Spring Football Notebook 2024: Hands-on coaching, improved strength training

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A host of returning Syracuse players – including LeQuint Allen Jr., Dan Villari, Jaeden Gould and Jayden Bellamy – sprinted merrily through the snow from the Lally Athletics Complex to the Ensley Center Saturday morning. They were hollering in the cold, some with only pads on and no shirt, preparing for their second spring practice under new head coach Fran Brown.

Inside the facility, over 100 onlookers talked amongst themselves, as music blared from speakers littered around the sideline. Brown’s voice echoed through the building. The pace was fast, as position groups switched areas every five-to-10 minutes. Coaches were filled with intensity and advice for players they’ve worked with sparingly thus far, and all were heavily involved in the drills.

Wide receivers coach Ross Douglas, who coached with the New England Patriots last season, hopped around excitedly, showing the receivers exactly how their cuts should look. Meanwhile, Brown was throwing jump-balls for his defensive backs and running their drills. The players have taken notice of that investment and returned it.

“They got juice, they got energy,” Elijah Robinson, SU’s new defensive coordinator said. “They want to learn. They want to get better. It’s hard not to enjoy that. You don’t see that everywhere.”

Here are some more observations from Syracuse’s second spring practice:

Robinson and Brown’s hands-on defense

For all 23 minutes of practice that were open to the media, Brown was immersed in defensive back drills, sprinting and pointing while throwing go-balls to the pylon.

“He’s very relatable,” linebacker Marlowe Wax said of Brown. “He loves to be out here. He loves the game. He’s going to be out there doing the drills, and you don’t see that from a lot of (head) coaches.”

Brown also sits in on positional meetings with the defensive backs, said rover Justin Barron, which has helped them understand what Brown wants from the defense. Up front, top transfer Fadil Diggs has been helping Robinson.

Diggs has helped younger players, like KingJoseph Edwards, with technique and style within Robinson’s defense. The defensive line unit has been doing everything together off the field, which has helped the unit gel with a mixture of old and new faces. Denis Jaquez Jr., who grew up with Diggs and Alijah Clark was a big help in bridging that gap off-the-field, Diggs said. Creating that sense of community within the team has been a focal point early on.

“I can talk to Coach (Robinson) about anything,” Diggs said. “His office is open for everybody, and for me, he’s helped tell me how to get closer to players off the field… But, I also had to earn the guys’ respect.”

Still, Robinson said the defense Diggs ran with the Bulldogs won’t be the same in Syracuse. Diggs “can’t relax,” because the evaluation for the unit has only just started, and the plan is far from set.

Catering to players

Robinson didn’t have details of the scheme he plans to run. First, he and Brown need to see what their players do well. Then, they’ll start to cater the scheme to their talent.

“The number one thing is you have to know who your players are,” Robinson said. “You can’t just come here and lock these guys into a scheme and say, we’re playing this defense.”

A lot of physicality will be used to determine those strengths. Whether it was second-level blocking drills or jump balls for defensive backs, it was clear that every drill targeted a specific skill for the coaches to evaluate.

One major change Robinson brings to the defense is a fluid mindset. He wants corners and safeties to be able to play both positions. Edge guys should know how to win on the inside, and vice versa. Linebackers need to rush the passer. His approach is exclusively player-driven, and the more each person knows, the more value they bring, Robinson explained.

Another prominent difference was the position of LSU transfer (and former All-ACC Syracuse corner) Duce Chestnut, who was working out with the safeties beside Clark. Robinson said he wants to see the skills he brings on the back end, as he could be a chess piece for the Orange next season within the secondary. Chestnut said he, Clark and Braheem Long Jr. learned both positions in high school, adding that it’s a “natural transition.”

“I don’t see too much of a difference (between SU and LSU),” Chestnut said. “You can see how coach Brown is running things here, we’re going to be one of those big programs. We’re going to put the work in and let y’all know that… The only difference is I’m back out here doing it with guys I grew up with since we were five, six years old playing outside on my street.”

Improved strength training

The “scientists.” That’s what the Syracuse players call their new strength coaches.

“We are working on a lot of (new) things,” Clark said. “I would be lying if I told you I know exactly what it is. Those guys are in there, they’re scientists, that’s what we call the weight room staff. They’re just doing their thing and we are just following their lead… Coach Chad (Smith), JB (Jordan Barber), Stack (Williams), especially Coach Stack, there’s a different type of energy with coach Stack. A lot of people probably don’t know who he is, but we are very blessed to have that guy.”

Clark and Wax said the strength training was tough, but relying on their teammates to get through it helped bring them closer together. Both went through intense body transformations over the past few months, and it was nothing like last year’s camp. Clark and Allen Jr. have gained 15-20 pounds since the end of last season, while Wax “had to change” his body to fit in Brown’s plan for him.

When asked what the biggest difference between this year’s and last year’s spring camp was, both Wax and Barron referenced how everyone is bought in this time around. There’s an energy around this team that just wasn’t present last spring from the players or coaches. That has stemmed partially from an exuberant energy in the winter weight room sessions.

“We’re just trying to focus on the fundamentals and the details,” Robinson said. “Coach talks about DART all the time, so we’re focusing on DART in everything we do in life.”