injury. Austin Collins from Louisville started 14 games over 2023 and in 2024, likely will be the week 1 starter at center for the Orange.
Ferguson, once a high four-star recruit at Alabama, transferred to Florida State before the 2024 season, starting the first seven games in a season where everything seemed to go wrong. Additionally, there is Zach Rice, once a five-star with versatility at guard and tackle, but never started in three years with North Carolina, who will look to show his potential with the Orange. So will Kam Pringle, a monstrous 6'8" 336-pound former four-star tackle who redshirted in his freshman season at South Carolina a year ago.
It's proven a busy off-season for Syracuse football coaches.
High potential is a great way to describe Syracuse's only receiver addition, Johntay Cook II. The former five-star and Texas Longhorn served as a backup receiver in 2023 and 2024 but mutually parted ways with the team in November and first transferred to Washington. However, that didn't last long, as Cook left the program shortly after and was arrested twice in February. With that being said, Syracuse trusts Cook has learned from his mistakes, and the Orange can squeeze his enormous talent out.
CB Chris Peal doesn't come with the same baggage, but is also looking to get on the field after only making four appearances in two years with Georgia. Fran Brown was once his primary recruiter as a four-star high school recruit from Charlotte, North Carolina powerhouse Providence Day School.
The story is similar for Steve Angeli, the Orange's highest-profile transfer. He comes from Notre Dame, where he spent three years, appearing in 22 games and starting in the 2023 Sun Bowl. Angeli has completed 72.5% of passes for 772 yards and 10 touchdowns with only one interception in his career. While he's going to battle fellow transfer Rickie Collins for the starting job in fall camp, I believe Angeli will get the nod in week 1.
Syracuse's final two spring transfer additions both play on defense with starting experience. DT George Rooks started in 23 of his 25 appearances at Boston College over the last two years after starting his career with two years at Michigan. In 2024, Rooks had 26 tackles, two going for a loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery. His dad, who shares the George Rooks name, played on the defensive line for the Orange from 1988-1991, earning Co-Big East Defensive Player of the year as a senior.
Finally, Syracuse added linebacker Gary Bryant III from South Dakota. Bryant is a bit of an outlier as he's the only linebacker the Orange added in the portal and the only player in the spring who isn't transferring from another Power 4 program. With that being said, he was extremely productive as a redshirt sophomore a season ago, recording 103 tackles, four for a loss, with a fumble forced and recovered, and two interceptions en route to earning second-team All-Missouri Valley honors. He'll compete to fill the void left by Marlowe Wax and Justin Barron.
Of Syracuse's 12 departures, four made little to no impact as true freshmen in DT Xavier Miles (Charlotte), OL Willie Goodacre (North Texas), LB Jayden Brown (uncommitted), and walk-on QB AJ Miller (uncommitted). Two more did not play at all in 2024, being veteran offensive linemen in Kalan Ellis (San Diego State) and Codie Hornsby (Tulsa).
The two have past starting experience, Ellis under Dino Babers and Hornsby at FCS Grambling State and Delaware State, but weren't expected to start in 2025. Enrique Cruz Jr. (Kansas) is a similar story, as he started every game at left tackle in 2023 but lost his role and only played in three games a season ago. QB Michael Johnson Jr. committed to Syracuse as an "offensive weapon" alongside his dad, TE coach Michael Johnson, and appeared in one game as the primary backup quarterback. He's transferring to Akron to conclude his career.
A more intriguing departure is David Wohlabaugh Jr. He began at Kentucky before transferring to Syracuse and starting five games at left and right tackle while battling injuries. Wohlabaugh was expected to move to center and compete for the starting job, but will suit up for ACC rival Virginia instead.
WR Zeed Haynes transferring is even more intriguing. He was a highly touted transfer from Georgia a year ago, started in weeks 1 and 2 for Syracuse, but left the team for personal issues and retired in the offseason. However, there hasn't been any further news on Haynes since entering the portal on April 24th.
The final two departures are by far the most impactful for Syracuse. In addition to being the only four-star departures, Trebor Pena and Maraad Watson by far played the most, with Pena starting in every game and Watson starting 11 as a true freshman. Pena became one of the best slot receivers in the country with 84 receptions, 941 yards, nine receiving touchdowns, and an additional 12 carries, 72 rushing yards, and a touchdown on the ground. His departure to Penn State was driven by a lack of trust in quarterback Rickie Collins and an NIL dispute between him and Brown.
Watson's departure is also NIL-related, with Brown even encouraging Watson to do what's best for him and his family money-wise, in addition to the opportunities at a national brand and a national championship contender in Texas. Still, it hurts to lose a player who was as good as Watson was in his true freshman campaign.
It's hard to overcome the losses of Pena and Watson, but despite that, I think Syracuse overall improved in the spring. The offensive line depth was much needed, and I think one or two week 1 starters on the offensive line came in the spring. So did a quarterback in Angeli and a linebacker with Bryant. If the Orange can unleash the potential of one of Cook, Rice, Pringle, or Peal, the class becomes even stronger.