Syracuse football: three more Orange heading to transfer portal.

Syracuse Head Coach Fran Brown’s after Christmas shopping list keeps growing. Since our last update, three more Orange players have announced they are entering the transfer portal. Seniors Umari Hatcher and Greg Delaine along with freshman Quante Gillians become the latest to head to another school.

Of the three, Gillians is the player who initially jumps out. He was the top ranked recruit in New York in 2025 and he played in just two games this season making one tackle against North Carolina. Two other freshmen on the defensive line saw more action than Gillians, but his departure after one season is a blow to a position where the Orange are young and thin. Syracuse held off Michigan among others to land his commitment, but with all the coaching moves it’s hard to project where he will end up.

Umari Hatcher spent some time as a starting wide receiver but injuries cost him the 2025 season. He had 52 receptions for 797 yards and 7 touchdowns in his Syracuse career. With the projected depth for Syracuse, it makes sense for Hatcher to look to use his final season at a school which offeers more playing time.

Delaine spent his time as a reserve defensive back and special teams player. He appeared in 34 games with 25 tackles and one interception in his career. The Orange need players in the secondary, but there’s a number of Toledo players heading into the portal and maybe there’s a couple looking to follow their defensive coaches to Syracuse?

All-MAC linebacker K’Von Sherman would fill a major need for Syracuse as would fellow All-MAC First Team safety Braden Awls, who led the conference with 5 interceptions. Another Rocket of interest is starting LT Stephen Gales, who has one season of eligibility remaining.

This brings the current total to 23 players heading into the portal from the 2025 Orange squad. Gillians and Kaylib Singleton were two of the top recruits in Fran Brown’s freshman class, so it will be interesring to see who the staff will target to fill the roster holes. As we approach the end of the week, we’ll look at the biggest needs for Syracuse based on the announed departures.