Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Edge rusher Nick Williams remembers meeting Fran Brown for the first time two years ago when the former was still at Texas A&M and the latter was at Georgia. The two walked and talked for 30 minutes. Williams came away from the conversation knowing Brown would be a head coach — one he wanted to work under.

Sure enough, Williams is now one of the primary defensive coaches on Brown’s staff, overseeing a team that has plenty of high-talented newcomers like KingJoseph Edwards and Fadil Diggs. Brown is never afraid to correct Williams as a coach, though, and Williams said Brown expects the coaches to work out along with the players. The edge rusher coach said members of SU’s staff have to work out three times a week. Williams fits it in at 5:30 a.m. To him, it’s just another sign of Brown’s distinct nature.

“This is my first place where a head coach has made (working out) mandatory and I love it,” Williams said.

Here are some more notes from Syracuse’s latest spring football practice:

Gadsden, Meeks injury updates

According to Brown, tight end Oronde Gadsden II will be out for the rest of the spring after undergoing surgery to remove screws from his right foot following a Lisfranc injury that he sustained last season. Gadsden played just two games in 2023.

Additionally, Georgia transfer Jackson Meeks had a boot on his left foot at practice. Brown said the wide receiver suffered a hairline fracture on that foot and has already undergone surgery. Meeks will be also out for the rest of spring practice.

Scrimmage recap

Syracuse’s first intra-squad of the spring — which happened on Saturday, April 6 — was closed to the media. But there was plenty for Brown and his staff to chew on and look to improve.

Brown initially praised quarterback Kyle McCord, who Brown said “got the guys to play.” The head coach said McCord needs to get his fellow teammates to maintain that.

Yet there wasn’t all praise. Brown felt that the offensive line gave up too many sacks, especially when the scrimmage transitioned into being more about situational football. He didn’t get into specifics about how they can improve, mainly focusing on improving mental and physical toughness. This message didn’t just apply to the offensive line, though.

“We just have to get tougher,” Brown said. “We’re not tough enough as a staff or as players.”

Diggs emerging on defense

Diggs was SU’s highest-rated incoming transfer, according to 247Sports. The former Texas A&M defensive lineman garnered meaningful playing time this past season, recording 36 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and four sacks. From the jump, Diggs was going to be a lineman that stood out.

Williams said Diggs impressed him earlier in the spring when the linemen were completing a drill called “pass rush math.” Like throwing different pitches in baseball, Williams said the linemen had to complete three different moves: rushing off the edge with speed, changing from speed to power and working on the chop spin move. Diggs completed all three and beat an offensive lineman each time.

“He worked three different moves,” Williams said of Diggs. “And it showed his two box, his versatility of rushing the passer and that’s kind of who I like to teach the same things in different ways for different guys to learn.”

Diggs said he wants to impart the wisdom he learned from Texas A&M linemen like Micheal Clemons and Demarvin Leal, who showed him different ways to work on pass rushing. Diggs added he knows there’s an established group of veteran defensive players at Syracuse and doesn’t want to “step on nobody’s toes.”

“Just like being around the leaders that were here before doing things and see how they run it and try to just add a little bit of my knowledge,” Diggs said of what he wanted to do to emerge as a leader on SU’s defense.

WR/TEs vs. DBs

With the temperatures rising, today’s spring practice was outdoors. But per usual, Syracuse’s wide receivers and tight ends faced off against the defensive backs. With a mixture of McCord, Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and Braden Davis throwing passes, there were intriguing matchups on both sides.

Trebor Pena used his quickness to burst upfield against freshman defensive back Marcellus Barnes Jr. to catch a deep pass. On additional reps, Pena created space for himself with quick footwork. Nick Armentano, a 5-foot-8 wide receiver, used a spin and duck to find space against Justin Barron to make a catch.

Meanwhile, tight end Dan Villari could not get separation from one of the Orange’s top corners — Duce Chestnut. Villari didn’t have much luck against Alijah Clark, either. Fellow tight end Maximilian Mang caught a short pass but was then chided by Brown for not going upfield. With Mang’s size, Brown argued, there was no one going to bring him down and he needed to turn upfield.

Published on April 9, 2024 at 2:31 pm

Contact Henry: henrywobrien1123@gmail.com