Chancellor’s 12-year tenure sparks mixed reactions from SU community
By Julia Boehning and Samantha Olander enterprise editors
While Syracuse University freshman
Dominic Zlupko sat in the first COM
100 class of the semester, one of the teaching assistants suddenly interrupted instruction to announce Chancellor Kent Syverud would step down in 2026.
Zlupko was shocked, he said. The chancellor who had just welcomed thousands of undergraduates to SU the week prior would not be the one to lead the university for the rest of their college years.
“As a freshman, I didn’t really get the chance to know what he was like as a chancellor, so I was just sort of
taken aback, because he had just given the speech at convocation,”Zluko said. “It was honestly just a lot of shock and confusion as to why he would step down at this point in a school year, as we’re just getting started.”
Syverud, who has served as SU’s chancellor and president for 12 years, announced his June 2026 departure from the university Tuesday afternoon — the second day of classes for the fall 2025 semester —via a campus-wide email.
“After much reflection, I’ve decided that I will step down as chancellor and president of Syracuse University,” he wrote. “The opportunity to lead Syracuse University has been both humbling and profoundly meaningful, and in many ways like coming home.”
on campus Center for international services loses staff
By Kendall Luther editor-in-chief
Just over a third of the staff at Syracuse University’s Center for International Services did not return for the fall semester, leaving an office that oversees the school’s large international student body with reduced support personnel. As of Aug. 27, the center’s website lists nine staff members, compared to 14 listed in May. Among the staff removed from the website are the former director, the associate director for immigration and student services and the international student and scholar advisor. The center acts as the official liaison with United States immigration offices for all international students at SU, who make up approximately 20% of the university’s total population. It also supports international “scholars and their dependents as a resource for questions surrounding immigration status/regulations,” its website states.
SU’s total population of international students.
In June, Juan Tavares, the director; Mary Idzior, associate director for immigration and student services; and Cathy Mantor, assistant director for SEVIS compliance, were no longer listed on the staff website, The Daily Orange found using the Wayback Machine, an internet archive. Their names still appeared on the site in May, the archive shows.
Other staff members no longer listed are Tisiya Rehema and Jared Strecker, both office coordinators.
Tavares’ LinkedIn profile says his time with the office was between July 2019 to July 2025. Annie Dievendorf, who previously acted as the international student advisor, is currently serving as the interim associate director of the office, Sarah Scalese, SU’s vice president for communications, confirmed Tuesday. Mantor’s LinkedIn still shows that she’s working in the office.
The D.O. attempted to contact Tavares, Idzior and Mantor, but did not receive a reply. Their SU emails are also no longer listed in the university’s Outlook directory.
Under President Donald Trump’s administration, international students have dealt with a crackdown on student visas and multiple travel bans impacting students from 19 countries.
“We want to reassure you that Syracuse University is fully committed to supporting you—both as you prepare to arrive and throughout your time on campus,” Ryan Williams, vice president for enrollment services, and Dawn Singleton, vice president for the student experience, wrote in a June 5 email to international students.
As of July 1, visa support services were transferred to the Enrollment Processing Center, according to the email. After students’ arrival
Students share mixed responses as Chancellor Kent Syverud, who has served in the position for 12 years, announces his resignation at the end of the spring semester. moriah ratner daily orange file photo
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WEATHER
The forecast for this upcoming week, per The Weather Channel.
COMING UP
WHAT: DJ Pauly D
WHEN: Friday, 9 p.m.
WHERE: Chevy Court
WHAT: JAMS Funk Fest 2025
WHEN: Saturday, noon – 9:30 p.m.
WHERE: Chevy Court Noteworthy events this week.
WHAT: Sunday Blues Series: Damdog
WHEN: Sunday, 3 to 5 p.m.
WHERE: ONCO Fermentations
on campus
Hendricks’ new Muslim chaplain brings ‘passion’ for students
By Griffin Uribe Brown social media editor
After attending college outside of the United States, Imam Hamza Gürsoy ended up at a school in Chicago. As he completed course requirements like political science, biology and art, he experienced the American education system firsthand.
Upon completing his undergraduate degree, he felt a desire to pivot, perhaps to law school or a history program to immerse himself in a new field.
“But then I saw something different in the chaplaincy. I wanted to try it,” he said.
Attending an American college was key in Gürsoy’s journey to the chaplaincy; it’s fitting his next career step is at another one. Gürsoy, known as Imam or Chaplain Hamza in his religious capacity, was appointed over the summer as Syracuse University’s Muslim chaplain and advisor for the Muslim Student Association at Hendricks Chapel.
He hopes to bring his religious and teaching experiences to SU with a goal of connecting with students and fostering multifaith communication.
SU is the latest destination in his journey, which began in Bursa, Turkey, and has brought Gürsoy across the U.S. He lived in Turkey until his second year of college, and then received a scholarship to study Islamic science and art in Albania.
Gürsoy then moved to South Carolina on a student visa. He described it as a formative time, during which he became involved in a local Turkish community and served as a guest imam. The imam, a former prison chaplain and Vietnam veteran, introduced him to the chaplaincy.
Together, they worked with high school volunteers to lead services and Sunday school lessons for kids — an early career studentcentered experience.
Gürsoy moved to American Islamic College in Chicago after living in New Jersey. Due to a credit transfer issue with his Albanian degree, he completed his Islamic sciences and art bachelor’s degree again in Chicago, joking he has two diplomas for one degree.
Gürsoy enrolled in Chicago Theological Seminary, which had an Islamic chaplaincy program with Bayan Islamic Graduate Schoo There, he developed a deeper understanding of chaplaincy, working with different Islamic
groups and cultures.
Before arriving in Syracuse, Gürsoy was the first Muslim chaplain at Chicago’s Swedish Hospital, which he described as an “emotional” job. He gained experience through his other work around community outreach and teaching religious classes to eighth graders.
Gürsoy fills a job formerly held by Amir Durić, who was recently appointed to be Hendricks’ assistant dean for religious and spiritual life. Durić’s eight-year tenure as Muslim chaplain saw a 500% increase in student participation in Chapel programming.
Durić defines a chaplain as someone who “deeply cares for all members of a community,” and is equipped with skills rooted in religious, spiritual and emotional support. He said Gürsoy meets that job description.
“(Gürsoy) brings a comforting and caring presence to the rooms he walks into, he meets the standards of professional chaplaincy,” Durić said. “And he is particularly passionate about working with college students.”
Although unfamiliar with SU before becoming its Muslim chaplain, Gürsoy was drawn to
the historic Hendricks Chapel, calling it the “spiritual heart of the university.” Hendricks, which opened its doors in 1930, has 15 multifaith chaplains on its staff, according to its communications manager Dara Harper.
“We work together — rabbi, imam, priests and Buddhist chaplain. I’m sharing my office, for example, with the Buddhist chaplain,” Gürsoy said. “It’s so interesting for me, I like working interfaith and the dialogue.”
Although he’s only been interacting with students for less than a week, Gürsoy said students, particularly those in MSA and Muslim Student Life groups, give him hope and energy. Gürsoy said his role as chaplain is to guide students — Muslim or non-Muslim — through their spiritual journeys and beyond.
Gürsoy’s call to theology and history informed his transition into the chaplaincy; his passion for youth outreach brought him to SU. Chaplains are stationed in a variety of locations such as the military, hospitals and Congress. But he eyed a chaplaincy role at a university, given his experience teaching and the counsel from other chaplains around him.
Gürsoy has plans to channel his love for teaching into courses on the Quran and Prophet Muhammad and field trips with MSA over the next few weeks. He said he’s looking forward to working with SU’s many multicultural groups and introducing more student outreach in the future.
Gürsoy said he spent hours working with members of the MSA, including MSA President Omar Mohammed, to set up last week’s pre-welcome event. Last Friday, MSA had its first Jummah prayer of the semester on campus at Hendricks.
“I am excited to collaborate with (Gürsoy) and continue building the rapport of inclusion and belonging that the MSA is known for,” MSA Vice President Elyas Layachi said.
Gürsoy and the newly-appointed rabbi at Hendricks, Natan Levy, are working on introducing a joint Hebrew-Arabic class. The class is part of Gürsoy’s larger goal to build community and expand events across SU’s faith communities and become more involved in education.
Beyond his day-to-day chaplain work, Gürsoy is a published author of two Turkish-language science fiction-fantasy books of the “Lord of the Rings” style. He also hopes to incorporate his classroom-oriented passions, like his love of literature, into the position.
“I’m living my dream, actually, being part of the university, because my first dream was being a professor,” he said. “Some people say, if you want to be rich, you must be so close to money, and I’m close to the university, so I can be a part of the university in the future.”
The transition from chaplaincy at a hospital to a university is “definitely different,” but aligns with Gürsoy’s draw to education and experience with youth outreach. While supporting the faith journeys of young adults at SU differs from his youth Sunday school days, he’s prepared to fill the various roles his new job demands.
“(I’m) not just the teacher, I’m not just the Imam, I must be more than that,” he said. “That’s why I’m the chaplain, chaplain is more than all of this, I hope.”
gbrown19@syr.edu @GriffinUriBrown
‘One Big Beautiful Bill’: key provisions, federal funding cuts
By Brenne Sheehan asst. news editor
After President Donald Trump signed Congress’s budget reconciliation bill into law on July 4, nicknamed by Republicans the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” local effects in central New York remain unclear as local officials await state and federal guidance.
The new law changes eligibility requirements and federal funding distribution to shared services like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. This has left Onondaga County officials waiting for directives from the federal government, the county office wrote in a Tuesday statement to The Daily Orange.
A sweeping Republican measure slashing federal spending, the bill extends Trump-era tax cuts and boosts funding for the military and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, fulfilling Trump’s campaign promises.
The Congressional Budget Office predicts the new law will increase the public debt by $3.3 trillion and increase the country’s Gross Domestic Product by 0.5% in nine years. The bill raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion.
The D.O. has broken down some of the law’s key provisions.
Cuts to federal student loan programs
The bill places several borrowing caps on federal loans, limiting the amount students can borrow, and eliminates other federal student loan programs for graduate and professionaldegree students.
The bill will eliminate Direct PLUS loans, which allow graduate or professional students to borrow funds to cover any remaining costs not met by their financial aid package. For graduate students, unsubsidized student loans are capped at $20,500 per year and $100,000 in a lifetime. Loans for professional degrees, such as medical school or law school, will be capped at $50,000 per year and $200,000 in a lifetime.
Parents borrowing through the federal
Parent PLUS loan program can only borrow up to $20,000 per student per year or $65,000 in a lifetime.
The new law sets a $257,500 lifetime borrowing limit for all federal student loans.
In repaying student loans, unemployment deferment and economic hardship deferment, which allowed borrowers to pause their payments after graduation, are now eliminated.
SU’s cost of attendance is about $92,128 for on-campus undergraduate students and $90,161 for off-campus students per year. The cost is around $61,719 per year for graduate students.
Extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
The megabill makes Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, permanent after previously being set to expire in 2025. These include individual tax brackets with a top rate of 37%, the TCJA’s nearly doubled standard deduction, the estate and gift tax and the 20% qualified business income deduction.
The new law, however, temporarily increases the TCJA’s $10,000 cap on deductions on state and local taxes to $40,000, reducing income tax for those who itemize their deductions. The bill also increases the TCJA’s child tax credit from $2,000 to $2,200 per child, and introduces a $6,000 standard deduction for seniors.
Creating new temporary tax cuts
The bill creates new tax deductions on tips and overtime pay until 2028, covering workers making less than $150,000 annually. The deductions are capped at $25,000 per year.
New taxes on endowments
Syracuse University will not be affected by this endowment tax, as it has an endowment-tostudent ratio of $91,500 per student.
Cuts to Medicaid
The bill places several new eligibility
requirements for Medicaid, a joint federal and state program covering some medical costs for low-income recipients. According to a Georgetown University study, 31.8% of Onondaga County was covered by Medicaid in 2023.
The Congressional Budget Office’s latest cost estimate says the bill will reduce federal Medicaid spending by $911 billion and result in over 10 million people uninsured.
President and CEO Kevin Kerwin of the Iroquois Healthcare Association, an advocacy board representing central and eastern New York hospitals, said a loss of insurance coverage could result in a lack of access to primary care, putting greater pressure on emergency hospitals without compensation.
“They wait until it becomes an emergent acute issue, go to the emergency department at Upstate or any other hospital, leading to more congestion and things that otherwise may be preventable if they were able to have that primary care ahead of time,” Kerwin said.
