It’s not even Memorial Day but it’s going to be hard to contain the excitement for the 2024 Syracuse Football season.
On Monday, ESPN’s Bill Connelly dropped the 2024 returning production rankings and Syracuse checks in at 16th with 77% of their production returning (or transferring in).
Syracuse is 5th among ACC teams behind Stanford, Virginia Tech, Virginia and SMU. The Orange will host those first two teams next season in the Dome, and will face two other opponents (Boston College and Miami) who are in the top 30.
Returning production means that Fran Brown’s going to have experienced players as he begins his tenure as head coach. There might be questions on the offensive line, but having Kyle McCord, LeQuint Allen and the returning Oronde Gadsden and Trevor Pena back gives that side of the ball experienced starters at the skill positions. Had Gadsden been available for a full 2023 season, Syracuse would have likely been in the top 10.
The Orange defense brings the production of Marlowe Wax and Justin Barron back as anchors for Elijah Robinson’s group. Alijah Clark and Duce Chestnut are multiple year starters and Fadil Diggs will bring a veteran presence to the defensive line.
Syracuse also returns special teams starters Brady Denaburg and Jack Stonehouse, so it’s reasonable for fans to look at all this experience and a favorable schedule and dream of a CFP appearance. None of the Orange’s non-conference opponents are in the top 50 in terms of returning production: Ohio (127th), UNLV (66th) and UConn (97th).
We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but there will once again be an opportunity for Syracuse to get off to a fast start. A veteran team could allow for the Orange to make some noise in Brown’s debut season.
