Entering its matchup with Syracuse, Notre Dame has defeated its last eight opponents by an average of 25.6 points and has an 8-2 record.
Page 3
FRAN’S FOUNDATION
Before Syracuse head coach Fran Brown helmed the Orange, he starred on the gridiron at Western Carolina and spent two years in the NFL.
Page 4
DON’T TEST DEMETRES
While Syracuse freshman Demetres Samuel Jr. hasn’t gotten much run offensively, he’s become an anchor of the Orange’s defense.
Page 5
'DEAL CLOSER'
Redshirt freshman Emanuel Ross hasn’t shown much this year, but the skills are there, displayed by his big-catch ability in high school.
Page 6
BEAT WRITER PREDICTIONS
Our beat writers predict if the Orange can snap their six-game skid in their final road clash of the season against Notre Dame.
Editor@dailyorange.com
News@dailyorange.com
Opinion@dailyorange.com
Culture@dailyorange.com
Sports@dailyorange.com
Digital@dailyorange.com
Design@dailyorange.com
Photo@dailyorange.com
The Daily Orange is an independent, nonprofit newspaper published in Syracuse, New York. The editorial content of the paper — which started in 1903 and went independent in 1971 — is entirely run by Syracuse University students.
The D.O., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is editorially and financially independentfromSU,andthepaperreceivesnofundingfromthe university. Instead, The D.O. relies on advertising revenue and donations to sustain operations.
This fall, the paper will be published Thursday when SU classes are in session. The D.O.’s online coverage is 24/7, including while SU is on break.
To show your support to The D.O.’s independent journalism, please visit dailyorange.com/donate. Donations are tax deductible.
DEAR READERS,
Syracuse football has one more marquee matchup on its schedule — a battle with No. 9 Notre Dame Saturday in South Bend. Though SU has been eliminated from bowl contention for the first time since 2021, be on the lookout for numerous star players and season-long trends throughout its final major test.
Second-year head coach Fran Brown brings experience from his college days with Western Carolina to guide Syracuse. SU’s young core will have a chance to shine against the Fighting Irish, including freshman cornerback Demetres Samuel Jr. and redshirt freshman wide receiver Emanuel Ross.
The Daily Orange has everything you need to know before Syracuse’s final road clash of the season against Notre Dame.
Thanks for reading,
NOAH NUSSBAUM
SPORTS EDITOR
OPPONENT PREVIEW
Previewing Syracuse’s penultimate game of 2025 at. No. 9 Notre Dame
By Aiden Stepansky senior staff writer
All Syracuse has left to play for is the future. With two games remaining, SU’s hopes of a fourth consecutive bowl appearance vanished in Miami. The Orange clinched their sixth consecutive loss and seventh of the year in a 38-10 defeat to the Hurricanes.
SU is yet to score over 20 points since Steve Angeli’s season-ending injury. As the Orange look to win their first game since midSeptember, the competition doesn’t get any easier after a bye week.
Syracuse travels to Notre Dame Saturday for the first time since 2020. The season finale marked a matchup where then-No. 2 Notre Dame handed SU its 10th loss of the year. Five years later, the roles aren’t too different. The Fighting Irish began their season 0-2 but have rattled off eight straight wins as they seem poised for a second consecutive College Football Playoff appearance.
Here’s everything to know about No. 9 Notre Dame (8-2, Independent) before its matchup with Syracuse (3-7, 1-6 Atlantic Coast) Saturday in South Bend:
All time series Syracuse trails 3-8.
Last time they played
On Oct. 29, 2022, then-No. 16 Syracuse had a prime chance to keep its season rolling in the right direction. Following a six-point loss at thenNo. 5 Clemson, SU returned home to face the unranked Fighting Irish. Rather than proving
they belonged as a top team in the country, the Orange collapsed, headlined by quarterback Garrett Shrader’s injury issues.
Syracuse entered the game 6-1 on the year but never led Notre Dame despite touchdowns from Sean Tucker and Oronde Gadsden II. ND defeated SU 41-24. The Fighting Irish recorded just 116 passing yards through Drew Pyne but gashed the Orange with 246 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. The spiral continued from there, as Syracuse’s loss to Notre Dame marked its second of an eventual five-game losing streak.
The Fighting Irish report In his third year helming the Fighting Irish, Marcus Freeman quieted all skepticism in 2024. Notre Dame tallied a program record 14 victories, as it barely missed its first national title since 1988. Freeman’s fourth year as ND’s head coach started with losses to then-No. 10 Miami and then-No. 16 Texas A&M, prompting questions about his abilities. In the last two months, he’s once again silenced the critics.
The Fighting Irish have defeated their last eight opponents by an average margin of 25.6 points. Only two of those victories were against a ranked opponent, as ND downed then-No. 20 USC 34-24 on Oct. 18. Last week, after attracting ESPN’s College Gameday to Pittsburgh, Notre Dame pummeled the then-No. 22 Panthers 37-15. Redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr is cruising in his first season as ND’s starter,
boasting a 21-6 touchdown-interception ratio. Carr competed with Angeli in the spring before beating out Kenny Minchey in fall camp. Notre Dame’s backfield contains arguably the best running back in the land.
Jeremiyah Love has 17 total touchdowns, while fellow junior Jadarian Price has nearly 600 rushing yards.
Defensively, the Fighting Irish have allowed over 20 points only once in their last seven games and are tied for 15th in the country per Pro Football Focus with a 92.0 overall defensive grade. Notre Dame lost leading tacklers Jack Kiser and Xavier Watts to the NFL last year, but junior Drayk Bowen has stepped up to lead the squad with 57.
Redshirt sophomore Boubacar Traore leads ND with 6.5 sacks per game and redshirt freshman safety Tae Johnson has a team-high four interceptions.
How Syracuse beats Notre Dame
At this point, there’s no need to sugarcoat this. Syracuse needs a miracle to leave South Bend with a victory. No matter which quarterback plays, the Orange’s once-well-oiled passing game has become one of the worst in the country.
While SU’s failed to score over 20 points over the last few months, Notre Dame’s defense has rarely allowed its opponents to reach the mark.
Just as Syracuse did in Miami, it could have some juice early to keep it close. But the Fighting Irish will quickly show they’re prepping for the playoffs as the Orange turn to 2026.
Stat to know: -105.2
The Orange still have two games left in their 2025 campaign to increase their totals. But 10 games in, Syracuse is averaging 362.4 yards per game, 105.2 less than its 2024 average of 467.6. SU’s 362.4 yards per game is tied for 84th in the country, while its 467.6 in 2024 ranked seventh. The obvious differentiator is in the Orange’s passing game, which has shrunk from the best in the country (370.0) to 52nd (244.7). In Syracuse’s first four games of the year, all under Angeli, it tallied 354 yards per game through the air. SU is averaging less than half of the total in the six games since Angeli’s injury, marking a staggering 171.8 passing yards per game. The Fighting Irish rank 78th in the country in passing yards allowed at 224.0.
Player to watch: Jeremiyah Love, running back, No. 4
Love has emerged into a rare blue-chip running back prospect, where the decreasing value of the position gets overlooked in favor of pure greatness. The junior ranks fourth in the nation with 1,135 rushing yards and is primed to be a first-round pick come April.
He’s already surpassed his yardage and carry totals from a year ago, and in Notre Dame’s win over Pitt last week, he broke the 100-yard mark for the fifth time this season. A filthy spin move led to a 56-yard touchdown. To put it simply, there’s not a single player on Syracuse’s defense who can hang with Love. It’s not a matter of if he breaks one loose on the Orange, but when.
FRAN’S FOUNDATION
By Aiden Stepansky senior staff writer
The Cincinnati Bengals' 2007 receiving corps was nearly impossible to defend.
On one side, there was All-Pro Chad Johnson, better known as “Ochocinco.” On the other side was T.J. Houshmandzadeh, a seventh-year receiver fresh off a 1,000-yard receiving season.
Before the star duo ripped through opponents in the regular season, it was first tested by its teammates. First-round picks Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall played the bulk of the reps at cornerback. Then there was Fran Brown.
The undrafted free agent out of Western Carolina began training camp in the back of the line, matching up with the undrafted wide receivers. Brown, however, knew if he wanted to make it in the NFL, he’d have to match up with the best.
and defensive backs coach Kevin Coyle about needing the starting cornerbacks to still match up with the starting wide receivers.
But far before scratching the NFL’s surface, Brown grew his football status throughout his childhood in Camden, New Jersey.
Brown showed the traits of a defensive back as young as 8 years old, according to Coach Muhammad of the Centerville Simbas. As the coach of the 105-pound weight class, Muhammad was first alerted of Brown’s talents through Norman Williams, his first coach. Williams, also known as “Coach Drip,” told Muhammad to wait until he saw Brown.
Like most youth programs, the best athlete starred at quarterback. Brown did the same. Once he moved up a weight class, Muhammad saw Brown study film and change plays at the line of scrimmage. He evolved into a “seasoned veteran,” knowing the finer details of the game and recognizing where each player should be on the field.
“Maybe every 10, 15, 20 years, sometimes more than that, you get one of those special athletes to come along,” Muhammad said. “(Brown) was one of them kids.”
While filled with talent, Brown has been the underdog his whole life. He explained his feelings before SU’s win over Clemson this season, while citing the lyrics of “Hate It Or Love It” by The Game and 50 Cent — “Hate It or Love It, the underdog’s on top,” 50 Cent famously says.
rival Woodrow Wilson — now known as Eastside — where Brown led a triple overtime win.
When his prep career was over, Brown set the school record with 47 touchdown passes, while also spending some time at defensive back. The spotlight was never too bright.
“By the end of camp, he would be stepping up and trying to compete with (Johnson and Houshmandzadeh) every chance he got,” said Louie Cioffi, then the Bengals assistant defensive backs coach.
Over his first two seasons as Syracuse’s head coach, Brown often uses his playing career in a negative light as a joke to calm down his quarterbacks when they’re struggling. But what was Brown actually like as a player?