Robert Corona, CEO of Upstate Medical University Hospital, told the Civil Service Employees Association of New York that Medicaid coverage accounts for about 33% of the hospital’s internal revenue.
Republicans defended the cuts, saying they cut out the “waste, fraud and abuse” of the Medicaid system.
Under the new law, adults under 65 must complete 80 hours of work per month, education or community service. Previously, there was no work requirement for eligibility.
There are exceptions for special circumstances, including physical disabilities, pregnancy and parents with children under 14. States must now check recipients’ eligibility every six months instead of once a year.
Families earning 100 to 138% of the federal poverty level, now $15,460 per person in 2025, can be charged up to $35 per medical service covered by Medicaid.
The bill also reduces the cap on state Medicaid provider taxes from 6% to 3.5% by 2031,
limiting a state’s ability to make up lost revenue from Federal spending.
Cuts to SNAP
Eligibility changes and redistributed funding will cut $287 billion from SNAP over the next 10 years, according to the CBO.
SNAP recipients ages 18 to 64 must now work 80 hours per month to keep benefits, up from the previous age cap of 54. Similar to Medicaid eligibility, there are exceptions for parents with children under 14, pregnant women and people with certain disabilities.
Syracuse ranks among the top 20 U.S. cities for highest household SNAP participation, with a rate of 29.4%. The city is also widely-regarded as a food desert, where walking access to fresh food is often inaccessible.
States with an error rate – the percentage of over- and underpayments of beneficiaries –above 6% will have to provide up to 15% of direct SNAP benefits, whereas before, states only paid for 50% of SNAP administrative costs.
New York state had an error rate of 14% in 2024.
Becky Lare, the Vice President of Government Relations at the Food Bank of Central New York, said any changes to the SNAP program could result in fewer households eligible for benefits, especially if New York can’t make up for the cost in its state budget.
She said the food bank is waiting for state and federal guidelines before taking any next steps, and the effects of the cuts won’t be apparent until next year.
“We have to wait for directives from the federal government to come to the state, for the state to implement those directives, and then see how the state chooses to implement those pieces, particularly as it relates to the cost share,” Lare said.
Spending on law enforcement, defense Over four years, the new bill will increase federal spending by $170 billion for programs such as ICE and border patrol, and an
With teaching and religious experience in Albania, Turkey and across the country, Hamza Gürsoy is ready to support SU students. griffin uribe brown social media editor
Fair forever
The Great New York State Fair is
the
home of local businesses and generations of tradition for local families
By Lily Zuckerman asst. digital editor
Nicholas Pirro arrived at the Great New York State Fair for another day of work as the Fair’s graphics designer and website manager. Except this time, he and his colleagues disguised themselves as different animals in inflatable costumes.
“I met President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton at the Fair, but they probably wouldn’t realize it was me, because I was dressed up as a chicken,” Pirro said.
He said the moment he shook hands with the Clintons captures the essence of the thrill it is to work on the Fair year round.
Although the Fair’s mission was outlined almost 200 years ago, when the Erie Canal was the main form of transportation and Interstate 81 had not been built yet, food vendors and a taste for the state’s agriculture encourage people beyond Syracuse to return each year.
The Fair’s emphasis on agriculture has evolved throughout its journey, but the spotlight on fresh food and pride for New York is still prevalent these days for people like 82-year-old Susan Small, who attended the Fair in the mid-1950s as a child.
Small said she remembers how excited she’d be seeing the Kewpie Dolls dressed up for the Fair, the year’s butter sculpture and exploring the plethora of amusement rides and games present.
Once she became an adult, Small’s favorite parts of the Fair changed. When raising her own family in Syracuse and bringing them to the Fair, Small loved spending time in what was then the women’s building.
Small spent the majority of her life in Syracuse until moving to Florida last year, missing this year’s Fair. The original agricultural association has always attracted her to the Fair.
“My father enjoyed everything about agriculture and horticulture and the spirit of the Fair we went to every year,” Small said. “We always attended the animal contests and visited the cattle together, as a family.”
To this day, the Fair’s main entrance greets fairgoers with a building full of livestock animals and their farmers from all across New York state. But the founders of the Fair may not have expected the attraction to evolve into what it is now.
The Fair had its beginnings in 1840, when members of the New York State Agricultural Society, consisting of farmers and people with agricultural interests, gathered at the New York State Legislature and agreed to
undated year, and a photo from 1999 of
costume that Nicholas Pirro wore when he met Bill
launch a fair for the next year to promote the state’s plentiful agriculture.
The Fair officially started on Sept. 29 and 30, 1841, attracting between 10,000 to 15,000 eager people who arrived in Syracuse for the nation’s first state fair.
What was then called the village of Syracuse was chosen to host the first state fair because of its accessibility through the Erie Canal.
Albany hosted the second year of the Fair, which was extended to three days. Now, the Fair lasts 13 days from the end of August until Labor Day, which accommodates farmers who have just finished their season and are preparing for the next.
Between 1841 and 1889, the Fair traveled back and forth among 11 different cities within the state — Albany, Auburn, Buffalo, Elmira, New York City, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Saratoga Springs, Syracuse, Utica and Watertown.
Robert Searing, alumnus of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and a curator of history at the Onondaga Historical Association, said the reasoning behind a traveling state fair was so each region could experience the economic benefits from hosting it.
“Agriculture is the dominant industry for most areas, so the Fair is a public relations event to show off the bounty that is New York state agriculture, which was made accessible by the canal,” Searing said.
Faced with infrastructure burdens and traveling demands, the Agricultural Society sought a permanent host city for the Fair to call home.
Everything changed in 1889 when the Agricultural Society received a donation of 100 acres in Onondaga County from the Syracuse Land Company. The donation was a crossroads between timing, economic evolution and the Market Revolution, Searing said. It made the Fair’s new home in Syracuse feasible.
Throughout the 1890s, the Agricultural Society constructed permanent buildings on the property, quickly falling into debt. As a result, Theodore
Roosevelt, the governor of New York at the time, purchased the fairgrounds, managing the Fair for the first time in 1900. Roosevelt appointed 11 members to join the State Fair Commission to manage the Fair.
Since 1841, the Fair has been renamed several times, going from the New York State Agricultural and Industrial Exposition in 1938, to the New York State Exposition in 1962 and then returning to its original title as the New York State Fair. Eventually, Great was added to the title.
The Fair’s success means it’s only been paused on two occasions: a five-year hiatus from 1942 to 1947 for World War II — when the Syracuse fairgrounds became a military base — and in 2020 for the COVID-19.
During World War I and the Civil War, the fairgrounds were used as a makeshift training camp for doughboys preparing to fight in Europe. The Fair went on due to its popularity, but at limited capacity.
Now, the state’s support for the Fair is a way to stand out from other states and live up to the name of the “Empire State,” Searing said. That’s why the Fair has featured live performances by notable artists, like Frank Sinatra, Taylor Swift, GROUPLOVE, Black Eyed Peas, Lil Jon and others included in the ticket price, Pirro said.
Searing said the Syracuse local fairgoers aren’t the only ones who benefit from the Fair’s perma -
A traditional Fair scene from an
the chicken
Clinton and Hillary Clinton at the Fair.
A vintage program from the 1930 Great New York State Fair.
courtesy of scrc
courtesy of scrc
courtesy of the new york state fair
nent home — the tourism the city receives from the Fair allows it to reap economic benefits.
Small business owners who sell their food to fairgoers and get their names out also receive these benefits, which is how the Gianelli Sausage stand managed to operate its food stand at a prime location on the fairgrounds for 41 years, Small said.
The Syracuse-based sausage vendor operated its stand at the Fair until 2021, but its legacy continues today. Susan Rothstein’s father Louis Davis founded the company under G&L Davis Meat Company in 1946.
Rothstein began working at the stand when she was 13 years old. Her father died in 1990, but it didn’t stop her family from keeping up with the family business and continuing the legacy. The Fair led Rothstein to her career as a caterer. Her brother, Stephen Davis, took over the company as the CEO, which he still operates today.
“It’s funny how one thing leads to another in life; the Fair led to my life passion as a caterer. I’ve been a caterer for 15 years,” Rothsteisaid.
Before she married her husband, she insisted he visit the Gianelli Sausage stand at the Fair. He was a banker by career, but for those two weeks, he was a cashier, serving tables and taking care of the stand’s business numbers.
“Everyone at our stand worked year after year. It was a community and a family; people loved working there,” Rothstein said.
As the years go by, the memories of the Fair fade a little bit for Pirro. He doesn’t remember everything, but for Small, the iconic staples of the Fair and warm memories have stayed with her, even after moving from Syracuse.
“I don’t really remember any of the specific concerts I went to as a kid, but I do remember sitting on the ground in a plastic chair during loud concerts, just smiling with my family,” Small said. lvzucker@syr.edu
ike wood asst. photo editor
joe zhao senior staff photographer
courtesy of susan rothstein
ike wood asst. photo editor
Relatives of the Gianelli Sausage family all smile at their stand during the 2006 Great New York State Fair.
Syracuse city mayoral candidates fortify campaign efforts
By Sydney DePietto asst. news editor
As the November general election nears, Syracuse mayoral candidates Sharon Owens, Alfonso Davis, Thomas Babilon and Tim Rudd are in their last two months of voter interaction and fundraising.
Syracuse Deputy Mayor Owens’ won the democratic mayoral primary election in June. In the following months, non-democratic candidates continued to campaign for the position, with several facing opposition from local leaders. Contenders are vocal on key issues surrounding safety and leadership.
Owens, a Syracuse University alumna, is running on a platform focused on public safety, financial sustainability and refining education and extracurricular programs for children, teens and young adults.
Alongside Owens, Republican candidate Babilon is running unopposed. Rudd, former city budget director, and Davis, a community activist, are running as independents.
The announcement immediately sparked mixed reactions among current students and the Syracuse community.
Multiple local politicians, including Rep. John Mannion, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, took to social media to reflect on Syverud’s tenure and thank him for his accomplishments while in the role.
“Chancellor Syverud’s legacy includes making Syracuse University a model for serving veterans and students with disabilities,” Mannion wrote in a statement posted to Instagram. “As a State Senator, I was proud to support these efforts, and in Congress I remain committed to making them even stronger in the years ahead.”
Syracuse women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack, men’s soccer coach Ian McIntyre and the Board of Trustees also praised his leadership.
Several students told The D.O. they thought Syverud’s decision may be linked to recent backlash over his response to President Donald Trump’s administration policies affecting higher education.
In April, many criticized Syverud for not signing a public letter denouncing Trump for his “unprecedented government overreach … endangering American higher education,” alongside over 200 university officials.
“I wasn’t a huge fan of his actions regarding not signing the letter, but I think it shows a lack of backbone, and I hope our next chancellor embodies more of those qualities,” said Kate McVicar, a sophomore studying international relations.
Last month, many condemned Syverud after SU announced it would close its Office of Diversity and Inclusion and create a People and Culture unit within the Office of Human Resources in its place. The change followed a national trend of universities cutting diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs after Trump’s Jan. 21 executive order aimed at ending them.
Isabella Ferrandiz, a junior studying sports analytics, said she believed the chancellor stepped down because of reactions to the ODI’s dismantling.
on campus, immigration or visa-related questions were to be directed to international services.
“The center will continue to be your primary resource for international student support, offering services, guidance and programming throughout your academic journey,” the June email states.
When asked if the staffing changes were related to layoffs, university reorganization or federal funding cuts, Scalese referred back to the June email.
The transition of visa support services to the Enrollment Processing Center was intended to provide a “more streamlined and efficient visa process,” according to the email.
On April 23, three SU international students lost their visas, a handful of the more than 1,700 students nationwide who experienced the same. Two days later, the federal government announced it would restore the visas of hundreds of international students.
Most recently, the Trump administration said it’s reexamining all 55 million visa holders in the U.S., looking for any violations that might result in deportation.
In a university update on April 25, Tavares said the office would be “actively reviewing the implications of this development for our current international students” alongside SU’s Office of General Counsel. Tavares encouraged
Despite Rudd and Davis fulfilling the Onondaga County Board of Elections’ requirements for independent candidates, they’ve faced setbacks as Owens’ supporters have challenged their collected petition signatures. A successful challenge to the signatures would remove them from the ballot.
The lawsuit filed by Owens, intended to remove Rudd from the November ballot, was dismissed by State Supreme Court Justice Robert Antonacci on Monday. However, objections to Davis’s signatures have yet to be resolved, syracuse.com reported.
Since June, Owens has accepted several endorsements, including from the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters Local 277 and the Syracuse Teachers Association. Most recently, Owens accepted an endorsement from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
“Sharon Owens has the experience, integrity, and fiscal responsibility Syracuse needs right now. She understands that every tax dollar must be spent wisely, and she has the leadership
“Maybe the backlash is making him want to step down, because I know a lot of people didn’t like that decision,” Ferrandiz said.
Despite not agreeing with the decision to remove the ODI, Ferrandiz said she believes the chancellor is “very present” and has done a lot to connect with students. She said she’d like to see a current SU faculty member or administrator, such as Vice President of People and Culture Mary Grace Almandrez, as a potential replacement.
Criticism of Syverud has followed him for much of his tenure. In late 2019, NotAgainSU leaders — who were protesting the university’s response to a pattern of racist incidents on campus — listed Syverud’s resignation as one of their demands. A 2019 petition calling for the chancellor to step down has 2,591 signatures as of Aug. 28, 2025.
“He didn’t really handle that correctly, and it took a while for him to get back into order for this school,” Abby Thurmon, a junior majoring in theatre design and technology, said about Syverud’s response to these racial incidents and subsequent protests.
During that fall, Syverud ultimately agreed to almost all of the student demands after days of protests and sit-ins, though organizers continued to call for his resignation.
“As Chancellor, I take very seriously these immediate priorities, and commit to promptly achieving them, as well as to supporting the other important measures in the responses,” Syverud said in a November 2019 campus-wide email.
Syverud also faced scrutiny during 2024’s Gaza Solidarity Encampment, when demonstrators pushed the university to support a ceasefire and disclose its investments tied to Israel. Protesters also objected after his administration threatened conduct referrals for those who remained on Shaw Quadrangle.
Roman Saladino, an iSchool PhD student who was an undergraduate at the time, said he believed Syverud tried “to at least be active when it comes to these situations,” especially amid broader political tension and the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Saladino said as times become more “turbulent,” he hopes the new chancellor will be able to adapt.
In the SU Board of Trustees’ campus-wide email on Syverud’s announcement, they wrote,
students with questions to reach out to him directly and emphasized that the center would provide “support and guidance.”
SU is entering the 2025-26 academic year “in a position of fiscal stability,” Interim Vice Chancellor Lois Agnew said in an Aug. 20 campuswide email. To maintain that, Agnew ordered a dean-led evaluation of each school to determine which programs are stable and which need to be “phased out” or “rebranded.”
Both public and private colleges and universities, including Harvard University, Cornell University, Johns Hopkins and Boston University, have announced reduced budgets or layoffs in recent months. The layoffs come in response to federal funding cuts, financial pressures from inflation and concerns around reductions in the number of international students.
During March’s University Senate meeting, Chancellor Kent Syverud said the university didn’t anticipate similar cuts at SU. He said the university tightened its budget last summer and is prepared for any federal aid cuts.
“We are not going to do some of the things you’re seeing elsewhere,” Syverud said in the meeting. “So we’re not going to have large-scale layoffs. We’re not going to have across-the-board hiring freezes. We’re not going to have deep budget cuts or other drastic measures in graduate programs.”
kaluther@syr.edu @kendallaluther
skills to work with the state and local partners,” DiNapoli said in the endorsement.
Additionally, the November ballot includes two legislative seats for Syracuse councilors atlarge. Hanah Ehrenreich and Rasheada Caldwell won the democratic primary in June with 31% and 37% of the vote, respectively.
As no republicans or independent candidates ran for the seats, Ehrenreich and Bloodworth have no opposition in the general election and will likely win the seats by default, according to syracuse.com.
In February, the Onondaga County Democratic Committee endorsed 2nd District Common Councilor Patrick Hogan for mayor, rivaling Owens, making him the committee’s third consecutive designee to lose the primaries. The OCDC plans to work with Owens for the general election, Central Current reported.
Despite his loss in June, Hogan refuses to endorse Owens, telling syracuse.com, “There’s less than zero percent of that.” Although undecided, he is considering a write-in campaign.
“leading a university today is not for the faint of heart.”
Syverud’s tenure also included several infrastructural improvements to the university, including new partnerships and programs, which several students commended him for. Under Syverud’s leadership, the university established InclusiveU, the Office of Military and Veteran Affairs and a first-of-its-kind Esports program, among other initiatives.
Nick Tomassi, a business analytics junior, said he applauds Syverud for his efforts to create more modern housing options on campus. So far, SU has established two new dormitories — Orange Hall and Milton Hall — since Syverud began as chancellor. Three more are currently under construction.
Priyanka Anoop, a sophomore psychology major, pointed to Syverud’s deal with Micron Technology and the creation of the Esports space in Schine Student Center as examples of investments that stood out to her during her time so far at SU.
Other students said they weren’t very familiar with Syverud’s role in day-to-day campus life, which left them unfazed by the announce-
In a July press release, OCDC Chair Max Ruckdeschel urged Hogan to end his campaign, saying “the voters chose a different path,” and the primary results should be respected as the November election nears.
Syracuse Common Councilor At-Large Chol Majok, who also ran in the primaries, conceded to Owens on the night of the election. While recognizing her win, he explained he didn’t lose because “in the process to get here, we gained more than we lost,” syracuse.com reported.
Democrats currently hold a 53% majority of the voter registration in Syracuse, with almost every mayor since 2005 being a member of the Democratic Party. Current Mayor Ben Walsh is the notable exception after securing wins in 2017 and 2021 on an independent line.
The 2025 general election will take place on November 4. Polls open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Early voting will begin on Oct. 25 through Nov. 2. sadepiet@syr.edu
ment. One sophomore, Alexander Morales, said he didn’t have anything negative to say about Syverud’s time as chancellor.
“I was indifferent about it at first. I didn’t really have an opinion about it, and then seeing some of the discourse that went on about that, I was like, ‘Okay, I guess it could be a good thing that he stepped down,’” senior economics student Jeffrey Elekwachi said.
Others looked ahead to what SU’s next leader might bring.
In Syverud’s Aug. 26 statement, he wrote that the Board of Trustees would select the next chancellor over the next year.
“I just hope we get somebody who has a good head on their shoulders. Syracuse is everything and more,” Morales said. “I feel like, if anything, we should just bring somebody who’s gonna keep it like that.”
Asst. News Editors Brenne Sheehan, Chloe Fox Rinka and News Editor Delia Rangel contributed reporting to this article.
jmboehni@syr.edu
saolande@syr.edu
oversee 1.22 million additional affordable rental homes by 2035.
additional $150 billion to military and defense spending.
The law will make ICE the most heavily funded law enforcement agency in U.S. history, increasing its annual budget from $10 billion to over $100 billion by 2029. The act also introduces several new fees for immigrant documentation.
ICE has stepped up activity in Central New York, CNY Central reported, detaining a mother and her three children in June and later conducting a raid outside the Rise and Shine diner in Westcott.
The law imposes a $100 asylum application fee, $550 for employment authorization for asylum seekers and humanitarian parolees and $500 for Temporary Protected Status. It also increases travel visa fees to $250 on top of an already-existing $185 tourist fee.
Expands the low-income housing tax credit
The megabill permanently expands the LowIncome Housing Tax Credit and lowers the bond test threshold, making it easier for developers to qualify for tax incentives.
Novogradac estimates the new law could
Starting in 2026, states will receive a 12% increase in their annual 9% housing credit allocations, which expands the opportunity for housing projects to receive federal funding.
CNY Fair Housing Policy Director Alex Lawson said more LIHTC funding is beneficial for private investors looking to establish new affordable housing projects. However, he said the House Appropriations Committee’s plan to cut U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funding could set off those positive effects.
“More LIHTC is good, because it’s hard to borrow the money to build to start off with. LIHTC is a tool that helps you get financing, and it guarantees some affordability,” Lawson said.
Looking forward
Lare said the timeline for much of the megabill’s new regulations will begin in 2026 and 2027, leaving time for the state, local government and community organizations to respond.
“Our strategy is obviously continuing to work with elected officials on every level,” Lare said. “We’re going to continue doing what we do best, and that’s showing up for our community, but that challenge is going to require all of us.”
bsheeh03@syr.edu
Syverud was selected as Syracuse University’s chancellor in September 2013, replacing then-Chancellor Nancy Cantor. chase gaewski daily orange file photo
CULTURE
Creative concessions
By Mia Jones and Rosina Boehm the daily orange
Passing by Fair Deli Craft Beer’s stand, Fred Whitt immediately noticed the weirdest things on the menu: the Dr. Pickle drink and a large fried mozzarella stick topped with icing and coated in Fruity Pebbles cereal.
“Salty and sweet is a great combination,” Whitt said. The Great New York State Fair is home to a plethora of never-before-seen foods, whether they’re found in the Dairy Products Building
or in food trucks and stands lining the Midway rides. Some are trying items for the very first time, while others come back for the same wacky Fair foods every year.
Whitt’s originally from Massachusetts, and had never been to Syracuse or the Fair before.
The purpose of his inaugural visit was to check out the Fair with friends. Quickly, it became a chance to try fun menu items. Whitt also ate a hot honey fried chicken and pickle plate to go with his Dr. Pickle. The drink is a concoction of Dr Pepper and pickle juice with a pickle garnish on top.
comfortable environment for those with sensitivities to audio and/or
A typical day at the
includes
and
that can be heard far and wide across the fairgrounds. Fairgoers scream and shout as they ride Cyclops and Downdraft, with
“We
By Mia Jones culture editor
Great New York State Fair
bright lights, loud music
announcements
bellies full of fried turkey legs and gator mac and cheese. But the lights were turned off and all fell silent at the Fair on Wednesday
Soak up the best of the Fair’s last days this Labor Day weekend
By Cam McGraw asst. copy editor
Stepping through the gates of the Great New York State Fair, a flock of crowing roosters and the wafting smell of fried dough greets visitors. Soaring rollercoasters sail in the distance and stuffed animals sit eagerly beside carnival games.
Each August, the Fair, hosted in Syracuse, hosts a wide range of entertainment, concerts and shows. At one moment, traditional dancing moves across the Iroquois Indian Village, while at another, Hollywood Racing Pigs sprint through the Family Fun Zone.
Fairgoers travel from across the state to enjoy the attractions. Attendees can either park at the event or ride a shuttle from Syracuse University, and must purchase tickets near the entrance. The fairgrounds is 375 acres long, already reaching nearly 500,000 attendees.
Don’t miss these bites and sights before the fair comes to close on Labor Day, with only a few more days to experience expert lumberjacks and award-winning artists.
Dr. Pickle drink or fried turkey wings? Food is a staple of the Fair, with options ranging from Cheesecake Dubai chocolate to a classic Jumbo Corn Dog. Family-owned businesses line the walkways, sharing their classic recipes. Integrity BBQ serves its special fried turkey wings, while stands like Alteri’s La Bella Dolce Gelateria offer gelato and sorbet to help you cool off on the Fair’s hot days.
Vendors like Kiki’s Authentic Greek Food and Las Gringas share cultural tastes with local businesses. Some stands sell Fair-exclusive items like a Dr. Pickle drink or a cereal-covered mozzarella stick. The Fair is sure to have something to satisfy everyone’s taste buds.
Beyond food, vendors sell accessories such as silk and rayon bohemian clothing at Foutaz or Afrocentric wears and jewelry at the family-owned BT African Art. More quirky items are available at booths like 3D-printed dragons or handblown glass chickens, crafted by local sellers.
Test your strength on the pull-up bar or your adrenaline on the 135-foot Mega Drop
For something educational, visit booths like the New York State Arborists International Society of Arboriculture Chapter, Inc., which offer information about trees, landscapes and the best pest control practices before winter envelops central New York. Beat The Bar promotes health and wellness through exercise challenges.
For Syracuse’s thrillseekers, the Fair features numerous rollercoasters that are sure to feed your adrenaline rush, whether you take on the 135-foot Mega Drop or prefer the slower Giant Wheel.
Along with rides, try your luck at the Fair’s carnival games to win specialty prizes. You can throw darts at balloons or toss rings onto bottles to score stuffed animals and toys.
After struggling to win carnival games, distract yourself with shows and performances on the fairgrounds. Walk over to Central Park to watch the Canine Stars Stunt Dog Show, where highly trained rescue dogs perform stunts and daring tricks.
If you’ve seen enough animals, swing over to Along Broadway to see a Stilt Circus show or Central Park for the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show.
