Darrell Gill

Syracuse's passing offense absolutely exploded in 2024 under new head coach Fran Brown and new offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon. Despite being the fourth receiver in the pecking order, Gill was still able to capitalize on this offensive boom, reeling in 31 catches for 570 yards and two touchdowns en route to a career year. Now, with Syracuse's top three receivers from last season gone, Gill steps up to potentially assume the WR1 spot for the Orange, though the team did dip into the transfer portal to add Johntay Cook, a transfer from Texas who made a brief stop at Washington during the winter before reentering the transfer portal. Also gone is prolific quarterback Kyle McCord, so Gill must assimilate to a new gunslinger in his newfound role. That will either be Rickie Collins or Steve Angeli, both of whom have promise and transferred from big-time programs (LSU and Notre Dame, respectively). Neither can be expected to match the nearly 4,800 passing yards McCord put up last fall, and the passing game should regress to the mean a little, but Gill is still primed for his best year yet in one of college football's most exciting offenses. Read Past Outlooks