He earned First Team All-SoCon honors at Western Carolina before a short stint on the Bengals practice squad from 2007-08. The Daily Orange spoke with multiple of Brown’s coaches and teammates to detail his playing career before hitting the sidelines and leading the Orange into a new era as their head coach.
“There are certain people that command respect, and it doesn't matter where they stand on the depth chart, or even if they're on the team yet,” said Chuck Bresnahan, Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator from 2005-07. “This is a guy that came in, and guys noticed him. Fran was somebody who stood out.”
Brown’s desire to face Johnson and Houshmandzadeh nearly became an issue for Cincinnati’s coaching staff. Bresnahan said he had discussions with Cioffi
Brown’s on-field persona in college reminded then-Western Carolina defensive coordinator Geoff Collins of then-star NFL safeties Ed Reed and Brian Dawkins. Muhammad said, despite his intensity, Brown is an “old soul” and “easy to love.” But what stuck out most, even back then, was his genuine tone. Brown’s directness can be a lot to handle for some, said Mark Pease, one of his head coaches at Camden High School. However, it’s who he’s always been.
“He doesn't put on a front for anybody,” Collins said. “He is Fran Brown 24 hours a day.”
By the time Brown reached high school, he stayed at quarterback and became fearless in the eyes of his head coach, Reggie Lawrence. Lawrence described Brown as “average-sized or smaller,” but a competitor.
Pease took over during Brown’s ascent, and the Panthers ran a West Coast offense. Brown made all the necessary throws and could expose defenses with his legs, Pease noted. He added that players from the New Jersey area wanted to transfer to Camden to play with Brown. Brown rose to stardom on multiple occasions, taking down Overbrook as a sophomore despite trailing by 20-plus points in the fourth quarter. Then came the Thanksgiving matchup with cross-
“Playing in Camden is a tough place for youngsters to play, because it's a very demanding city when it comes to athletics,” Pease said. “There's a lot of high expectations, and they'll let you know if you're not playing well. And Fran, even if he had a bad game, was able to handle that pressure.”
Once Brown’s playing career at Camden ended, he faced a setback. The quarterback wasn’t graduating from high school with his class. To receive his diploma, he needed to transfer to Woodrow Wilson and stay in school for one more year. Pease said Brown was ridiculed for the move from a social status perspective.
The switch allowed Brown to focus on his academics with fewer outside distractions. While he missed out on a college season in the immediate, he turned a negative into a positive.
“He wasn't a big fan of being in school, but he knew that school played an important part in his ability to play football,” Pease said. “It took hitting rock bottom before Fran learned to put education as a priority.”
After graduating from high school, Brown finally earned his chance to shine at the college level. First, he took the road less traveled and went to Hudson Valley Community College, where he made the move to defense full-time.
SU quality control coach and recruiting staffer Emmanuel Marc now knows when he’s talking to his boss versus his “boy.” He, quite literally, lived the JUCO grind with Brown. The two roomed together as they chased their dreams of bigger and better opportunities.
Marc remembers Brown living the sport every moment of the day. He went to classes with a football in his backpack. Late at night, Brown challenged Marc to push-up contests to outwork the other players sleeping. Brown held the football in his arms as he went to bed. On days when the
offense — Marc’s unit as a running back — beat the defense in practice, Brown wanted to play tackle football versus Marc outside the dorms.
The duo knew it was taking a chance on itself to earn college offers. Marc said Brown locked in on his education and earned his associate's degree in just one year. They also matured in Marc’s eyes, learning how to “become a man” by paying bills and arranging their meals, which often ranged from peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to noodles.
In games, Marc remembers Brown talking to the opposing coaches during the quarterback’s cadence, daring them to throw his way. He excelled once again and earned a coveted Division I opportunity.
Then-Western Carolina linebackers coach Matt Rhule first found Brown and recruited him. Once Brown joined the squad, he made his goals clear. Former head coach Kent Briggs recalls Brown telling him he wanted a career that could support his family. Brown and his wife, Teara, welcomed their first son, Fran Jr., in 2004. Collins said he babysat the now-SU long snapper multiple times. At the same time, Brown was emerging as a team captain.
Collins remembers Brown starting almost every game except one, when the cornerback injured himself playing pickup basketball during a bye week. The mishap earned him the nickname “hot sauce,” as Collins joked Brown thought he was “hot sauce” playing basketball instead of football. The coach still has the moniker saved as Brown’s contact in his phone. But when Brown was on the gridiron, he was the perfect chess piece in Collins’ operation. Western Carolina has won just 17 of its 78 rivalry matchups against Appalachian State. The Battles for the Old Mountain Jug swung in the Catamounts’ favor only once from 1999-2013. That
town
Samuel hasn’t had a bad game since.
DOffenses liked to pick on Demetres Samuel Jr. Now, they don’t throw his way.
By Cooper Andrews senior staff writer
emetres Samuel Jr. woke up and read the warning messages on his phone. It was Aug. 30 in Atlanta, hours before Syracuse’s 2025 season opener against then-No. 24 Tennessee. As he geared up to make his SU debut, Samuel’s group chat with his mentors buzzed.
Heritage High School (Florida) football coach Mykel Benson and former Heritage strength coach Frantz Polimice are two of Samuel’s closest allies. They text him words of encouragement before every game. Be you. Today’s your day. Be the best. But ahead of the 17-year-old true freshman cornerback’s first-ever battle against an SEC opponent, his mentors advised caution.
“You’re going to get tested,” Benson told him. “It’s a big game, and you’re a 17-year-old kid. If I’m a coach, I’m attacking you to see how you’re going to respond.”
“He knew it was coming, too,” Benson added. Samuel left high school a year early because he thought it was too easy. Soon, he was desperately sprinting in the open field to catch Volunteers wide receiver Braylon Staley — who dusted Samuel on a go-route for a 73-yard touchdown.
He didn’t know it yet, but that was the embarrassment Samuel needed. Polimice said the game slowed down for him as a result of the play. Then the kid went on to lead the FBS with seven pass breakups over the first four weeks of 2025.
Samuel may be 17, yet in his true freshman season, he’s established himself as a cornerback that offenses would be wise to avoid. Opponents quickly got the memo. He hasn’t faced more than four targets since Oct. 4 against SMU. Over his first 10 career games with Syracuse, Samuel ranks first among all true freshmen with eight pass breakups and boasts a 76.5 coverage grade, per Pro Football Focus, the seventh-best mark of freshmen corners. Now, he’s a national freshman of the year award semifinalist.
Opposing offenses targeted Samuel 30 times across his first four games. Few cornerbacks across the country were tested more in that span.
The 17-year-old got bullied and stood up to the teasing. It’s why, even in a down year for Syracuse football, Samuel’s rapid development into a star is keeping hope alive for the Orange’s immediate future.
“He may be young, but he definitely moves like a vet,” Syracuse sophomore defensive back Braheem Long Jr. said. “Maybe because of his age, a lot of quarterbacks were targeting him early on. But him being humble allowed him to keep prospering to the very best.”
And as a pillar of SU’s young core, Samuel takes pride in performing better than his age suggests.
“We’re going to take the team over; it’s going to be our football team (soon),” Samuel said on Nov. 8 in Miami about Syracuse's young roster. “We’re trying to do everything we can to lead everybody on the field. Even though we’re
young, I think we’ve got some pretty talented guys, so we just gotta apply ourselves.”
• • •
In the parking lot outside Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, over 30 loyal patrons swarmed the celebrity they’d waited all day to see.
On Nov. 8, Syracuse took on Miami, and though Syracuse lost 38-10, it was a long-awaited homecoming for Samuel. The Palm Bay, Florida, native went to high school just over two hours from the state-of-the-art stadium. His parents, Demetres Sr. and Kristal Samuel, were in attendance. So were Benson, Polimice and a legion of past teammates who yearned to take a sentimental picture with him.
They didn’t care about the loss; they were just juiced from watching Samuel bring down Miami receiver
Malachi Toney — one of his former high-school rivals — for a tackle-for-loss.
Loyalty is everything to Samuel. Sure, he’s a flashy prospect who plays both sides of the ball and drives a blue Mercedes-Benz around campus, but he’s always gravitated toward those who’ve been with him every step of the way.
That’s why he’s staying at Syracuse.
Natural questions arose whether Samuel would remain with the Orange amid their disappointing 3-7 campaign. In this era, nobody is safe from the transfer portal. And Samuel is as exciting a prospect as it gets. The cornerback/wide receiver has tallied an interception, caught a pass, returned a few punts this season and ranks among the nation’s leaders in pass breakups. Who wouldn’t want Samuel?
You’d have to imagine SEC programs would come calling. But Samuel said that doesn't matter.
As he told syracuse.com on Nov. 8, “I’m here.”
He’s locked in for another season with Syracuse head coach Fran Brown — who Polimice said is a “father-figure” of sorts for Samuel. Brown also spoke about his adoration for Samuel, who he believes is a cornerstone of the Orange’s program and a necessary beacon of energy for a team that’s gone through dark times in 2025.
“I love coaching him, because we have a lot of fun together,” Brown said.
Polimice also confirmed Samuel’s intentions to remain at SU.
“(Samuel) and his family are great people, and they’re going to stay. They’re going to stick it out no matter what, win or lose,” Polimice said.
“He was one of the highest-rated guys to come to Syracuse in a while, and I believe that he’s trying to pave the way for other guys to do the same.”
Samuel was confronted with a similar scenario in high school. Entering his junior year at Heritage High School, the two-way phenom fielded offers from IMG Academy, Cocoa High School and The First Academy — three perennial Florida state title contenders.
Polimice, who remains one of Samuel’s closest confidants, said it would’ve been easy for Samuel to leave Heritage. Polimice would’ve understood, too. Same with Benson. Even after he mulled over possibly attending a famous program like IMG or going to TFA’s high-class facility in Orlando, Samuel felt that Heritage was home, Polimice said. He told Polimice he had unfulfilled goals with the Panthers. Plus, Samuel felt Heritage gave him the best chance to develop into a Division I player.