Sway left and right with Dustin Lynch, and jump up and down with DJ Pauly D Head to one of the Fair’s music venues to enjoy performances from popular bands and artists. Last year, Megan Moroney drew the second-largest crowd in the Fair’s history with 47,000 fans.
This year’s lineup includes bands All Time Low and +LIVE+, with artists Dustin Lynch, DJ Pauly D and Shaggy also performing. So far, artists like Lil Jon and GROUPLOVE have performed. If those venues are too big, spots like the Empire Theater and the Grange Building host smaller, more indie performances.
As night falls, fireworks flash in the sky to celebrate the Fair’s end. Then, animals trot back to their pens and rides slow to a stop. Fairgoers gaze at the night sky, drifting toward exits as the Fair comes to a close for this year, waiting for its turn to light up central New York once again. crmcgraw@syr.edu
SU alumnus sees Hollywood as Adam Sandler’s body double
By Eliana Rosen asst. culture editor
When Max Kessler stepped foot on Syracuse University’s campus in 2010, he didn’t get the usual “What’s your major?” or “Where are you from?” Instead, everyone told him he looked just like Adam Sandler.
By then, he was used to it. The first time someone mentioned the resemblance, he wasn’t even a teenager, even though Sandler is over two decades older than him.
“Okay. I get it. I look like the guy,” he said. “I think, ‘Wow, this is a little freaky.’ But I don’t look in the mirror and say, ‘I’m his younger self.’ I think people see it more than I do.”
Oh, they’re clapping for me. All these people are standing up and giving me accolades. It was really the icing on the cake.
Max Kessler su alumnus
Turns out, Sandler and his team saw the resemblance, too. The SU alumnus was cast in Sandler’s “Happy Gilmore 2,” which premiered on Netflix on July 25. Max played the body double for young Happy in the film’s opening montage flashbacks.
Max met his wife, Nicole Kessler, at SU during the first weekend of their freshman year, and Otto the Orange even made an appearance at their wedding in December. Nicole said the resemblance was something she always noticed. In fact, many of his childhood friends have Max’s number saved in their phones as Adam.
“He dresses just like Adam Sandler in his normal wardrobe, so that really just kind of adds to it,” Nicole said. “He was Happy Gilmore every
year for Halloween in college.”
Despite decades of comments about his doppelganger, Max was never a die-hard Adam Sandler fan. He was more into sports than movies. But when Sandler played a character named Max Kessler in his 2016 film, “The Do-Over,” it caught his attention.
“I remember thinking, ‘Someone must have dubbed the script,’” Max said. “There’s no way this is real.”
And yet, it was. Max created a Reddit account that day and posted about the coincidence. Quickly, the post amassed over 10 million views, including one from Sandler himself, who responded by prompting Max to recreate a silly photo.
Sandler invited Max to the red carpet premiere for “The Do-Over,” where the pair met for the first time in an Entertainment Tonight interview. Sandler called Max a “younger, better, sweeter” version of him. Meeting a successful, A-list celebrity could be intimidating, but Sandler was welcoming, warm and down to earth, Max said.
“It was like we knew each other for years,” Max said. “It was very natural, and it probably shouldn’t have been, because I’m on a red carpet and I’m freaking out.”
The story gained national attention and Max made appearances on Entertainment Tonight and Good Morning America. During his short stint of fame, interviewers asked Max if he would ever be in a future Adam Sandler movie.
“They have my phone number,” he’d tell them. Nine years later, they called.
Max received a message asking if he’d be interested in being a body double for young Adam Sandler in “Happy Gilmore 2.” He knew he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work on a major Netflix film.
“Max is the type of person where he is up for any challenge,” Nicole said. “When they called, he was nervous, but he was ready for it. He was so nervous but he had such a positive outlook that this was just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Around two total weeks on set, Max got a glimpse into the Hollywood he’d always heard about. Max received mentorship from seasoned
actors and his acting and golf coaches. He learned to perform in front of thousands of extras, actors and crew, and even how to mimic Sandler’s facial movements and mannerisms.
Max worked directly with Sandler, who’d perform the stunt before him to help Max accurately replicate Sandler’s movements and dialogue. As days went on, the actor gave Max more leeway to make the scenes his own with “less hand holding.” On set for “Happy Gilmore 2” felt like getting dropped into a PGA Tour event or the Saturday Night Live soundstage, which are some of the settings of the movie, he said.
“You get to peel the curtain back and see how they became so successful and how it translates into filming,” he said. “You’re not a
fan anymore. You really need to make sure you execute and do a good job.”
When the film premiered, Max hosted a screening for his family. His father, Jay Kessler, woke up at 5 a.m. on the morning the movie came out on Netflix. He watched the beginning montage and fast forwarded through the rest to see his son’s name in the credits. He described it as “phenomenal.”
On Max’s last day on set, the cast and crew started clapping out of nowhere. Max looked around, confused. It wasn’t until they said, “That’s a wrap on Max,” that he realized it was for him.
“Oh, they’re clapping for me,” Max said. “All these people are standing up and giving me accolades. It was really the icing on the cake.” ehrosen@syr.edu
Spend the last weekend of the Great New York Fair trying fair foods, riding rollercoasters and watching the Stilt Circus perform. ike wood asst. photo editor
At 32, the Syracuse University alumnus played a young version of Adam Sandler in “Happy Gilmore 2”. courtesy of max kessler
on the hill
RECENT FAIR CONCERTS
audience
to
Dustin Lynch
Catch country artist Dustin Lynch at the Great New York State Fair, one of many musical acts this Labor Day weekend. Lynch is known for his smooth contemporary country vocals. He’s been nominated for and won a number of awards, including a CMT Music Award for his hit song “Small Town Boy.”
WHEN : Friday at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Suburban Park
PRICE: Free with Fair admission
DJ Pauly D
Make sure to stop by DJ Pauly D’s booth to catch the reality television star-turned-DJ for one of his memorable sets. The artist rose to fame through his role on MTV’s “Jersey Shore” in 2009 and has since built a successful music career.
WHEN : Friday at 9 p.m.
WHERE: Chevy Court
PRICE: Free with Fair admission
JAMS Funk Fest 2025
The multi-platinum funk and R&B group Rose Royce is headlining this year’s JAMS Funk Fest, which will take place at the Fair. Other artists including David Banks, The Blacklites and Stevie Wolf Blues Express will take the stage throughout the day. Don’t miss out on this day of funky entertainment for the whole family.
WHEN: Saturday from noon to 9:30 p.m.
WHERE: Chevy Court PRICE: Free with Fair admission
Indulge in some reggae tunes at the Fair this weekend with Grammyaward winning reggae artist Shaggy. The Jamaican-American artist has released hits for over two decades, including “Boombastic,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 100.
WHEN: Sunday at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Suburban Park
PRICE: Free with Fair admission Shaggy
Pop and R&B star Dionne Warwick will kick off Labor Day at Chevy Court. Warwick is a six-time Grammy Award winner and has put out hits like “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” for decades. Stop by to see this timeless musician at the Fair.
WHEN: Monday at noon
WHERE: Chevy Court
PRICE: Free with Fair admission
+LIVE+
Alternative rock band +LIVE+ will be performing their 90s and early 2000s hits. Their 1994 album, “Throwing Copper,” sold over 8 million copies, with singles like “Lightning Crashes” and “I Alone.” Get in on the rock action this Labor Day to close out the long weekend.
WHEN: Monday at 6 p.m.
WHERE: Suburban Park
PRICE: Free with Fair admission
Dionne Warwick
Dreary weather didn’t stop Lil Jon from lighting up the stage on Tuesday night with songs by Guns N’ Roses to Kid Cudi.
The Great New York State Fair hosted dozens of popular artists since it opened for the season on Aug. 20
Rain only enhanced the experience for attendees at GROUPLOVE’s alternative rock performance on Sunday.
KIDZ BOP catered to younger Fair audiences on Saturday with family-friendly versions of classic pop hits.
AJR brought their classic energy and theatrics to the Great New York State Fair with hits like “Bang!” and “Way Less Sad” on Aug. 21.
A packed
gathered
hear the AJR brothers kick off the Great New York State Fair with a “Bang!”
christian calabrese asst. photo editor
collin snyder staff photographer
ike wood asst. photo editor
leonardo eriman photo editor
ike wood asst. photo editor
While Whitt wasn’t sure about the concept of Dr. Pickle right off the bat, he changed his mind after the first sip. It was a pretty unexpected find at the Fair that day, but in a good way, he said.
Fair Deli created Dr. Pickle last year and is selling it at the Fair for the second year in a row, Zach Marji, the Deli’s owner, said. He experimented with dirty sodas before settling on the Dr Pepper and pickle combo, and created the drink’s own branding: mascot stickers and a flag.
Trisha Togni enjoyed the Krunchy Dog from Fair Deli. She said the mozzarella stick breaded with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos was delicious and had a great cheese pull, the most important part of the whole experience to Togni. A bite out of the flamin’ hot food proved her claim to be true — a string of gooey mozzarella cheese kept growing as Togni pulled the Krunchy Dog away from her mouth.
“I just try to think of something that is aesthetic when you’re actually taking a picture of the food,” Marji said. “Everything we put out doesn’t only have to taste good, but I want it to be Instagram worthy.”
Togni is from Warners, but even as a regular NYS Fair-goer and a frequenter of Fair Deli, it was the first time she’d seen food like this at the Fair. When she saw what foods Fair Deli was serving this year, she knew she needed to try the Krunchy Dog.
Marji inherited the Fair Deli storefront from his parents who opened it in 2000. Since then, Marji opened a food truck, which goes to different events like Taste of Syracuse, but focuses on
finding the weirdest and wackiest things to sell during the 13 days a year the Fair runs.
Dan Johnson tried the Dr. Pickle after his wife found it on Facebook. Fair Deli has 5,000 followers on Facebook and 3,900 on Instagram. Johnson’s experience is exactly what Marji hoped would happen.
Marji wants people to come to the food truck because of social media, and then increase its reach by sharing their own pictures. The Deli offers craft sandwiches at its storefront — but you can’t find the crazy concoctions made there.
It was always just trying to be creative. We always knew that if you were going to come to the Fair, you had to stand out.
Zach Marji owner of fair deli craft beer
So people flock to his truck during the Fair.
“It was never sandwiches out of the food truck. It was always just trying to be creative. We always knew that if you were going to come to the Fair, you had to stand out,” Marji said.
While creative foods might draw you to some places, for Egg Roll Love, it isn’t necessarily the food. It’s their seven different jingles.
You might hear the lyrics “egg roll like us” to
the tune of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” Or “We’re egg rolls” to the tune of “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. Or even “We egg rolling” as an alternative to Chamillionaire’s lyrics on “Ridin’”: “They see me rollin’.”
For Eric Macias, who was visiting from Maryland, the song is exactly what “dragged him in.”
“It sounds really silly, but it’s really catchy,” Macias said.
Lisa Padilla, who owns Egg Roll Love with her husband, said he’s a singer. They used to sing at church, but now they get creative in their athome studio. When they played their “Not Like Us” parody at other fairs or events, “It was a hit,” Padilla said.
At night, fairgoers go crazy for the songs, Padilla said. It’s the duo’s first time at the NYS Fair, but probably not their last.
It might be easy to assume the egg rolls they love are simple. But they’re not.
Egg Roll Love was originally founded in Mississippi by Padilla and her husband. They had their big break when they were featured on Food Network’s “Carnival Eats” Season 12 Episode 12. Now, they’re opening their first franchise at Alcorn State University: a drive-thru food truck.
“I’m Filipino, and my husband is Black — so we do Black, Asian, Blasian egg rolls,” Padilla said. “The concept is my husband and me together in an eggroll.”
Some egg roll creations are born accidentally. Padilla once dropped an egg roll into a chicken wing batter and created a roll “like a chicken wing on the outside, but the egg roll on the inside.”
Macias enjoyed all the music outside without having bought an egg roll. He then negotiated
with Padilla to earn himself a free egg roll. Padilla chose the “Soul Food Roll,” which has collard greens, mac ‘n cheese and grilled chicken.
“The music definitely matches the taste of the egg roll,” Macias said.
On their socials, Egg Roll Love has drawn attention for fun flavors and songs.
Caitlin Kraushaar and Jayson Russell are Syracuse locals, and the Fair is always a highlight for them each year; they just can’t miss it.
The Villa Pizza Fritte — two feet of pizza dough stretched out, deep fried and rolled in sugar — is their favorite handheld food. Kraushaar said it’s “easy peasy lemon squeezy” to eat, like a hot, fresh doughnut.
“We come every single year, it’s my favorite thing,” Kraushaar said. “That’s what we do.”
Like Kraushaar and Russell, Scott Smith comes to the Fair every year, except he brings his food truck. Smith has owned Scotty’s Smokehouse BBQ for 48 years, and he’s been coming to the NYS Fair for the last 35. The business is most well-known for its Tater Twisters.
After going to a trade show in England and purchasing the franchise, Smith decided to bring the business back to the United States. His debut stop was the NYS Fair to introduce the Tater Twisters — sliced potatoes fried and salted on a stick — to a large audience. Smith said some people make his truck their first stop and then grab another Tater Twister on the way out.
David Erickson, from Auburn, New York, has also been coming to the Fair for a “long, long time.” So long that he’s perfected his version of the best food day at the Fair.
mjones58@syr.edu
rosinaboehm@dailyorange.com
last year. She worked with community advocates, local nonprofits and Le Moyne College’s occupational therapy program to determine the best options for incorporating spaces that better accommodate those with sensitivities.
These efforts are important to the Fair because people of any age or ability should be able to come and enjoy all it has to offer, Cooper said. Everyone goes through life and experiences things differently, she said, but that shouldn’t hinder their time at the Fair.
“If this allows those that might have some other sensory-processing issues to visit and have a good time, we want to give that opportunity,” Cooper said.
There are now a total of three permanent sensory-friendly spaces at the Fair: a calming shed by Midway and Suburban Park, an indoor space and an outdoor space at the Wegmans Art and Home Center.
The main calming sensory room in the Wegmans Art and Home Center is new to the Fair as of last year. It features a table of brochures with breathing exercises and check-in cards that ask fairgoers to rate how they’re feeling. Dim lighting oversees a hammock, bean bags and a table filled with coloring supplies to help people destress. The room is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
After hearing positive feedback from families, the sensory-friendly staff at the Fair introduced the calming sensory shed and outdoor motor zone activity as new additions this year.
The indoor sensory room and the calming sensory shed are quiet, dark and calming locations that help people rest and regulate their nervous system. But the outdoor motor activity zone is an area for fairgoers to “get their wiggles out,” Arazoza said.
The outdoor space includes play mats, hula hoops and sensory bins and boards so users can play with rubber bands and touch different textures.
ages 3 and 4, to the outdoor space during their visit on Sensory Friendly Day. They’ve used interactive spaces like this before at children’s museums, and she also incorporates tactile activities at home.
Lavoie believes sensory-friendly spaces, like the ones at the Fair, can be educational for those who haven’t interacted with them before.
“It can show people ways to interact with the world that maybe we don’t always get to,” Lavoie said.
These spaces are accessible and open to everyone, and Arazoza said she’s had adults come to the shed to decompress for the same reasons as a child: they want to reset before going back out to enjoy the Fair.
Cooper said the Fair’s sensory-friendly staff felt a “wealth of positive feedback.”
Susan Dantz, a staff assistant at the Fair, said even nurses, social workers and teachers who have come through realized they could replicate the Fair’s sensory-friendly space in their own workplace.
She said it’s heartwarming and touching to see how families react to the Fair’s addition of these spaces. Some parents told Cooper they wished these spaces would’ve been around for their child in the past. Others weren’t aware of the sensory-friendly spaces previously, but went on to spread the word to fellow parents or friends.
“It means a lot to them,” Cooper said. “If they visit the space for 10 minutes or come back to see it three or four times a day.”
Other parents have expressed gratitude because the spaces gave their child a place to calm down before returning to the Fair when they weren’t ready to leave quite yet. A wide array of needs from all walks of life come to these sensory spaces, Dantz said.
Cooper would like to keep expanding this inclusive programming for those with sensitives into future years of the Fair. Dantz hopes the Fair can get more volunteers on board and eventually expand the sensoryfriendly hours.
“We focus primarily on neurodivergence, but also just on the everyday person that needs that calming environment,” Dantz said.
Cat Lavoie of Cicero brought her two sons,
The Great NYS Fair turned off its lights and loud music on Wednesday to make the Fair more accessible for people with neurodivergences. joe zhao senior staff photographer
Scotty’s Smokehouse BBQ has been bringing their Tater Twists to the NYS fair for 48 years now.
leonardo eriman photo editor
Don’t conform to others’ timelines. It denies contentment.
By Gracie Lebersfeld essayist
There’s a preconceived notion that when you reach college age, you’re supposed to abandon all the things associated with childhood to prove your maturation.
People tell you it’s time to grow up and prepare for the real world – and while that may be partially true, it’s daunting to convince yourself to part with the things that accompanied your growing up.
That thing for me was summer camp. I grew up attending Camp Kennybrook in upstate New York, and this past summer was supposed to be my first year absent since 2012. Unsurprisingly, I was anxious for what summer would feel like now that the one constant in my life was gone.
Junior and senior year, especially, an unspoken expectation materializes that you need to spend summers completing an internship or some other experience related to your field of study. I’d felt behind most of my classmates for never having a “real” job prior other than being a summer camp counselor.
Throughout junior year, I found myself replacing doomscrolling on TikTok with doomscrolling on LinkedIn. I ended up securing an internship as an editorial intern for a real estate publication I thought would be a great fit for me.
But, I hated every second of it.
The company itself was great; my coworkers were wonderful and I was doing genuinely meaningful tasks rather than run-of-the-mill intern grunt work. But every day as I stared into my computer screen at a cubicle alone, all I could think about was how sad I was to be missing camp.
At the same time, there was a voice in my head trying to convince me this was the right thing to do as a rising senior. I needed to experience a real job in the real world, and this internship was meant to be my gateway. Still, it felt so wrong.
By week three, I felt like a shell of myself. It was as if part of me was missing, like I had lost a key element of my identity. I called the woman who owns my summer camp and begged for a job, offering to show up as early as the next day.
Unfortunately, there were no positions available. She promised that if something did come up, I’d be the first person she’d call. It felt like a glimmer of hope.
But that hope didn’t cure the isolation I felt in the following weeks. I didn’t open up to anyone around me or tell them how much I was struggling; I was embarrassed and ashamed for not enjoying the newfound sense of adulthood that accompanies securing a great internship.
In the middle of July, my camp owner suddenly let me know of a job opening. Despite my close circle telling me it was a bad idea and a waste of time, I knew I couldn’t continue in the state I was in.
I spoke with my internship supervisor and requested to switch to working remotely, which she allowed. I packed my bags and drove up to camp the following morning. Truth be told, it was the best decision I’d made in a long time.
I felt so at home being back at camp. I had an administrative role, which was new but super exciting. I earned experience that helped me formulate some ideas for my future, even in pursuing something totally different than my original summer internship.
I can confidently say the internship did teach me a few things; I’m not cut out for a corporate lifestyle, I should’ve gone with my gut, and I should’ve validated my need for more time.
I don’t think I’m ready to fully part with my childhood or the things that I loved, and I’ve finally realized that’s okay. We’re not meant to do what anyone else’s timeline standardizes and we’re never too old to follow the path that makes us happiest.
I can’t tell you exactly what I want to do after graduation or what career I’ll pursue for the rest of my life, but I do know I have the rest of my life ahead of me, and I’m going to spend my time as such.
Gracie Lebersfeld is a junior majoring in selected studies in education and creative writing. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at gmlebers@syr.edu.
Presidential Fitness removed for a reason, return shames students
By Will Chadwick columnst
On July 31, President Donald Trump signed a bill reinstating the Presidential Fitness Test in public schools across the country. The test is an “important step in our mission to make America healthy again,” he said.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower originally introduced the Presidential Fitness Test in 1956 in response to a 1950 Kraus-Weber study. It suggested American children were much less fit than their European counterparts.
The test remained intact until former President Barack Obama removed it from schools in 2012. Under Obama’s administration, the Department of Health and Human Services criticized the test as one that only “recognized athletic performance” and failed to “provide a barometer on student health.”
Obama claimed the test was too simplistic, praising students who could perform certain athletic feats but failing to account for other aspects of what it means to live a healthy lifestyle, such as diet and sleep.
Obama’s thoughts on the test were true, and still are. Once the test is reinstated, it will once again prove to be more harmful than beneficial for students.
Although we’re facing a health epidemic, and schools do need to be addressing this issue, the Presidential Fitness Test is not the way to do it.
The main red flag the test raises is the fact that many students may face unnecessary public humiliation as a result of the test. The test tasks students with performing physical challenges such as a one-mile run, push-ups and sit-ups.
These challenges are performed in a public setting, where students who aren’t able to complete the challenges with an outstanding result – let alone at all – will face shame and embarrassment about their abilities and body image.
It’s been proven individuals who deal with feelings of shame about their bodies are less likely to be active long-term, perhaps even opting to avoid exercise altogether.
This is especially concerning when you take into consideration that nearly half of American adolescents already deal with body image issues. Reinstating the Presidential Fitness Test would worsen these body image issues in students around the country.
Trump said he aims to “address the threat to the vitality and longevity of our country that is posed by America’s declining health and physical fitness” by reinstating the test. If he really wishes
to preserve America’s “longevity” through health fitness, a test that will lead to certain students avoiding exercise long-term is not the way to go.
But beyond the emotional aspects of this test’s implementation are myriad scientific discrepancies.
Recent studies such as a 2024 article on monitoring physical fitness in adolescents have categorized the idea of fitness into two distinct components: skill-related components, such as power, speed, and balance and health-related components like cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition. Although it is possible to get a vague idea of someone’s cardiorespiratory fitness levels or body composition from simple exercises, it is not the best way to do so.
Adding to the dissatisfaction students might feel is the reinstatement of the Presidential Fitness Award, which is given to those who achieve high levels of performance on the test. The idea that some students will receive an award for being in shape makes the whole ordeal feel like more of a petty competition than a true measure of health.
There are already awards in place that recognize athletic achievements on a more appropriate level, such as trophies given to youth sports teams, and on a more advanced level, college scholarships. These are awards that recognize athletic ability appropriately.
What makes the test so outdated and inappropriate for curricula is the fact that health is multifaceted. A true measure of health should not only acknowledge the ability to run and lift, but also consider aspects such as mental health, sleep and diet.
If Trump really does wish to improve the health of students, he should do so in a way that doesn’t inspire competition between students in a public setting. Instead, it should educate students to learn about the various ways they can stay in good health.
One adequate way to do this could include instituting in-depth and insightful health courses in schools. This would allow general instruction to be given to students about the steps they can take to preserve their health
without singling out any given student.
Another step Trump should take is mandating tests that accurately inform students of their health levels. Tests that measure students’ V02 max levels and their body fat levels should be administered hand-in-hand so students can see there’s more to health than their mile time or situp record. These tests should be conducted privately, and their results should be kept between the student and school to prevent shame.
The issue of poor health in students needs to be addressed now more than ever. It should be of utmost importance for the leader of our nation to ensure our youth stay in good shape, and do so using a holistic approach that actually benefits generations of the future. Currently, Trump is failing to do this, and he needs to reconsider the way he uses our education system to protect the health of our students.
Will Chadwick is a sophomore psychology major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at wchadwic@syr.edu.
abigail
New SNAP cuts wage war on low-income Americans
By Emma Donohue columnst
Millions of Americans are about to feel the impact of new Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program restrictions. Cuts to these benefits will inarguably make it harder than it already is to put food on the table.
Trump’s recently-passed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” will cut $186 billion from the program through 2034, discontinuing vital support for as many as 2.4 million Americans.
These restrictions are a direct attack on the working class.
The administration isn’t considering people who live in food deserts and lack reliable transportation to a grocery store, let alone those who work extra hours, take care of kids or rely on SNAP for a multitude of other reasons. Their need for supplemental income to feed their families shouldn’t be judged by wealthy and fortunate government officials who’ve not faced the same struggles.
In New York, 15% of the state population are SNAP recipients, or one in seven people. Of these recipients, over 52 percent are in families with children and over 46% are in families with elderly or disabled members. In Syracuse, 29.4% of residents, or more than 17,800 households, receive SNAP benefits.
This isn’t the first time the Trump Administration has restricted access to food stamp benefits. In 2019, the administration made it harder for states to waive the work requirements needed to qualify for SNAP in areas with high unemployment rates.
Even before these most recent cuts, recipients of SNAP benefits were expected to feed themselves on an average of just $6.20 a day. That number doesn’t stretch far when the cost of living and groceries continues to climb, forcing people to make impossible choices between fresh produce and cheaper, less healthy options. With these added restrictions, the alreadypresent cracks in the program continue to widen.
In addition to cutting benefits, the bill shifts massive costs onto the states. For the first time in history, states must cover up to 15% of SNAP costs, along with a large jump in non-SNAP expenses.
As a result, state governments likely have to cut other essential programs – like housing and public safety – increase taxes or make it harder than it already is for people to qualify. States with higher error rates, or the percentage of benefits incorrectly paid out, could owe billions.
Micah Orieta, an organizer at Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance, said New York’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance is “awaiting guidance” from USDA before making policy changes.
SOFSA’s partners at Feeding New York State believe “it’s likely that more and more individuals will begin noticing harmful changes to their SNAP access in the coming months or early next year,” they stated.
California, for instance, may owe 1.8 billion by 2028. High costs may result in states failing to make up the differ -
ence and slashing eligibility or SNAP itself altogether. Citizens will be forced to turn to already-overburdened food banks trying to fill a gap they can’t possibly meet.
It’s still unclear how these changes will affect people in the upstate New York and Syracuse area, specifically.
Orieta also expressed that they believe delaying the cuts until later this year or even next year is a “deliberate move so that the change doesn’t impact how folks vote in the upcoming elections.”
Delaying the cuts is like treating SNAP recipients as pawns in a political game; they’re left uncertain and anxious, their basic needs weighed against the convenience of protecting votes.
A study conducted by Syracuse University’s Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion found that SNAP participation is associated with a “populationwide average decline of 1-2 percentage points in the risk of premature mortality.” The study also discovered that policy restricting access to SNAP could increase the risk of premature mortality.
In addition to the financial cuts, the Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has advocated for states to increase restrictions on what people can purchase with their food stamps. Twelve states, including Texas, Colorado and Florida, have already passed waivers to implement these restrictions, and other states are being encouraged to do so.
Restricting what people can buy with SNAP is often framed as a health measure,
but it ignores the bigger picture. Often, the real barriers to a healthy diet are affordability and access rather than personal choice.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are more expensive and spoil quickly, and aren’t always accessible. Processed foods, though, are cheap, widely available and have longer shelf lives. Aside from the issue of nutrition, restricting what people can purchase also takes away the small things that help people feel less ostracized, like being able to walk into school with an energy drink or enjoy a soda at lunch.
Food is a basic human right. Rather than improving a program that ensures access to this right and has proven benefits for health and stability, lawmakers are weakening it, framing it as a way of saving money and promoting nutrition. SNAP was designed to ensure those who already struggle to get by can at least have the stability of a meal.
Cutting benefits and limiting choice forces people to do more with less, strips away their dignity and ignores the systemic and structural barriers that shape what ends up on their plates. If leaders were serious about improving health, they’d invest in making healthy food affordable and accessible rather than punishing the people who rely on this crucial support.
Emma Donohue is a sophomore studying political science and citizenship and civic engagement. She can be reached at efdonohu@syr.edu.
Rosina Boehm
meghan hendricks daily orange file photo
column
on that coaching staff in 2017 and 2018 as the assistant head coach to Matt Rhule.
Using Collins in running situations could be seen as an insult to his skill set due to his incredible throwing arm, which is probably better than Angeli’s. After all, both have been repeatedly separated by their peers based on distinct talents: Angeli is the better operator, and Collins is more talented.
Collins’ high school tape proves he’s electric in space and a freak athlete. Those abilities can be utilized and shouldn’t be wasted away on the sideline. Angeli was the Orange’s choice for Tennessee specifically, and they say they plan to stick with him. But who says Nixon doesn’t see a further-developed Collins as a better option by, let’s say, SMU in early October?
Examples of college teams using 2 QBs: What worked? What didn’t?
There’s no way of determining whether an offense that uses multiple quarterbacks works or not. We see teams who deploy two-QB systems, typically via a predominant passing arm splitting time with a rush-first quarterback and others who aren’t afraid to rotate starters throughout the year.
Exhibit A: the 2012 Northwestern Wildcats.
Former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald split snaps 50/50 between Trevor Siemian and Kain Colter. Siemian, a tall sophomore who worked best from the pocket, and Colter, a small, speedy junior who excelled on the ground, were an ideal yin and yang. Boasting an already strong running back room led by Venric Mark, Northwestern implemented a groundand-pound attack, supplemented by Siemian dropping back to pass whenever it was necessary.
That season, the Wildcats went 10-3 and beat Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl, capping off one of the program’s best campaigns in modern history. They posted a top-20 rushing offense in the country, while Siemian threw for 1,312 yards to steady the Wildcats’ attack.
Sure, this is an extreme example to compare SU’s situation to. Siemian and Colter had vastly different playstyles. Though Angeli is a pocket passer and Collins is a dual-threat quarterback, they share more similarities than differences. Plus, there’s no way Nixon calls more run plays than pass plays.
Regardless, what Northwestern did with Siemian and Colter is the prime example of a team balancing two players’ best traits off each other. Maybe Syracuse could do the same.
Just look at the 2021 Michigan Wolverines. The eventual Big Ten Champions that season started junior quarterback Cade McNamara throughout the year, yet highly-touted freshman J.J. McCarthy was featured in nearly every gameplan. McCarthy made 11 appearances in the Wolverines’ 14 games, tossing 516 yards and five touchdowns while running for 124.
This wasn’t a two-QB system but a sporadic rotation. McCarthy came into certain situations where he was thought to be a
landed a coaching job anywhere after her illustrious career around the world but chose to take an offer in what she believes is the best conference in the United States.
Two months later, Syracuse added Matautia. Her roots also lie with Temple, where she played under her now-colleagues. Matautia set a school single-season service ace record in 2012 with 41.
“I got the opportunity to be a part of a rebuilding program with Coach (Ganesharatnam) and Coach Akiko,” Matautia said. “I felt like it really made my experience as a student-athlete, and I wanted the chance to experience that from the coaching side.”
Out of college, Matautia coached the University of Hawaii’s men’s team and the boys’ squad at Monalua High School (Hawaii). After five years in control of the Aloha State Volleyball Club, she took SU’s assistant coach spot.
The tandem of Ganesharatnam, Hatakeyama and Matautia piloted the pack in 2023, along with Orange legend Polina Shemanova as director of operations, before she departed a year later to play professionally. She was succeeded by now-director Sebastian Delangle.
Eight of Syracuse’s 13 players were underclassmen. It was obvious it’d take some time to reach its potential. But SU’s underclassmen were sold on the program’s new direction.
“When they recruited me here, they had a vision that I really aligned myself with,” Harris-Waddy said. “I really wanted to be a part of that, be able to build that up and watch it continue to grow.”
The first year of the Orange’s new era set a low bar — 2-26 with zero conference wins. Still, the freshman class was promising. Harris-Waddy’s
decoy. Though instead of making the mobile quarterback purely run zone-reads, he’d confuse defenses by tossing precise playaction passes.
Florida did something similar in 2006 with Tim Tebow and Chris Leak, rotating the uberathletic Tebow in to give its offense a jolt. And we even saw last year’s Texas squad — which advanced to the College Football Playoff Semifinal — switch between well-established starter Quinn Ewers and redshirt freshman Arch Manning, who was typically used as a power-rusher in the red zone.
When things go awry in a two-QB system, though, it creates unsustainable dysfunction within an offense.
Take last year’s Florida squad, for example. After Week 1 starting quarterback Graham Mertz, a Wisconsin transfer, suffered a concussion, dual-threat freshman DJ Lagway started the Gators’ second game of the season. He threw for a UF freshman record of 456 passing yards to spur a 45-7 win over Samford. Yet, once Mertz got healthy for game three, Florida head coach Billy Napier made a puzzling decision to play both Mertz and Lagway against Texas A&M.
It didn’t work. The offense found no rhythm. Both quarterbacks were stagnant, registering QBRs of fewer than 50 points, while Lagway tossed two picks and Mertz threw one. Lagway wasn’t even a threat on the ground, rushing for -20 yards. The Gators lost 33-20 and quickly abandoned the strategy.
184 points led the team. First-year setter
Veronica Sierzant was third with 156.5.
In a collegiate world seeing more transfers, Syracuse lucked out that Harris-Waddy, Sierzant and right side hitter Sydnie Waller have stayed aboard for three years.
Still, many didn’t stay at Syracuse after such an abysmal season. Right side hitter Ariana Joubert and defensive specialist Melina Brooking both departed after their sophomore seasons in 2023. Left back Greta Schlichter and setter Mira Ledermueller both departed after the 2024 season, shrinking the Orange’s 2023 freshman class from five to three. But what if they took a different approach? Why not SU?
“I feel like we’re all very aligned on our team culture and how we want to build and grow it,” Harris-Waddy said. “If you’re someone that wants to build up, commit to that, then that’s what I’d say (to convince you to come here). We do things in a very specific way, and we’re always putting in work.”
Although the Orange carried three true freshmen in 2024, they welcomed several new transfers. Graduate student Ava Palm shined brightest, notching a team-high 371 kills in her lone year in central New York.
Younger and older. Long-term and shortterm. Players were seeing something special they wanted to be part of. And it showed in Syracuse’s record.
The Orange catapulted to a 12-0 start. Although things went downhill in conference matches, they finished 15-17.
The improvement indicated that Ganesharatnam assembled the perfect staff to help SU reach its goals. His greatest comfort is knowing the athletic department has his back.
“When we took over the program, we presented a vision. Our athletics director is
There are even times when players transfer due to inactivity within a two-QB system. In 2018, Georgia saw five-star freshman quarterback Justin Fields transfer after one season, getting a small share of snaps under center. He split time with Jake Fromm, who the Bulldogs retained as the starter the following season. But Fields wanted no part of another two-QB scheme.
If Syracuse has any inkling to use both Angeli and Collins, despite the former being named the starter, its plan will have to be sound so it can avoid playing quarterback musical chairs.
The modern landscape of playing 2 QBs Within the new world of college sports, it’s important to remember Syracuse and its NIL contributors are paying for both Angeli and Collins, even if only one quarterback can see the field.
ESPN’s Max Olson reported that the rate for a “good” QB surpassed the $1 million mark in November. Multiple Power Four schools paid $1.5 million to pluck their starter from the transfer portal. Duke’s Darian Mensah and Miami’s Carson Beck, both newly minted ACC starters, are believed to be some of the highest-paid signal callers in the country.
The point? The Orange might play Collins to see both his current and future monetary worth. In other words, they need to see a return on their investment.
If SU opened up against Colgate instead of the No. 24 team in the country, it’s plausible to think it would allow the quarterback competi-
tion to spill over into Week 1. Mizzou, which opens against Central Arkansas on Thursday night, is doing just that. Penn State transfer Beau Pribula and junior Sam Horn will battle the Bears and each other, with head coach Eli Drinkwitz deciding the season’s starter after the game.
Former Syracuse head coaching candidate and current UNLV head coach Dan Mullen adopted a similar plan in Week 0 versus Idaho State. But it came with a twist that the Orange could follow. Michigan transfer Alex Orji began the game under center. But Virginia transfer Anthony Colandrea lined up on the outside. Colandrea motioned behind Orji presnap and received a flip, darting a ball incomplete down the right flank.
Both quarterbacks mixed in throughout the game for the Rebels, as Orji played 15 snaps with a rushing touchdown and Colandrea logged 58 with a passing touchdown. Both are balanced quarterbacks. But Colandrea is a better passer. And Orji is a better runner. Sound familiar? Both helped lead UNLV to a slight victory.
If Syracuse’s schedule had played out differently, it could’ve done the same. But it needed a prepared quarterback to face an SEC opponent for the first time in eight years. Hence, Angeli earns the start.
completely bought into that vision, and that’s one of the reasons we’re here,” Ganesharatnam said. “We’re very grateful that we’re receiving the support we need in order to put that vision into action.”
The Orange will channel their inner Sixers mindset and trust the process. Over time, NBA free agents saw a homegrown core in The City of Brotherly Love that they wanted to commit to.
Take Syracuse’s two captains, Gabriella McLaughlin and Tehya Maeva, for example. They are transfer students from Nevada who chose to spend their final year of college on a
team with three freshmen and seven returners. With the Salt City Classic coming up this weekend, SU is entering its next chapter. Now, it expects to compete with top ACC squads.
“We want to see improvement in the culture. We want to see improvement in the skillset and the way we play,” Ganesharatnam said. “And if we do that, I think we’re going to also see an improvement in the overall record and for the program as well for not just this season but moving forward.”
jaglick@syr.edu @jason_glick
steve angeli was named SU’s starting quarterback for its season-opener after transferring in from Notre Dame, but Rickie Collins is waiting in the wings closely behind. angelina grevi staff photographer
Gabriella Matautia and Akiko Hatakeyama have assisted head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam since he took over in 2022. courtesy of su athletics
Beat writers predict how SU fares vs. No. 24 Tennessee
By Daily Orange Sports Staff
Syracuse’s 2024 season began with a matchup against Mid-American Conference powerhouse Ohio. The Orange started shaky but rebounded to capture their first win under head coach Fran Brown. This time around, SU won’t have time to find its groove.
AIDEN STEPANSKY (0-0)
TALKIN’ TENNESSEE
SYRACUSE 23, TENNESSEE 31
If this matchup were, let’s say, four weeks into the season, I’d be inclined to pick the Orange for a marquee upset victory. Though with so much unknown in a season opener, I’ll favor the team with more talent. That’s the Volunteers.
COOPER ANDREWS (0-0)
NO
MAGIC
IN THIS CITY
SYRACUSE 24, TENNESSEE 38
ZAK WOLF (0-0)
ROCKY TOP ROLLS
SYRACUSE 20, TENNESSEE 33
A revamped Orange squad travels to Atlanta to face No. 24 Tennessee in the Aflac Kickoff Game on Saturday. The Volunteers are rebuilt, too, though. After an appearance in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff, head coach Josh Heupel lost star running back Dylan Sampson and edge rusher James Pearce to the National Football League and quarterback Nico Iamaleava to UCLA due to name, image and likeness disputes.
The matchup with Tennessee is Syracuse’s first versus a Southeastern Conference opponent since facing LSU in 2017, setting the stage for a program-defining opener in Year 2 under Brown.
Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (0-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) will perform against No. 24 Tennessee (0-0, 0-0 SEC): sports@dailyorange.com
Despite losing a flurry of players in the offseason, Heupel has Tennessee built like a well-oiled machine with a dominant pass rush and explosive offense. I could see Syracuse finding an early lead if Joey Aguilar turns the ball over with his gunslinging mentality. If its offensive line depth can cancel out the Volunteers’ defensive line talent, Steve Angeli could have time to operate. Though when asked Monday if his offensive line could do so, even Brown wasn’t sure, saying we’d find out Saturday.
I see the Volunteers pulling away due to Syracuse’s weak pass rush. The unit has concerned me throughout the offseason and fall camp. While I expect Dion “Tank” Wilson Jr.’s impact to be felt throughout the season, I can’t understand how the Orange will receive production off the edge, especially against an SEC opponent with top-tier talent. The lack of a pass rush will allow Aguilar to find a groove and expose SU’s defense in the second half.
Syracuse should cover. It might even lead at halftime. But the Vols will be blasting good old “Rocky Top” and wearing “Tennessee Orange” like Megan Moroney. Everyone will be “Talkin’ Tennessee” in the Peach State this weekend.
Atlanta’s state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Stadium is where the Orange will begin their second campaign under Brown. It’s a big-time venue perfect for Syracuse to prove it’s taken even more significant leaps from its 10-3 2024 campaign. Last year signified that SU is no longer a pushover program; it’s in the early stages of becoming a consistent winner.
But even Rome wasn’t built in a day. Saturday will be a reminder of just how fine the line is between a solid ACC team and a College Football Playoff contender.
I envision Tennessee beating Syracuse by a pair of touchdowns. Each offense is vastly different than they were in 2024 — both are now led by transfer quarterbacks — though I don’t trust the Orange’s relatively inexperienced defense to contain the Volunteers’ fast-paced scheme.
Angeli enters his first year at SU with an offense containing new starters virtually everywhere across its line, receiving corps and running backs. While Syracuse’s wide receivers, particularly Texas transfer Johntay Cook and likely No. 1 option Darrell Gill Jr., elicit excitement, you have to wonder how much chemistry they’ll have with Angeli. Especially considering he and Collins split equal time with the 1s throughout training camp.
Because of that, I think the Orange will start out a bit slow offensively. On the contrary, Tennessee quarterback and Appalachian State transfer Aguilar may feast early and often on SU’s secondary. A group that lost Marcellus Barnes Jr., Jaeden Gould and Jayden Bellamy now immensely lacks experience at cornerback. Chris Peal, Demetres Samuel Jr. and Davien Kerr will eventually find their stride, but not against Tennessee right off the bat.
This game is listed as a neutral site game, but it might as well be labeled a road game. Tennessee fans travel well, and with Knoxville only three hours from Atlanta, the Volunteers will have a significant home-field advantage. That’s not ideal when your quarterback has just one career start under his belt.
Angeli might’ve fared well in the Orange Bowl last season when he led a drive against Penn State, but that’s a small sample size. He’s being thrown into the fire here, and I don’t know if he can extinguish it. Syracuse’s offensive line has too many moving pieces, while Tennessee’s defensive line is menacing. It could be a long day for Angeli.
Even if the Orange put some points on the board, they won’t stop Tennessee. Aguilar is solid, but the Volunteers will tear the Orange apart on the ground. Heupel loves to run the ball, and even though reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Year Sampson moved on to the NFL, DeSean Bishop and Peyton Lewis are adequate backups. They rushed for 455 and 339 yards, respectively, last season, and after averaging an SEC-leading 225 yards per game as a team, it’s hard to see that changing.
Syracuse’s linebackers Gary Bryant III, Anwar Sparrow, James Heard and others will have their hands full, but I think they’ll be overpowered by Tennessee’s physicality.
Brown and Syracuse made plenty of strides in 2024. However, this game will show that there’s still another level they need to hit before consistently competing with the big dogs in college football.
absolute coup. As a freshman, Mia immediately slotted in as her strongest attacker.
“(Saint Rose’s closure) was a heartbreaker, but everything happens for a reason,” Mia’s mother, Nicole Klammer, said. “We’re happy she’s at Syracuse now.”
Years ago, when the Rockets disbanded, Mia’s options to continue her soccer career were limited. Her hometown offered few club soccer teams. While her father, Peter Klammer, was an assistant coach with the Mahopac Elite, Mia was too small for his team.
One of his fellow Elite coaches, Joe Colatruglio, approached Peter with a proposition. He happened to coach the Mahopac Legacy, a younger boys’ club team. If Mia was too small for Elite, why not try out for Legacy?
Despite looks of disbelief from parents in the bleachers, Mia made the team. It was from that experience, Nicole said, that Mia developed a sense of toughness which has become ubiquitous to her playstyle.
Mia was lightly recruited out of high school, an issue of underexposure, exacerbated by the pandemic. The summer before her senior year, Peter connected with Division III Farmingdale State head coach Chris Roche, who offered Mia a chance to play alongside his team at a tournament in California.
Impressed by what he saw, Roche reached out to a friend at Saint Rose. Though he couldn’t offer her a scholarship as a D-III program, he was determined to ensure she’d get one.
“Listen,” Roche said to Gutheil. “This is a girl for you.”
In the fall of her senior year, Mia visited Saint Rose, and she committed to the Golden Knights that December. Gutheil knew she’d pulled off an
“In my program, talent has no grade or age,” Gutheil said. “We gave her the opportunity to impact the game in the way that we believed that she could.”
Through three years with the Golden Knights, Mia started 59 of her 60 appearances. She netted double-digit goals in all three seasons — and assisted 38 more. She earned Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year honors, All-American honors, Player of the Year honors and collected a laundry list of other accolades.
Opposing teams caught on, defending her more aggressively to limit her offensive output. It never seemed to work.
“Whenever you have a player with that superstar talent and ability, some are going to try to just disrupt by physical dismantling,” Gutheil said. “You’ve seen it with (WNBA guard) Caitlin Clark.”
Entering the Sweet 16, the Golden Knights hadn’t lost a game in 2023. They were a sterling 20-0-1, having already defeated Adelphi twice in the past month in dominant 3-1 and 4-1 victories. Their impending matchup should’ve been a mere formality, an unstoppable force meeting a moveable object.
That was until Gutheil pulled the team into her suite.
“That definitely had an effect on how we were playing,” Mia said. “It was just heartbreaking to find out that way. Especially when you find out that the news was leaked.”
Every Saint Rose player was entered into the transfer portal. Brandon DeNoyer — Syracuse’s assistant coach — immediately recognized the opportunity before him.
The reigning D-II Player of the Year was without a team for her final year of eligibility. And she was dead set on remaining in New York, wanting to be as close to family as possible.
“I don’t wanna say she fell into our laps, but we had everything marked up to be correct,” Syracuse assistant coach Alex Zaroyan said. “I think there was a bit of luck.”
That luck evaporated as soon as Mia touched the pitch. The duo of Erin Flurey — now at Auburn — and Mia, expected to provide the Orange with the offensive firepower they needed to compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference, lasted one exhibition game.
On Aug. 8, 2024, a UAlbany defender sidelined Mia with a tackle. The official diagnosis was an MCL sprain. If all went well, she might’ve had a chance to return in two weeks.
Two weeks turned into three. Three turned into four. It was Sept. 8 — exactly a month since the injury — and SU was set to host St. Bonaventure for its Senior Night. The Klammers sat down with Syracuse head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams.
“Her rehab wasn’t where it should have been, and they were (playing) some of the best teams in the country,” Peter said. “We figured, ‘You know what? Why not redshirt and try to come back as a healthy player for the next season?’”
Over the next months, Mia became especially familiar with Corey Parker — Syracuse’s strength and conditioning coach — and thenassistant athletic trainer Meagan Bevins. Her days were filled with physical therapy and light load-bearing exercises, progressively rebuilding her knee to full strength. When Mia wasn’t working with SU’s training staff, she was studying film religiously and asking questions about the team’s play style to make a seamless return.
“It’s almost as if she’s had another season under her belt playing when she hasn’t,” Zaroyan said.
Peter contends that no athlete — even Mia — can ever return from an injury at 100% of their
previous strength. He ballparks his daughter’s knee at around 99% of where it was before. If there is a difference, it’s so minute that no one could notice it.
In training, Zaroyan takes into account a variety of statistics — such as distance traveled and top speed — to quantify athletic performance, setting a baseline that aligns with professional leagues to account for the competitive demands of the ACC. He said Mia’s metrics are “off the charts.” He often finds himself telling her to ease her intensity during practice to ensure she remains healthy.
“She works hard, which is a good problem to have,” Zaroyan said. “You’re pulling the reins back on an athlete, rather than telling an athlete, ‘Hey, you need to work harder.’”
Mia was the lone scorer in Syracuse’s first setback of the season — a 2-1 defeat to Niagara on Aug. 17. The goal wasn’t enough for her. A loss is a loss.
For years now, Mia has asked Peter for critiques after every game. Sometimes, she listens, like in 2023, when she scored four goals against Saint Anselm after Peter told her to shoot from farther out. Sometimes, she doesn’t, like in her freshman year at Saint Rose, when she opted to score with a header instead of corralling the ball with her feet like he suggested.
The day following SU’s defeat to Niagara, Mia called her father. His notes were mostly positive, especially with how she’d adjusted to her new team, but there was always room for improvement. In the not-so-distant future, there might come a day when Peter doesn’t have any critiques on his daughter’s performance.
It’s only then that the clock will strike midnight on her soccer career, and Mia can walk away knowing how it felt to achieve perfection. mjpalmar@syr.edu
Before Syracuse’s season opener against No. 24 Tennessee on Saturday, our beat writers predict whether it will come away with a victory. leonardo eriman photo editor
Tennessee’s average rushing yards per game in 2024
4 must-answer questions for SU football this season
By Zak Wolf senior staff writer
At the start of every season, questions engulf college football programs across the country. For Syracuse, there are plenty. The Orange unexpectedly won 10 games in Fran Brown’s first year in charge and entered the national spotlight.
How will they follow that up? Was last season a mirage or a sign of things to come in central New York? Those are loaded topics of discussion, for which nobody currently knows the answer. Based on Syracuse’s mammoth schedule, it likely won’t reach the 10-win mark. On paper, the Orange might decline. That might not be the end of the world.
Here are four questions surrounding Syracuse heading into the 2025 season:
Does Angeli start every game?
