Syracuse, NY — One of Syracuse football’s biggest returning linemen won’t be on the roster for 2024 after all.
Kalan Ellis is no longer with the Orange, a team spokesperson confirmed to syracuse.com Friday. Mike McAllister of 247Sports reported the news first Thursday night.
Ellis was slated to be a two-deep guard last season but suffered the same Lisfranc injury tight end Oronde Gadsden II did. Though he spent most of the season in a medical boot and on the sideline, ex-coach Dino Babers didn’t confirm Ellis was out for the season until the beginning of Week 10.
His only action in 2023 was 45 snaps against Clemson in Week 5.
The team spokesperson said a medical disqualification was not the reason for Ellis’ departure. He and the team decided it was best to part ways.
Ellis, who’s from Hawaii and measures 6-foot-6 and 375 pounds, started 14 games between 2021 and 2022, primarily at left guard. He had a 58.7% overall offense grade through all three seasons from Pro Football Focus.
Syracuse added significant depth and size to its offensive line, mainly via the transfer portal, since Fran Brown took over the program. Players are being tested across all positions on the line regardless of where they played at previous stops.
Ellis did participate in spring practice but had not seemed to re-earn the starting spot he held pre-injury.
Returners Jakob Bradford and Mark Petry were placed as the starting guards by spring’s end, with David Wohlabaugh Jr. set to re-join the competition for a starting spot in the fall after finishing recovering from an injury.
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