Benson met with Demetres Sr. in his office before the 2024 season. When Samuel’s father left the room, the head coach wore a wide smile on his face.
“At the end of the day, he told me it was up to (Samuel) Jr. And he wanted to stay around,” Benson said. “Demetres (Jr.) just trusted us, and he trusted the process. We laid it down to him, ‘Your biggest thing right now is to get to the next level and be prepared.’ That’s what we thought we could provide for our kids. We want to win, but we want to prepare these guys to get to (Division I) and play right away.”
So when it comes to Samuel’s 2026 roster status, don’t worry.
“He’s the brand of Syracuse, man,” Polimice said.
• • • Samuel first discovered PFF grades after SU’s season-opener, when he saw posts from experts judging his performance against Tennessee. He was surprised to see such a quick assessment of how he played, Benson said. It agitated him initially. But after Samuel called Benson to talk over what went wrong versus Tennessee — a game where he allowed 98 yards and tallied a 41.2 PFF coverage grade — improving his grades became a form of motivation.
The numbers concur: Samuel is one of the best true freshman corners in college football. He allows receptions on 53.7% of targets thrown in his direction. His 77.0 PFF defensive grade ranks seventh in the nation among freshman cornerbacks. He also boasts a 74.4 rush-defense grade, per PFF, which is the nation’s eighth-best mark for freshman corners. Samuel’s breakout game occurred versus Colgate on Sept. 12, when he racked up three pass breakups, skied in the air for an end zone interception and had five tackles.
“Throughout the year, you can just tell that he’s studying the film and taking control of his situation,” Benson said of Samuel. “And just being there, being present.”
SU redshirt sophomore cornerback Chris Peal said he was stunned when he realized a 17-year-old would be sharing a positional group with him. However, after seeing how he starkly improved post-Week 1, he now thinks Samuel is as wise as they come. Samuel’s veteran-esque work ethic is part of why.
“He’s waking up early in the morning, doing the same things he was doing before he got to Syracuse; working on his technique, footwork, getting in the weight room, doing anything there is for him to sharpen his craft,” Polimice said of Samuel. “He keeps getting bigger, stronger and faster.”
• • •
If you bottled Samuel’s confidence, the glass would shatter into a million pieces. He possesses a rare blend of groundedness and self-assurance — he’s not afraid to say he’ll lock you up, but he’ll be the first to admit his defeat when applicable.
After Week 1, though, the individual losses have come few and far between. As it turns out, Samuel has been mentally predicting his successes.
Samuel and Peal share rooms on most of Syracuse’s road trips. The night before kickoff, the two usually sit together and watch film from their opponent’s previous game. They meticulously dissect it, looking for holes in their offensive game plan that they can exploit and scout out receiver matchups they know they can dominate.
Samuel, however, takes it up a notch. He often pauses the tape, puts himself in the position of a defender in the video and imagines how he would’ve made a better play. Jumping routes for interceptions, making shoestring tackles behind the line of scrimmage; Samuel runs a series of highlightreel-worthy plays through his head in these moments of pure manifestation.
Peal’s taken a page out of his book. Now, they imagine themselves making plays together, feeding off each other’s strengths. For any situation, “We’re ready to go,” Peal said.
Samuel has acted on his thoughts to deliver a few monumental moments this year — like his first-career pick in the Dome and his seven-yard TFL against Miami — and Peal said that happens even more regularly behind closed doors. Once he activates his powers of manifestation more consistently, there’s no telling what Samuel can do for Syracuse in the future.
“You can see it in practice,” Peal said. “He’s thinking of intentionally making these plays, and when they happen, knowing certain routes they run and knowing when he can do something.”
“He’s levels ahead of it,” Peal added. ccandrew@syr.edu @cooper_andrews
'DEAL CLOSER'
NFL hopeful Emanuel Ross awaits his turn to break out
at Syracuse
By Zak Wolf senior staff writer
Emanuel Ross thinks about the future. A lot. An ever-meticulous planner, Ross always sets lofty goals. In a perfect world, the Syracuse receiver will show his future son lengthy highlights of his NFL career.
It’s something he’s thought about since high school. The inspiration stems from his favorite rapper Gunna’s song “FAR” featuring Young Thug, where he blurts out:
“Ain’t no time to lounge around, my son has to be born rich.”
Ross wants the same for his future kids. One way for that to happen is for Ross to make the NFL. Right now, that seems like a pipe dream — Ross has 15 catches and 188 yards in 10 games for Syracuse. However, the redshirt freshman doesn’t lack confidence. He tries to speak things into existence.
“The film never lies,” Ross said. “I always want to make sure I'm doing the right thing, so when I tell my son to do this or do that, I'm not a hypocrite, and I can really stand on my actions.”
There’s still plenty of time for Ross to forge his path. At 6-foot-2, 202 pounds, Ross has big-play potential. The former four-star recruit spent his high school career at Red Bank Catholic (New Jersey), baptizing defenders with contested catches. It led to a First-Team All-State selection his senior year, despite catching just 48 passes.
Ross hasn’t shown much this season — neither has any SU receiver since Steve Angeli’s season-ending injury in September — but the ability is there. Ross just needs a chance.
It doesn’t take long for Ross to make an impression on someone. Phillip Simpson, Ross’ trainer as a kid, thought Ross had NFL potential after seeing him catch some balls as an 11-yearold. Bold statement? Yes. But Cody High, another trainer, and Mike Lang, Ross’ high school coach, had similar sentiments.
The theme was consistent: Ross’ ability to catch anything. He always planted two feet in bounds, even though non-NFL rules call for one.
During his youth, Ross had a knack for acrobatics. Joel, Ross’ father, said Ross leapt over furniture, slid down stair railings and did anything to stay occupied.
A large pine tree stands in the front yard of Ross’ childhood home in Jackson, New Jersey. Joel said his son often climbed as close as he could to the top. Ross was never orthodox in his descent. He always found a spot where he could jump down and roll to cushion the landing.
“It was always scary to us as parents, but he never got hurt,” Joel said.
Ross kept Joel on his feet. At night, Ross immersed himself in highlights of NFL wide receivers like Antonio Brown, CeeDee Lamb and former SU wideout Marvin Harrison Sr. Joel had to shut off Ross’ bedroom light well past his bedtime.
“I noticed him studying different people's films and playing style, and he was just hungry to figure out different ways of being better at what he did,” Joel said.
Ross’ baseline started with Simpson. Before playing organized football, Ross’ friend Nick Osborn brought him to one of Simpson’s practices, where he shone. Simpson remembers questioning who Ross was to his partner, John Dames. “I don't know, but he’s talented,” Simpson recalls Dames responding.
Ross became a fixture of Simpson’s morning and night sessions. Ross began playing for the Jackson Jaguars, a local youth team, while he focused on injury prevention with Simpson. That included agility training in sand pits and hill sprints to boost acceleration.
Individual drills were also Ross’ bread and butter. He dominated anyone who guarded him oneon-one, including Simpson's son, Phillip Jr. At the time, Phillip Jr. was in high school, and Ross was in middle school. Advantage Phillip Jr., right? Wrong.
“My son would have been famous. He would have been famous for getting mossed by Emanuel,” Simpson joked. “Because if you throw it (Ross’) way, he's going to do everything in his power to make that catch.”
Similar training principles were applied when Ross met High during his sophomore year at Red Bank Catholic after playing sparingly as a freshman. Ross impressed Lang during practices with otherworldly catches, jumping over guys or diving for balls that were destined to fall incomplete.
Working with High gave Ross an edge. High said when they first started working, Ross needed to improve transitioning in and out of routes. He’s fast vertically, but his change of direction needed work, labeling him as “stiff.”
High’s workouts mirrored Simpson’s. He earned his keep during 90-degree heat in the summer and frigid temperatures in the winter.
In any weather condition, Ross was there.
“Being able to train your mind and train your body to do things you're obviously not going to have to do within the football field, you're never going to be too tired in the game and you're always going to be able to give your team everything,” Ross said.
Ross explained that High helped tune his game to a more professional level. High has over a decade of experience training NFL players, including Saeed Blacknall, Ishmael Hyman and Juwann Winfree in New Jersey. Their work was mature, “rather than doing all those Instagram drills, just for the look of it,” Ross described.
High always had Ross start his routes from the top, focusing on the final step. From there, they worked backwards to the initial release. High described Ross as a “perfectionist.” If the receiver made the smallest mistake, he re-did everything.
“It's like anything else in life, there's a sequence to development, and you have to start at the basics,” High said.
Joel labeled High a “scientist” due to his unorthodox tactics. Eventually, he came up with the right formula for Ross.
The receiver became one of the most dominant players in New Jersey during high school. Ross led Red Bank to two New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, Non-Public Group B state championships and three straight championship game appearances.
Whenever Red Bank needed a big play, Lang looked to Ross. It started early in his sophomore season. The Caseys trailed by two scores in their home opener against Wall High School — the thenNo. 1-ranked public school in New Jersey. Then, Ross laid out on a back-shoulder fade for a crucial fourth-down conversion in an eventual 20-16 win.
Later that year, Red Bank was down some receivers during its state semifinal showdown with St. Joseph Academy. A key 32-yard recep -
(Rutgers) and others. Lang mentioned the revelation to Syracuse head coach Fran Brown, who flipped Ross from Stanford to SU within weeks of getting hired. Lang never suggested a position change, but he still felt Ross could be a bona fide Division I cornerback.
On top of that, he was burning the best corners in New Jersey.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of a senior year of a more developed, complete player,” Lang said.
“The only chance of stopping him is potentially two guys, but it just became routine for him to be able to defeat double coverage, and out compete guys for football,” High added.
Ross made plays everywhere. Fade routes in single coverage were easy conversions. Simple slants over the middle created 70-yard touchdowns. Simpson labeled Ross a "deal closer.”
