Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

In his debut season, Syracuse head coach Fran Brown has flooded his squad with players and coaches with Southeastern Conference experience. Edge rusher Fadil Diggs is one of them. The Texas A&M transfer shined in the country’s best conference before joining SU. Yet, even in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Diggs was thrust back into an SEC-level environment.

Syracuse edge coach Nick Williams, who previously coached Diggs for two years at A&M, said practices with the Orange are tougher than any he’s seen in his career. According to Williams, Diggs shares the same sentiment.

“We get after it,” Williams said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. “(Diggs) had a little curve he had to get over, but he got over it quickly.”

Brown’s intense culture has spread throughout the roster, especially within the defensive line. Williams says there’s been fierce daily competition among interior and exterior linemen. He doesn’t even feel there’s a true depth chart forming, crediting the depth of SU’s defensive front and his confidence in players both new and old.

“There’s really no starters or second team or third team,” Williams said. “We’re just one defensive line, one unit.”

Here’s what to know about Syracuse’s defensive-line group ahead of the 2024 season:

4-man front

The 3-3-5 is no more. Under new defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson, the Orange will sport a 4-2-5 defensive set, switching from Tony White and Rocky Long’s formation.

The 4-2-5 defense contains four defensive linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs. With the new alignment, Syracuse can send more pass rushers at opponents while having increased options to blitz its inside linebackers and safeties.

But Williams said no matter the defensive set, it’s crucial for his linemen to win one-on-one battles. It’s all about “the phone booth,” which Williams uses to describe matchups in the trenches. Strength and physicality are what Syracuse’s staff has desired to bring across the board, nowhere more apparent than in the offensive and defensive line.

With a four-man front, there will be an even greater need to consistently rush the passer than in the past. The Orange held a middling sack total in the ACC last year with 29 (eighth out of 14 schools). They’ve beefed up the defensive line by targeting larger players to fit their system so they can provide space for edges Diggs and Denis Jaquez Jr. to get sacks.

“It was a premium that we went and got big guys, big d-linemen who can hold the point and strike blockers with intensity,” Williams said.

Cole Ross | Digital Design Director

Transfer takeover

Brown has emphasized the need for recruiting big guys since his December 2023 introductory press conference. The need grew stronger once former defensive lineman Caleb Okechukwu declared for the NFL Draft. But Brown sufficiently filled Okechukwu’s void in the transfer portal this offseason, particularly with Diggs and Dion Wilson Jr.

Diggs will instantly feature as Syracuse’s premier edge rusher. The 6-foot-5 senior spent his last four years with Texas A&M, starting 20 games across his final two seasons. In 2023, Diggs racked up 11 tackles for loss — which ranked second on the Aggies — and tallied four sacks.

The former four-star recruit from Camden, New Jersey, transferred to SU in December 2023. Brown, also a Camden native, pinpointed Diggs as a must-have early in the portal season. So far, he’s reaped the benefits.

Williams said Tuesday that he’s stood out as a much-needed veteran presence. He often uses Diggs as an example during drills or live repetition, saying that the edge rusher does just about everything correctly. Still, Williams wants to push Diggs to improve his shape, run to the ball and “think like a coach” to sharpen his football IQ. But for now, he’s set to pay dividends for SU in the trenches.

“He’s been dominant since he was young,” Brown said of Diggs in an Aug. 13 press conference. “He demands respect the right way, and he also earns everything he gets.”

While Diggs is a force on the edge, Wilson Jr. provides stability inside. The 6-foot-5, 296-pound interior defensive lineman transferred to Syracuse from New Mexico State. He appeared in 14 games last year, four of which were starts, recording two sacks, 31 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. His pass rush grade by Pro Football Focus in 2023 sat at an above average 64.6, though his run defense grade was a below average 59.5.

Following a training camp practice on Aug. 13, Wilson Jr. said he feels primed for a breakout year as a senior. He hasn’t received consistent playing time over his first four seasons of college football. Wilson Jr. played at Arizona from 2020-22, yet never garnered a start. He could have transferred to another Power Four school, but he valued seeing the field.

Wilson Jr. said New Mexico State gave him the chance to develop at a higher rate. He says he’s more prepared for the Power Four level this time with Syracuse. Now, he has potential to emerge as a weekly starter for the Orange — especially if his run defense improves.

“I expect myself to be dominant,” Wilson Jr. said. “I got the experience, I know how to play, I know what type of player I am.”

Replacing Braylen Ingraham

Entering fall camp, Braylen Ingraham was a surefire pairing on the inside with Wilson Jr. The defensive tackle played in every game for SU last season after transferring from Alabama. But Brown announced on Aug. 5 that Ingraham tore his Achilles, leaving him out for the season.

One week later, Brown praised two of his youngest, and largest, defensive linemen among players stepping up in Ingraham’s absence. Freshmen Maraad Watson and Xavier Miles, who weigh 313 and 310 pounds, respectively, have impressed Brown in training camp.

He said Watson, a three-star recruit from Irvington, New Jersey, is doing well thus far but focused on Miles’ performance. The defensive tackle out of Saint Peter’s Prep (New Jersey) plays “violent,” according to Brown. He described Miles as a tough player who can push the pocket and displays a heightened knowledge of the position.

Having someone like Miles is an encouraging sign for Brown that he’ll seamlessly replace Ingraham on the defensive line. He wants linemen like Ingraham who can clog the interior offensive line, and it appears Brown has found at least a few similar players.

“We’re just trying to keep (the quarterback) packed in that oven,” Brown said of his defensive line. “But they do a good job of pressing and they’re strong, and they’re good guys who can help us.”

Published on August 21, 2024 at 10:56 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews