<\/p>\n
L<\/span>ast season was a classic case of everything going wrong for the Syracuse Orange<\/strong> football team. Fran Brown<\/strong> had a fantastic debut season as the Orange’s head coach in 2024, ending it with a 10-3 record, a bowl win and a Top 25 ranking<\/strong>. But it all fell apart in 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Syracuse went 3-9<\/strong> in Brown’s second season, aided by starting quarterback Steve Angeli<\/strong> tearing his Achilles during the team’s fourth game, a win over Clemson<\/strong> that brought their record to 3-1. The team then lost eight-consecutive games to close out the year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n 2026 should bring about a more stable situation. Angeli should be back in 2026, but no one knows if he will be ready for the start of the regular season<\/strong> or how he will respond following his injury. Thankfully, the team brought in transfers Amari Odom<\/strong> and Danny Lauter<\/strong> to compete while Angeli heals.<\/p>\n All three quarterbacks would have loved to have freshman wide receiver Calvin Russell III<\/strong> at their disposal this upcoming season, but the team was heartbroken after Russell suffered a torn Achilles during spring practice last week<\/strong>. Russell wasted no time getting back to the field, though, even if it was on a scooter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n He was back at practice on Tuesday to support his teammates. He even went all-out wearing pads, and caught some passes in a light drill<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Some fans loved his “determination<\/strong>“, while others criticized him and the Syracuse coaching staff for not letting him rest and recover<\/strong>. Clearly, Russell just wanted to be out there as part of the team.<\/p>\n Russell is a highly intriguing prospect in college football. A five-star wide receiver out of Miami Northwestern, Russell is also a member of Syracuse’s basketball team<\/strong>, and got some brief action in a game in January. For now, he will be on the sidelines for both sports until he’s fully healed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nCalvin Russell III dealing with torn Achilles, but his future at Syracuse is very bright<\/h2>\n