Even with fewer than 50 receptions, Ross was nominated for the Jersey Sport Zone player of the year, and once again, Red Bank Catholic found itself facing DePaul in the state championship.
In his final high school game, Ross delivered. A key touchdown to tie the game 7-7 and clutch pass breakup on fourth down with six minutes left delivered Red Bank another state title.
When the Caseys took a knee to run out the clock, Ross stood 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage. He punctuated the victory with a backflip.
“One, I didn't know (Ross flipped). Two, at that point, I knew the game was over. I didn't care,” Lang said.
tion from Ross set up a fourth-quarter touchdown to seal the game for Red Bank.
“It’s not something we really can coach,” Lang said. “Some guys have it. And his knack for that always kind of separated him from everybody else.”
After defeating DePaul Catholic in the title game, Ross continued to develop as an upperclassman. He more than doubled his receiving total — jumping from 323 to 615 — while adding 11 touchdowns. Still, Red Bank fell to DePaul in a state championship rematch. Ross came back with a vengeance for his senior year. Lang experimented with him at cornerback as a junior, a role that became more prevalent the following season.
Ross has yet to recapture that dominance with Syracuse. Trebor Peña, Jackson Meeks and Oronde Gadsden II made snaps hard to come by last season, while Johntay Cook, Darrell Gill Jr. and Justus Ross-Simmons have done the same in 2025.
ROSS WAS A 4-STAR PROSPECT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL
However, Ross is still only 19 years old and won’t turn 20 until May. Though he’s young, the future crosses his mind once in a while. For Ross to achieve his NFL goals, he has to remain grounded. If opportunities come Ross’ way, he’ll take a firm grip and never look back.
“I just really loved football since I was young,” Ross said. “I'm a perfectionist with all this. You can never stop getting better. So that's kind of my thing. I just always want to strive to be the best I could possibly be.”
He covered Quincy Porter (Ohio State), De’Zie Jones (Ohio State), Michael Thomas III
zakwolf784254@gmail.com
@ZakWolf22
BEAT WRITER PREDICTIONS
With two games remaining for Syracuse in 2025, there’s not much to play for. SU’s 38-10 defeat to then-No. 18 Miami sealed its fate for a disappointing campaign. Expectations were high in Fran Brown’s second year in charge, but the Orange have fallen well short of them.
Poor quarterback play has been the main reason since starter Steve Angeli suffered a season-ending injury. Syracuse has lost six straight games, and none of them have been close. SU looks to avoid its first seven-game skid since 2020 with a trip to No. 9 Notre Dame Saturday.
A win looks unlikely. The Fighting Irish are one of the hottest teams in the country, winning eight in a row after dropping their first two. They’re vying for a spot in the College Football Playoff, while Syracuse has nothing to play for.
Here’s how our beat writers feel Syracuse (3-7, 1-6 Atlantic Coast) will fare against No. 9 Notre Dame (8-2, Independent):
Syracuse’s schedule has featured some starstudded opponents in epic venues. But when looking at SU’s path in the preseason, this game was circled on my calendar. Under the lights in Notre Dame Stadium, Angeli takes on his old team as the face of his new program. What a fairy tale that could’ve been.
Unfortunately, the “what if” world doesn’t exist, and the football gods stripped Angeli of the opportunity to do so with a season-ending injury. Instead, this matchup becomes one between a team surging for the College Football Playoff and another already preparing for 2026. The difference will show early and often, and the Fighting Irish will pummel the Orange for their worst loss yet.
The pleasantry and history of South Bend shouldn’t be overlooked in this massacre. SU’s young core will continue to see increased playing time and, once again, on national TV. The experience can be advantageous for the future, but in the present, I don’t see how Syracuse scores a touchdown. Notre Dame’s defense has allowed only two of its last eight opponents to score over 20 points. SU is yet to score over 20 points since the Angeli injury.
The continued quarterback scramble won’t do the Orange any favors. Rickie Collins continues to give Syracuse its best shot to win, but starter Joe Filardi showed some poise late against Miami and will play. Luke Carney has just one game left to redshirt, and Boston College is probably a better option for him to use it. Either way, Notre Dame will prevail by a wide margin.
3,
DAME
Notre Dame is such a beautiful campus. The golden dome, the full, inviting trees layered between vintage academic buildings and, of course, the palpable pageantry from its student body that makes random people from California call themselves Fighting Irish fans.
The best part of South Bend, Indiana, though, has to be “Touchdown Jesus.” Named the Word of Life Mural, the stone mosaic artwork stands 134 feet high and 68 feet wide, depicting Jesus Christ as the central figure of all Christian saints, artists and thinkers. The artwork shows Christ making a symbol with his arms that resembles the touchdown signal in football. And it directly faces Notre Dame Stadium’s north end zone.
On Saturday, Syracuse battles the Fighting Irish in front of this famous, picturesque setting. But, yikes, Brown and his squad will need their own “Touchdown Jesus” if the Orange are to have a mere shot at upsetting ND. Unfortunately for them, I don’t see this team scoring a touchdown this weekend. Syracuse will get demolished in a classic late-season beatdown as Notre Dame fights for its College Football Playoff life.
