Syracuse Football: WR coach reportedly heading to Oregon, other 'Cuse coaching news

Given the success that Syracuse football had on the field during the 2024 season, it's no surprise that 'Cuse coaches are being courted by other programs, at both the college and NFL levels.

To that end, national reporter Matt Zenitz of 247Sports and CBS Sports is reporting that Big Ten Conference school Oregon, which was ranked No. 1 for a good part of the 2024 term and competed in the latest College Football Playoff, "is expected to hire Syracuse’s Ross Douglas as its new wide receivers coach."

This is a tough loss for the Orange, yet at the same time, I'm extremely excited and happy for Douglas, who in 2024 served as the team's passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach under head coach Fran Brown. Before that, most recently, Douglas was the WR coach with the NFL's New England Patriots.

This past campaign, when Syracuse football went 10-3 overall and arrived at No. 20 nationally in the final Associated Press top-25 poll, the 'Cuse led the country in totaling passing yards under record-setting senior quarterback Kyle McCord and a cadre of talented receivers.

Redshirt junior tight end Oronde Gadsden II was on the All-ACC first team, while McCord, redshirt junior wide receiver Trebor Pena and senior wide receiver Jackson Meeks resided on the league's second team. Gadsden, Pena and Meeks all finished in the Atlantic Coast Conference's top five in receiving yards per game, while sophomore wide receiver Darrell Gill Jr. checked in at No. 25 in that category.

Other Syracuse football coaching news this off-season.

Not too long ago, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that 'Cuse offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon had agreed to a new multi-year deal to remain with Syracuse football, an immensely important development on the Hill given how prolific the squad's offense proved in 2024.

As Thamel and others had reported, Nixon interviewed with the NFL's Houston Texans for their OC position, and he also interviewed for several head-coaching jobs at the collegiate level.

Earlier this month, per SU Athletics, Brown announced that the Orange had hired Ricky Brumfield as the team's new special teams coordinator. Brumfield, most recently, spent two years at fellow Atlantic Coast Conference school Georgia Tech and has also worked at schools such as Florida International, Virginia, UTSA and Western Kentucky, among others.

In late January, Thamel reported that Syracuse football was expected to hire Georgia defensive analyst Blaine Miller as the Orange's new nickels coach. Brown, by the way, served as the defensive backs coach at Southeastern Conference powerhouse Georgia before becoming the 'Cuse head coach.

Also, according to his X account, Dre Kates is a new defensive assistant with Syracuse football. A huge congrats and welcome from Orange Nation to coach Kates!