Syracuse Football is going to look completely different in 2024. New head coach Fran Brown has brought newfound excitement to program. They're recruiting nationally at the high school level now. Top transfers from Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, Georgia, and Notre Dame have already joined the team. And now the Orange have an opportunity to add a star wide receiver in the spring Transfer Portal window.
According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, former Colorado State wide receiver Justus Ross-Simmons will be visiting Syracuse as spring football comes to a close for the Orange this coming weekend. For those unfamiliar, Ross-Simmons was an all-conference receiver last season in the Mountain West and is originally from Rochester, New York.
Colorado State transfer WR Justus Ross-Simmons has a visit scheduled to Syracuse this weekend, where he has an offer. He also has offers from Vanderbilt, USF, Liberty, Coastal Carolina and Georgia State, per his agent, Josh Katz of Catamount Sports.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 17, 2024
Justus Ross-Simmons racked up over 700 receiving yards last fall for Colorado State, proving to be one of the most efficient weapons in the country. He posted the second most yards after catch per reception among all wide receivers in the nation last year (min. 50 targets). And finished just behind future NFL stars like Brock Bowers (TE, Georgia) and Tez Johnson (WR, Oregon) in yards after catch per target.
Ross-Simmons has already garnered offers and contacts from at least nine other FBS college football programs like USC, Washington, South Carolina, Michigan State, and more according to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports. He's clearly one of the most highly coveted transfers in the country right now.
Colorado State receiver Justus Ross-Simmons finished 2023 with 45 catches for 724 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) April 17, 2024
He's been in contact with Washington, USC, Michigan State, Liberty, Cincinnati and South Carolina, per @premiumsportsla.
Intel: https://t.co/7Rsjn5It1g pic.twitter.com/pJCkQ7mGsb
It seems the Syracuse Orange may have an early leg up in the recruiting battle since Ross-Simmons is originally from Rochester, New York (just an hour and a half from Syracuse). However, if they want to close the deal on the top wide receiver in the portal right now they'll need to sell him on the fit with new transfer quarterback Kyle McCord and tight end Oronde Gadsden.
Despite some unnecessary criticism from last year's Ohio State fans, Kyle McCord was one of the most efficient passers in the country. He found consistent success all over the field, but specifically thrived in the short to intermediate middle more than anywhere, throwing 11 touchdowns and 74% completion rate in that range. That's the perfect fit for Ross-Simmons.
He may have lined up mostly at outside receiver last year, but Ross-Simmons caught more than a third of his receptions in the short to intermediate middle portion of the field, averaging nearly 11 yards after the catch there. Schematically he's the perfect fit for McCord. And with Oronde Gadsden garnering significant attention in the slot, pushing the seam vertically, that should free up all sorts of space underneath for Ross-Simmons to thrive.
But he isn't just a YAC and underneath guy though either. He can push downfield and win in contested situations too, as you can see in Cam Mellor's post below.
Trust me -- you want Justus Ross-Simmons on your favorite college football teampic.twitter.com/8iPBz1HLFw
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) April 16, 2024
Syracuse and new head coach Fran Brown need to take advantage of this week's visit and close the deal with Justus Ross-Simmons. If he joins the Orange offense we could see them have their best passing attack in several years.
Be looking for more College Football coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
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