For one, Jeremiyah Love is the best running back in the country. Period. He will run for over 100 yards against SU. On the other side, the Orange haven’t activated a consistent, effective running game since the early stages of nonconference play. And nothing will change against a Notre Dame defense that ranks tied for the 15th-best unit in the FBS, per Pro Football Focus, especially since Syracuse still doesn’t have a reliable quarterback.
ZAK WOLF (9-1) LOVE IS IN THE AIR SYRACUSE 10, NOTRE DAME 42
Syracuse’s season is a lame duck. There’s no beating around the bush. And with nothing to play for, this will be another miserable result. As Aiden mentioned, this could’ve (and should’ve) been a marquee matchup. Yet Syracuse comes in as a 35-point underdog. I don’t mean to be Captain Obvious, but that’s not ideal! Notre Dame will pummel Syracuse in all three phases, headed by Love. The junior is arguably the best non-quarterback in the country and has put together a solid Heisman Trophy resume. Just look at what he did to Pittsburgh last week. The Panthers have the second-best run defense in the ACC, and Love toyed with them, rushing for 147 yards on 23 carries. His 56-yard touchdown, boosted by a nasty spin move, made Pitt look silly. Syracuse will suffer an even worse fate Saturday.
Star players have torn Syracuse apart this season. Quarterbacks like Darian Mensah, Kevin Jennings, Carson Beck and Haynes King have tormented the Orange's defense. Love is the catalyst for Notre Dame, but signal caller CJ Carr is plenty capable. With SU’s defense focused on Love, Carr’s poise will pick apart the Orange. Syracuse’s starting quarterback situation also remains a moot point. Even with Filardi starting, nothing will change for the Orange. Marcus Freeman is an elite coach, and his team is playing its best football at just the right time. Meanwhile, Brown has had a tough time managing SU’s struggles this season and will be begging for 2026 to come after the Fighting Irish pummel the Orange.
was in 2004, and it was partially thanks to Brown.
The Mountaineers' offense was flying high, as future Appalachian State Hall of Famer DaVon Fowlkes soared to over 100 receptions and 1,600 receiving yards on the season. Knowing Fowlkes' skillset, Collins needed an equalizer. Enter Brown.
“That kid I wasn't going to worry about,” Collins said. “Because I knew Fran Brown was going to lock him down.”
Brown followed Fowlkes throughout the game and limited him to five receptions, half of his game average for the season. Collins built the rest of the defense around Brown, and despite Appalachian State’s efforts to move Fowlkes under center, the Catamounts won 30-27.
So, when Brown reached the NFL a few years later, matching up with talented wideouts like Johnson and Houshmandzadeh was nothing new.
Cioffi said Brown was near the top of the Bengals’ list once the draft ended and his name wasn’t called. Brown’s playmaking and enthusiasm stuck out. Cioffi recalls other undrafted defensive backs declining offers from Cincinnati due to its depth at the position. Brown bet on himself again.
What the Bengals saw on tape carried over to training camp. However, the business of professional football prevented Brown from sticking around.
In 2007, the NFL limited practice squads to eight players. After multiple Collective Bargaining Agreements, NFL teams now have 16 practice squad spots, with an additional spot for International Pathway Players. Bresnahan said the coaching staff twice wanted to sign Brown to the active roster but didn’t, taking wide receivers instead.
“If you go back and look at those rosters, we had a lot of really high draft picks invested in the position,” Cioffi said.
“He's somebody that we would have signed without question. We just didn't have that opportunity,” Bresnahan added.
When his NFL dreams turned sour, Brown had to make ends meet. But he couldn’t leave the game he’d known his whole life. He worked at a local hospital, a job Pease’s wife helped him land. Meanwhile, Brown stayed in game shape and trained young football players. He worked for Nexxt Level Sports in South Jersey and, through some connections, earned a spot as the defensive backs coach at Paul VI High School in Haddonfield, New Jersey.
The rest is history.
Through his playing career, Brown built connections as he worked his way up the coaching ladder. He worked small roles on Temple’s staff but earned the defensive backs job when Rhule took over as the head coach. When Rhule moved to Baylor, so did he.
Following a few more moves through the Big Ten and SEC, Brown took over at Syracuse and
reconnected with his past. He hired Marc to join the recruiting staff. In Brown’s second season, he brought in Coyle as a senior defensive analyst before he moved to UCLA midseason. Pease’s son, Mason, is an assistant on the equipment staff. Pease credits SU’s quad walk and pregame suit-wearing to what Brown experienced at Camden High. As the world was shocked at Brown putting his team through sprints following a win over UConn, Muhammad knew he had gained the idea from his time playing for the Simbas in his youth. Brown often went through a drill called “poles of pride,” where the team jogged to the 50-yard line and sprinted back. His playing career molded the philosophies Brown lives by as the leader of a Power Four program. The 43-year-old didn’t live out his initial dream of NFL stardom. But now, he’s in the spotlight, taking a redirected path to get there.
