When a new coach comes to town, a lot of times a mass exodus occurs where all of a teams best players leave for the transfer portal. Just look at Texas A&M where Elijah Robinson comes from. Almost every player of note is leaving the Aggies. Fran Brown has kept the three most important players with eligibility remaining. Three players who could have entered the NFL draft or transferred to almost any school in the country.
Oronde Gadsden
It’s very hard to say that Gadsden isn’t the most important player in the list. Before the season, he was named one of the best players in all of college football before an injury took away his season. There are still a lot of question marks around who will be the top receiving options next year. Brown has brought in two WR transfers from Georiga and a couple freshmen, but Gadsden is a proven target for Kyle McCord. The real question though is if Gadsden moves to a true WR. With Dan Villari returning and the freshman Jamie Tremble coming in, there will be so much talent in the TE room.
Justin Barron
In terms of team culture, there’s almost no one you’d want to return more than Justin Barron. The safety/rover played almost all season with an injury but that didn’t stop him from making a huge impact. His role could change a little in a new offense if Brown and Robinson go away from the 3-3-5. Barron has proven to be a good enough college football player though where any coach would want him on the roster and he can play in almost any defensive scheme.
Marlowe Wax
There might not be a player more important to the mob than Wax. The team’s leader in tackles the last two seasons, Wax will be one of the best linebackers in the ACC. Wax was named to the All-ACC second team this season. If he wanted to go to the NFL, he almost certainly could have. But returning to Syracuse shows what Fran Brown is building. Wax is another guy who came to Syracuse for Dino Babers and could have entered the portal after he was fired. But, he is bought in to what Brown is building in the 315.
