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Fran Brown’s first offseason was highlighted by acquiring star quarterback Kyle McCord from the transfer portal. While McCord was instantly surrounded by running back LeQuint Allen Jr. and tight end Oronde Gadsden II, Syracuse’s receiving corps needed to make vast improvements to aid its ensuing pass-heavy offense.

The Orange had just three receivers total over 300 receiving yards last season and only Damien Alford eclipsed the 500-yard mark. Through two games in 2024, Syracuse already has four at 75 or more.

“It makes my job a lot easier when you look across the field and there’s mismatches everywhere,” McCord said following SU’s win over then-No. 23 Georgia Tech.

Brown retained Umari Hatcher, SU’s second-leading receiver in 2023, and slot receiver Trebor Peña. He then brought redshirt freshman Zeed Haynes and senior Jackson Meeks with him from Georgia. And to lead the group, Brown tapped former New England Patriots wide receivers coach Ross Douglas to help develop professional talent.

With a litany of options, the Orange rank fourth in the nation in passing yards per game at 367.5. The added weapons have helped McCord throw the most passing touchdowns (eight) in Division I, with Peña tied for the nation’s lead in receiving touchdowns (four). Overall, SU’s receivers rank sixth best in the nation, according to Pro Football Focus, grading at 78.4.

“From the time I got here in late December to now, there’s been tremendous growth from everybody in the room,” Douglas said. “That’s a testament to the work they put in and believing in what I’m teaching them.”

Douglas first made a connection with Brown as a graduate assistant at Rutgers in 2020. At the time, he was a 24-year-old defensive assistant while Brown coached the Scarlet Knights’ secondary.

The two went their separate ways when Douglas left to be Richmond’s secondary coach and Brown left the following year to join Kirby Smart’s staff at Georgia. Douglas then got the opportunity to join Bill Belichick in New England through the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. The opportunity started as a three-day internship, but quickly became a three-day interview, according to Douglas. At the end, he was hired as a full-time defensive quality control coach.

When Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels took the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job, he brought much of his offensive staff with him. As a result, Belichick needed a wide receivers coach. Even though Douglas had played and coached defense his entire career, Belichick chose him for the job.

Under Belichick, Douglas learned the ins and outs of the position.

“He helped me with the attention to detail,” Douglas said of Belichick. “There are a lot of things that people do, but you boil it down to what the receiver actually has to do. He helped me teach the position from a fundamental standpoint.”

Following the 2023 season, Belichick departed and so did Douglas. He reunited with Brown, joining Syracuse’s staff in the same role. With the Orange, Douglas has been comparing players he worked with in New England to the skill sets in the SU room. He emphasizes it by putting on the film for each player he sees similarities to.

“It’s not just me saying something and them having blind faith in it,” Douglas said. “I’m telling you and I’m showing you why this will work. Because this works on Sundays. So if it works on Sundays, it for damn sure will work on Saturdays.”

For Peña, Douglas compares him to Demario Douglas, a 5-foot-8 sixth-rounder in the 2023 NFL Draft who blossomed into the Patriots’ leading receiver late last season. Demario is often used in a variety of roles, playing dynamic in the slot and dangerous with the ball in his hands.

When healthy, Peña has shown an ability to do the same. After a limited role from 2020-22, Peña didn’t appear in any games in 2023 due to injury. Though with the hiring of Brown, who recruited Peña to Temple years earlier, he improved himself in the offseason.

In SU’s season opener versus Ohio, Peña had a career day, scoring two touchdowns in the air and one on the ground. The next week against then-No. 23 Georgia Tech, Peña found the end zone twice. He’s become a go-to option for McCord, emerging as the top threat of the corps so far.

“(Peña) is a smart kid who understands football,” Douglas said. “He’s a quick learner. So I don’t think there’s anything he can’t do.”

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On the outside, there’s Hatcher. Douglas sees Hatcher’s 6-foot-3 frame as comparable to nine-year NFL veteran DeVante Parker. With Hatcher, Douglas taught Parker’s “catch everything mentality.”

Last season, Hatcher was tied for the team-high in receiving touchdowns with three, while totaling 482 yards. A dislocated shoulder sidelined him for most of spring camp but as the summer went on, he continued to rebuild confidence in his body.

“We talked about his weight, he had to gain more weight, he needed to be at least 185 pounds,” Brown said of Hatcher. “He needed to get physical in the run game. And he needed to make difficult catches. He answered the bell, he did everything he was asked to do.”

Following the best season of his career, Hatcher saw this offseason as one of the most important of his life.

“I just became a better competitor,” Hatcher said. “I just became better everywhere. I’m being 100%. I just grew a whole lot on and off the field. So it’s all just translating.”

He hasn’t found the end zone yet in 2024, but has recorded six receptions for 75 yards, including a 30-yard grab over the middle versus Georgia Tech.

While Hatcher has shown flashes of Parker, Douglas sees similarities in Haynes’ game to a young speedster in New England — Tyquan Thornton.

After committing to Georgia as a four-star recruit, Haynes appeared in just four games and recorded one catch with the Bulldogs. When Brown left for SU, he promised Haynes a larger opportunity. Haynes took the offer and has recorded eight receptions for 97 yards thus far.

Along with Haynes came Meeks, who has emerged as a strong veteran presence for the group. Haynes said Meeks took him under his wing at Georgia, which remains the same at Syracuse.

Meeks was a part of two national championship-winning teams with the Bulldogs, but had a limited role. Following Georgia’s SEC Championship loss, Meeks decided to enter the transfer portal.

“It was just time,” Meeks said. “Because I embraced my role the most that I could at Georgia, and I’m thankful for every experience and all the learning that I’ve had there. But I had to make opportunities for myself.”

Meeks is still working his way in with the Orange, recording six receptions for 75 yards through two games. But he’s shown potential, highlighted by a 35-yard catch near the right sideline against Ohio.

“(Haynes and Meeks) pushed the competition because they actually know what a national championship team is,” Hatcher said. “Them coming in the room, they had already seen it.”

Trebor Peña celebrates a touchdown with Umari Hatcher in SU’s season opening victory over Ohio. Peña leads all wide receivers in the nation in touchdowns with five. Jacob Halsema | Staff Photographer

The wide-receiver room also features multiple depth pieces. Sophomore Darrell Gill Jr. showed flashes on special teams last season and has a reception in 2024. Freshman Emanuel Ross didn’t enroll early at SU but saw a few snaps in the season opener.

Then there’s Justus Ross-Simmons, who has an injury that’s sidelined him for Syracuse’s first two games. But at Colorado State in 2023, he totaled 724 receiving yards, eclipsing 100 yards twice.

Along with pass catching, Douglas has also emphasized run blocking with the simple catchphrase “no block, no rock.” He preaches that the offensive line is responsible for the efficiency of runs while his receivers can create explosive plays with their downfield blocking.

“Coach Ross really brought that energy to the room,” Hatcher said of Douglas. “He coaches straightforward. Let you know when you’re wrong, let you know when you’re right. They just push us a lot.”

For an SU offense that has quickly found an identity with its air-raid attack, the new-look receiving corps is pivotal to its success. So far, they’re executing at a high level.

“Continue to get open and catch the ball, execute in critical situations and help our team win,” Douglas said. “That’s what we got to do. We got to do our job. And if we continue to do our job and get better every single week, I think we’ll like the result.”

Published on September 11, 2024 at 11:39 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky