One of the more unknown commodities across all three phases of Syracuse's roster is the wide receivers. SU has lost 54% of its receiving production from last season. Let’s meet who could potentially fill that void.
Zeed Haynes
Whatever Fran Brown has said to Haynes over the years has certainly clicked. The redshirt freshman was originally committed to Penn State before Brown flipped him to Georgia for the 2023 season. Now, Haynes has followed his former defensive backs coach in Athens to the salt city.
The Pennsylvania native saw very limited time for the Bulldogs, appearing in four games and recording one catch last season.
Haynes took home offensive MVP of SU’s spring game back in April. The former four star recruit hauled in a 38-yard touchdown pass from Kyle McCord in his one night of action in the Dome. Zeed was operating on the outside for most of the game, so look for him to be one of the main deep threats for McCord this season.
Jackson Meeks
We’re not done with former bulldogs just yet. Meeks, like Haynes, only caught one ball for UGA last season. The senior was part of Georgia's national championship runs in 2021 and 2022, primarily as a special teams player.
After undergoing surgery on a hairline fracture in his foot this spring, Meeks says he’s back to “100%” according to Syracuse.com.
SU wide receivers coach Ross Douglas likes the Alabama native's approach.
"He's playing like a guy that has something to prove," said Douglas. "He’s been a leader in the weight room, and is showing the young guys how to do it.”
If Zeed Haynes is someone who can take the top off the defense, you could see more of Jackson Meeks working in the short to intermediate areas of the field.
Trebor Pena
This name should be familiar to most Orange fans. However, it's one that wasn’t talked about a lot after an injury against Army ended his 2023 campaign.
Pena returned 36 kicks and 40 punts for Syracuse in his first three seasons, but now projects to be a full-time wide receiver.
Fran Brown called the redshirt junior “one of the most improved players on the team” after the spring game. In the exhibition game in the Dome, Pena caught all seven of his targets for 130 yards.
Most of Pena’s catches came on routes over the middle of the field, so expect to work in the short to intermediate passing game as well as quick passes behind the line of scrimmage. This fits the mold for Pena who stands at 6-0, 184 pounds.
Justus Ross-Simmons
You can certainly argue that Ross-Simmons has the most in-game experience of anyone at the collegiate level in the entire receiver room. The 2023 All-Mountain West selection pulled in 45 receptions for 724 yards and 3 touchdowns at Colorado State last season. Those numbers would have led Syracuse in catches and receiving yards while being tied for the lead in receiving touchdowns.
Ross-Simmons announced his transfer to the ‘Cuse four days after the spring game, so we haven’t seen any in-game action from the Rochester native in orange. In 2023, Ross-Simmons worked on comeback routes down the sidelines as well as drag routes before the first-down marker for the Rams. McCord could also test his 6-3 frame with jump balls in the redzone against smaller corners.