Syracuse football sophomore wide receiver Terrell Wilfong will be out between six and eight weeks with a broken collarbone, head coach Fran Brown said on Monday during his weekly media availability session.
The 6-foot-6, 185-pound Wilfong, who is from West Orange, N.J., appeared in three games during the 2025 season but didn't record any statistics. He is one of several sophomore wide receivers for the 'Cuse who are hoping to step up and be among the preferred targets for fifth-year quarterback Steve Angeli, who is the presumed starting signal-caller for the team at the onset of the 2026 campaign.
The Orange has a ton of depth at the wide receiver position for 2026, although this room is a bit unproven as far as production goes. Five-star freshman wide receiver Calvin Russell won't be available until later in the season.
Sophomores such as Wilfong, Darius Johnson and Darien Williams eye a sophomore leap. The 'Cuse WR room does have veterans, including sixth-year player Umari Hatcher, senior Tyshawn Russell and potentially Justus Ross-Simmons, the Rochester, N.Y., native who was a senior for Syracuse last year and hopes to return in 2026, as Inside the Loud House and other media outlets have reported.
Syracuse football's depth at wide receiver is abundant, but it has lost Terrell Wilfong for up to two months.
Brown and his staff, led by wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Josh Gattis, also landed several talented wide receivers via the transfer portal this past offseason, such as senior Zamondre Merriweather, senior Cole Weaver, sophomore Matthew Outten and junior Elijah Moore.
Regarding Ross-Simmons, his ability to return to the Orange and play for a fifth season is aided by the preliminary injunction issued late last month by a federal judge in Colorado that affords class of 2022 athletes a fifth season of college eligibility, provided that they want one and with certain parameters.
On Monday, Brown said that talks continue in terms of possibly bringing Ross-Simmons back for the upcoming season, which begins for Syracuse football on Saturday, Sept. 5, at home against New Hampshire.
The day before preseason camp began earlier this month, Brown said at a press conference that he didn't plan to add any players from the 2025 roster who might be able to gain a fifth year of eligibility resulting from the federal injunction. However, on Monday, Brown said that after communicating with his team and listening to his team, they are weighing the options related to Ross-Simmons.
Brown expressed optimism that Ross-Simmons would be able to come back in 2026, but he says there are administrative things to take care of first.
This past weekend, the 'Cuse conducted a scrimmage, complete with referees from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Brown said that the team did well and had fun, and he praised the assistant coaches, the equipment staff and the video staff. "Everybody's just competing," Brown added when asked by a reporter if there are certain guys who have locked in starting positions.
Brown reiterated that others in the team's quarterback room, including senior Amari Odom, senior Malachi Nelson and fifth-year player Danny Lauter, continue to push Angeli.
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