Saturday will be Steve Angeli’s first-ever regular-season start. During three years at Notre Dame, Angeli’s only start came in the 2023 Sun Bowl. Now, he has the chance to prove himself as Syracuse’s starter.
Though it’s very plausible Angeli isn’t SU’s starting quarterback the entire season. Four of the Orange’s opponents made the College Football Playoff last year, and all of those games will be played at neutral sites or on the road. There will be bumps in the road, and depending on how Angeli performs, Brown and his coaching staff may turn to Rickie Collins.
A quarterback controversy never crossed anyone’s mind based on Kyle McCord’s recordsetting 2024 campaign. Things could be different this time around. If Angeli struggles, Collins will be chomping at the bit. The Orange brought in Collins for a reason and still have confidence in his abilities. He was named the starter before Angeli arrived in April, which led to a quarterback competition in training camp. Angeli beat him out, but the battle was close.
Because of that, it’s not bold to say Syracuse won’t hesitate to replace Angeli with Collins at some point. It all comes down to how long a leash Angeli is granted.
Can Special Teams be cleaned up?
Syracuse’s special teams were a mess under James Vollono. Plain and simple. Whether it was kicking field goals, protecting punts or recovering onside kicks, special teams mistakes surfaced each game.
On Oct. 4, 2024, against UNLV, special teams miscues nearly cost the Orange a win. Jack Stonehouse had a punt blocked and returned for a touchdown, while he was swarmed by UNLV players before even getting his kick off on another.
The constant problems led SU to move on from Vollono. The Orange hired Ricky Brumfield, who held the same position at Georgia Tech last season but was fired midseason. Whether Brumfield can solve SU’s special teams problems remains unknown, but the change was needed.
“I looked at some individual techniques from some of the guys, and I wanted to fix the individual techniques from them,” Brumfield said on Aug 11. “The scheme is going to be different. What happened last year was last year. What I looked at was, ‘Okay, what did they do good? What do I need to change to help them be better at what they’re doing?’”
Stonehouse, a preseason All-ACC firstteam selection, is a solid building block. The Orange don’t have to worry about whether he can punt far. Their main concern is whether he’ll be protected.
Meanwhile, Syracuse’s field goal kicker is undecided. On Aug. 18, Brown said Iowa transfer Tripp Woody was in the driver’s seat for the starting job, ahead of Jadyn Oh, who went 2-for-5 on field goals last season. Woody didn’t attempt a kick as a freshman but could be thrust into the spotlight.
The expectations are low, but if the Orange don’t shoot themselves in the foot as much as they did last season, they’ll improve on special teams.
Will the pass rush be productive?
Denis Jaquez Jr. and David Omopariola will likely be Syracuse’s starting edge rushers. They have 4.5 combined career sacks. That lack of production is concerning. An elite pass rush can
make up for a poor secondary, but it’s tougher for a good secondary to compensate for a bad defensive line.
Syracuse has solid pieces in the secondary, with Duce Chestnut and Devin Grant at safety, along with Georgia transfer Chris Peal and freshman Demetres Samuel Jr. at cornerback. However, if opposing quarterbacks have an infinite amount of time to throw, it’ll be tough for SU’s coverage to hold up.
Last season, Syracuse’s best pass rusher was Fadil Diggs with 7.5 sacks. Outside of him, linebacker Marlowe Wax chipped in with 4.5, and the rest of its defensive line combined for 8.5. With Diggs gone, there’s a huge hole to fill. Dion Wilson is a solid runstopper but has only produced 2.5 career sacks. He won’t be relied on much to pressure the quarterback.
The Orange are banking on Jaquez and Omopariola to take significant steps in 2025. If they don’t, Syracuse could have a tough time getting consistent stops this year.
What does the O-Line look like?
Syracuse didn’t release a depth chart ahead of its season-opener. While most of its starters are set, the offensive line remains a massive question mark. The Orange lost tackle Savion Washington (graduation), while Enrique Cruz
all transferred elsewhere.
To offset those losses, SU beefed up its offensive line through the transfer portal. During one week in April, it added Kam Pringle, Zach Rice and TJ Ferguson. Prior to that, it gained the services of Austin Collins, who started 12 games for Louisville last season.
Collins is probably the only player penciled in as a starter on the offensive line as of now, based on his experience. Rice, Ferguson and Pringle are likely battling for playing time, with each taking limited reps at their previous Power Four Schools. All three are much bigger than SU’s previous offensive linemen.
Brown often said he wants Syracuse to become a Southeastern Conference-like program. To do that, size up front is needed. Now that Syracuse has that, it’s about whether its players will perform.
Along with the transfers, true freshman tackle Byron Washington is a physical specimen at 6-foot-7, 400 pounds, while sophomore Joshua Miller could be thrust into a bigger role at guard.
For now, nobody knows who the five starting offensive linemen will be. Everyone will find out on Saturday in Atlanta, Georgia.
zakwolf784254@gmail.com @ZakWolf22
SU volleyball to trust the process in HC Ganesharatnam’s 4th year
By Jason Glick asst. copy editor
Syracuse volleyball middle blocker Zharia Harris-Waddy is a fervent Philadelphia 76ers fan. “Trust the process” is a phrase the junior said she’s constantly heard in discourse about her favorite basketball team for over a decade.
Acquiring promising young talent to hoist a feeble team back on its feet has been Philadelphia’s vision for success. There have been bumps along the road, yet it’s continued trusting its young core to ascend from the NBA Draft to the playoffs. It was clear the 76ers couldn’t turn things around overnight.
Harris-Waddy believed SU volleyball is eerily similar in its endeavors to reach the pinnacle of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Orange head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam took over the program in 2022, knowing it was bound for a rebuild.
Since then, Ganesharatnam has stayed patient — especially with his coaching staff. Syracuse has had the same batch of coaches, which includes associate head coach Akiko Hatakeyama and assistant coach Gabriella Matautia, in the effort to develop consistency.
“It felt like building a brand new program because of the way we came in and what we had at that time,” Ganesharatnam said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to really build the program the way we want it.”
Upon leaving Temple University, Ganesharatnam inherited a strong but older Syracuse squad in 2022 after former head coach Leonid Yelin left SU after 10 seasons to return to Barry University.
Ganesharatnam guided Syracuse to an 11-17 finish in 2022, which included four consecutive victories to begin ACC play. But it followed with an ugly 3-11 stretch. The Orange’s .243 opponent hitting percentage was last in the conference.
From there, Ganesharatnam molded SU from the ground up.
Out went Aven Lee, who spent one season with Syracuse as the assistant coach/recruiting coordinator. The Orange also parted ways with assistant coach Lesli Akeo, who followed Ganesharatnam from Temple for a season.
Only four players from 2022 returned as well. More importantly, Ganesharatnam recruited a new staff.
When considering candidates, his philosophy was straightforward.
“My dad always says you don’t have to be the first or second choice. You just have to be the right choice,” Ganesharatnam said.
SU hired Hatakeyama, a familiar face for Ganesharatnam, in 2023. The two coached together at Temple from 2011-20, and he promoted her to associate head coach in 2016. Hatakeyama had held the same title at Nevada in 2022 before coming to Syracuse.
“I think I learned early on in my career that I need to surround myself with people that are
better than I am, and that’s what I do when I hire my assistant coaches,” Ganesharatnam said. Few coaches were better players than Hatakeyama. She enjoyed an impressive collegiate career at Kaetsu Women’s Junior College in Japan, Southern Miss and Temple. In 1997, Hatakeyama helped the Owls to their first-
ever NCAA Tournament berth. She then played professionally from 1999-2011 in the United States, Azerbaijan and nine European countries. Her volleyball prowess is built for competitive atmospheres, which she believes the ACC embodies. Hatakeyama could have
Jr., J’Onre Reed and David Wohlabaugh Jr.
Following a 10-win season, Fran Brown has a tough act to follow in Year 2. From special teams to the D-line, plenty of questions surround his squad. leonardo eriman photo editor
After a 15-17 campaign, Bakeer Ganesharatnam hopes to rebuild Syracuse’s volleyball program alongside two familiar faces. aaron hammer staff photographer
football
PERFECT ENDING
Mia Klammer is ready to end her 5-year career on her own terms
After transferring to Syracuse, a knee injury ended Mia Klammer’s 2024 season. In her fifth year, she’s ready to end her career leading SU’s attack. courtesy of su athletics
By Mauricio Palmar asst. sports editor
On Nov. 30, 2023, Saint Rose head coach Laurie
Darling Gutheil was struggling to face her team as she stood in a Philadelphia hotel suite. Junior attacker Mia Klammer sat beside her freshman sister, Piper Klammer. After Saint Rose’s ongoing playoff run, the sisters planned to return for one last season with the Golden Knights.
That idea was dismissed within a matter of minutes.
A donor had called Gutheil minutes before the meeting. Saint Rose — where Gutheil had spent the past three decades coaching women’s soccer — was permanently closing after 103 years.
It
was just heartbreaking to find out that way. Especially when you find out that the news was leaked.
Mia Klammer su forward
Tears streamed down Gutheil’s face as she ripped off the bandaid. She told the team to remain focused on its upcoming Sweet 16 matchup against Adelphi University, as if it were at all possible to do so while its school was collapsing. Players’ phones began to buzz, opposing coaches descending on the program’s carcass like vultures. Mia sat crestfallen as her teammates burst into tears.
Saint Rose’s season ended less than 24 hours later. Piper scored the final goal in the program’s history. It was assisted by Mia.
“We probably would have won a national championship with that group,” Gutheil said. “It was just something that you would never think would actually be possible.”
The sisters never got a chance to realize the picturesque finale they’d vividly planned. After winning Division II Player of the Year, Mia was forced into the portal, transferring to Syracuse. A season-ending knee injury in 2024 delayed her debut. Now fully healthy, Mia is second on the Orange with three goals through four games in 2025, finally given the chance to rewrite her own ending as the engine of SU’s attack.
It’s an opportunity she’s rarely been afforded in her soccer career.
Mia’s first club team, the Mahopac Rockets, disbanded when she was in middle school. As a senior at Mahopac High School in Mahopac, New York, Mia concluded her career from the sidelines due to COVID-19. And despite 44 career goals with Saint Rose, she never captured a national championship before the school’s unexpected shuttering. In her final year of eligibility, Syracuse might represent her last chance at closure in a sport she’s played for all of her life.
see klammer page 14
The Orange boast 2 quarterbacks. Could they use both?
By Aiden Stepansky and Cooper Andrews
daily orange sports staff
Syracuse opens its 2025 season on a national stage Saturday. The old adage goes: If you have two quarterbacks, you have none. That still might be true. But the Orange could test the theory despite naming Steve Angeli their starter.
Angeli enters the year as a career backup, starting just one game across his first three years at Notre Dame.
LSU transfer Rickie Collins has seven
pass attempts and seven carries through two college seasons in backup and third-string roles. SU head
coach Fran Brown added Angeli in the spring transfer portal after naming Collins the starter. Brown then altered his game plan in fall camp, picking Angeli instead.
“Nothing’s ever set in stone that he’s our quarterback. He is. But things happen,” Brown said on Aug. 24 when explaining his decision to start Angeli.
“That’s the present. But I don’t know.” Ahead of a season where Syracuse doesn’t have an established starting
quarterback, we examined what it’d look like if its offense involved both Angeli and Collins in their offense: Nixon’s creativity allows for exploration Brown sees Collins as one play away from being in the game. When meeting with both Angeli and Collins to tell them who would start Week 1, he mentioned the presence of backup Michael Johnson Jr. last season in support of Kyle McCord’s success. Collins losing the battle can be used more as an addition of resources than a pure demotion.
“Knowing that both of those guys are that close, it makes you just coach with a little bit of confidence, a little bit of freedom,” Brown said. Under the direction of offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon, McCord played 1,032 total snaps in 2024 compared to Johnson Jr.’s 12, per Pro Football Focus. The discrepancy was nearly unheard of for a Syracuse quarterback, as McCord became its first signal-caller since Ryan Nassib in 2012 to start every game. However, Nixon has experience when the quarterback isn’t as sturdy.
His first year as co-offensive coordinator in 2017 at Baylor featured Zach Smith and Charlie Brewer splitting dropbacks with 227 and 253, respectively. The freshman Brewer took over for Smith after a few injuries and poor performances. Brewer became the starter in 2018, but Nixon mixed in backup Jalan McClendon throughout the year. He finished with 715 passing yards and 102 on the ground and appeared in nine of Baylor’s 13 games. Oh, by the way, Brown was see quarterbacks page 13
