As the dog days of summer roll on, Syracuse football is just 32 days away from starting its season against Tennessee in Atlanta. With just over a month left to go, new and familiar faces are starting to take center stage for the Orange at the tight end position. Syracuse did not add a tight end from the portal this offseason, and ended up losing arguably the best tight end in SU history, Oronde Gadsden.
Losses:
“Oronde is a guy, right? Oronde will never be replaced by one person” said SU head coach Fran Brown at ACC media day.
Gadsden finished his time with Syracuse as the all-time leader in career receptions (141) and yards (1,970) by a tight-end. He was also named a 2024 All-American and a two-time All-ACC first team selection. All of the success at SU was capped off by being selected by the Los Angeles Chargers with pick 165 in this year's NFL draft.
Outside of Gadsden, the only other notable loss for Syracuse at the tight end position is Max Mang. While Mang only had nine receptions and one touchdown in his four seasons with SU, he did sign as a free agent with the Indianapolis Colts in April.
It's going to be an uphill battle for Brown’s squad to replace and have the same production from two skilled veterans like Gadsden and Mang. However, the SU tight end room still looks promising.
Returners:
While Syracuse didn’t bring anyone new in from the portal at tight end, there was really no reason to. The Orange have two guys who are more than capable to step into the role in Dan Villari and Jamie Tremble.
When asked about who’s going to lead the tight ends at ACC media day, Brown made it clear who's in charge.
“Jamie is doing a really good job, but Oronde will be replaced by Dan Villari and then a bunch of other guys…we feel when it comes to the work ethic, the mindset, the ability to make guys miss, the ability to run after the catch, we think Dan Villari is the guy to step up into the role and do that.”
The 6-foot-4 237 pound tight end is just the guy the Orange want to take the reins. Villari has been around the program for three years, and is heading into his redshirt senior year with SU. However, the Long Island native has just 27 receptions so far in his career with the Orange, which is a far ways away from that of Gadsden’s numbers.
Even though he might not have the most on field experience for Syracuse, he certainly is making an impact of it. Villari was one of four players chosen by Brown to come to ACC media day, an honor that he was very appreciative of.
“It means the world to me…he constantly is in my ear telling me this is my room and this is my team, this is our team. That’s all you really need is the confidence from the head man to just go 100 percent and just be where your feet are every single day.”
Villari is one of the guys that was around through the coaching transition from Dino Babers to Brown, and got to play with Orange legends like Kyle McCord and Gadsden. That veteran presence is something this young SU squad needs going into this season.
Speaking of young, there’s nobody better for Villari to become a mentor to then sophomore Jamie Tremble. The 6-foot-4 205 pound tight end played 12 games on special teams this past season, while being a reserved TE.
The Orange need Tremble to take the jump to the next level in 2025. Coming out of high school, the Georgia native was ranked as the 13th best tight end in the class by 247 Sports with over 2,800 yards and 31 touchdowns.
The potential for Tremble to become just like Gadsden is there, but he needs veterans around him like Villari to help him grow.
Overall:
While the Orange might not have Gadsden on the squad, they are in a good spot tight ends wise all things considered. Villari is a team-first guy that will do anything for his squad, and Tremble is a rising star. While SU won’t have the same offensive production from the tight end spot as last year, Villari and Tremble provide new energy that the Orange faithful should be excited about.