Orange Take the Stage at ACC Kickoff
7/16/2026 8:57:00 AM | Football
The Orange were in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday for the ACC Kickoff event, the unofficial start of the football season. Head coach Fran Brown, quarterback Steve Angeli, linebacker Antoine Deslauriers and defensive back Demetres Samuel Jr. were all on hand to represent the Orange.
Coverage was ongoing throughout the day, with the Orange making a number of appearances streamed in their entirety on ACCNX. The day also featured live appearances on Sirius XM and various radio stations throughout the league's footprint, plus interviews with ESPN's College Gameday, ESPN.com, CBS, The CW, ACC Digital Network, breakout sessions and more.
Syracuse began its day with taped segments for various networks and Radio Row sessions before the live press conference slot later in the afternoon.
The event's first live interviews came in the press conference, with Brown and the attending players speaking on the mindset and culture driving the program into the 2026 campaign.
Angeli followed Brown at the podium, echoing his head coach's emphasis on relationships as the foundation for sustaining the Orange's culture.
"The biggest thing for me being a leader on this team and the quarterback of this team is making sure that guys know how much I care about them as a person before we even get into the football aspect," Angeli said. "Then, on the field the work takes care of itself. Our brand of work at Syracuse, we work our tails off and make sure we're in there every day putting in the right amount of work... When we got those new guys in here we had to make sure they knew how to work because that's our standard."
Angeli also opened up about his recovery, crediting the support staff and his head coach for helping him through the process and leading him back onto the field.
"I'm 100%," Angeli said. "I've been running around getting into drills and doing everything we can... can't thank our athletic training staff enough, our strength staff, everyone that's been a part of my journey for rehab. It really takes a village... [during my rehab] I really fell in love with Syracuse, fell in love with the University, fell in love with everyone that's been a part of my journey and couldn't be more grateful and more thankful."
"Ever since I got [to Syracuse] it has been great to me," Deslauriers said. "I have a great connection with my coaches and Coach Fran... ever since I got here, we're on the same page about where we're heading, our plan and our vision for the Syracuse football program."
"I couldn't be more privileged to be around somebody that knows so much about football," Deslauriers said. "He's extremely knowledgable and a great teacher. He's bringing that new wave of energy that we needed in order to be a strong defense this year."
Samuel shared his classmate's praise for Kehres, eager to play in the new coordinator's scheme.
"I feel like [Kehres'] scheme that he brought with him from Toledo gives us a chance to just play ball and be ourselves," Samuel said. "I feel like being able to just go dominate and understand what we have to do is just going to allow us to play free."
Following the live press conference, Coach Fran joined ACC Network on set to discuss his thoughts going into his third year with the Orange.
Brown began his time with the ACC Network crew emphasizing his desire to continue building upon the foundation he's laid in his first two seasons as head coach.
"We want to become a powerhouse in college football," Brown said. "We have the right chancellor, the right athletic director... I think our school is about to make some big moves."
When asked about his new defensive coordinator, Brown said Kehres' belief that Syracuse could win a national championship was a key factor in bringing him on staff.
"[I was looking for] somebody that truly believed and wanted to help me win a national championship," Brown said. "[Kehres] believed that, he felt that with me... I knew we had the pieces and the people to go out and compete. It was important to get someone that understood what it was and what it would be to go win a championship and how hard it is to go and do that."
After a round of breakout sessions with the media contingent, Angeli was also live on set, followed by Deslauriers and Samuel on a second set shortly after.
During his on-set interview, Angeli touched upon the program's culture and how it will set the Orange up for success this season.
"The biggest thing for us is relying on our values," Angeli said. "The guys we brought in, the new freshmen, everyone is falling into line. We're all facing the same direction... as long as everyone is on the same page and we're doing the right thing, I think everything is going to go just fine."
The Orange will now return to Syracuse to continue preparing for the 2026 season. Tickets are on sale now at Cuse.com/FootballTickets for an exciting home slate at the JMA Wireless Dome!
Coverage was ongoing throughout the day, with the Orange making a number of appearances streamed in their entirety on ACCNX. The day also featured live appearances on Sirius XM and various radio stations throughout the league's footprint, plus interviews with ESPN's College Gameday, ESPN.com, CBS, The CW, ACC Digital Network, breakout sessions and more.
Syracuse began its day with taped segments for various networks and Radio Row sessions before the live press conference slot later in the afternoon.
First up: @FranBrownCuse on set with @ESPNCFB Gameday 🍊🎬 pic.twitter.com/LlF3Cc0l7g
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) July 16, 2026
Fitted for the moment 👔📸
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) July 16, 2026
The guys describe their style and judge who came the most correct to #ACCKickoff featuring a special appearance by @FranBrownCuse pic.twitter.com/o73L4v7TIk
The event's first live interviews came in the press conference, with Brown and the attending players speaking on the mindset and culture driving the program into the 2026 campaign.
Brown opened the press conference by expressing gratitude for the roster he's set to lead into year three at the helm of the Orange program.
"Going into my third year, I'm just thankful for these dudes that I got — the right players behind me to push and able to go out and show who we really are," Brown said.
Building strong relationships with every player on the roster has become a hallmark of Brown's approach, and he emphasized that individualized trust is what makes the team's broader identity possible.
"You have to know your players to understand how each and every one of them need to be treated," Brown said. "Our overall culture is what everyone has to follow. But you need to have a personal relationship in order to instill all of those traits."
LIVE NOW ON @accnetwork pic.twitter.com/3a4CImRHDG
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) July 16, 2026
Angeli followed Brown at the podium, echoing his head coach's emphasis on relationships as the foundation for sustaining the Orange's culture.
"The biggest thing for me being a leader on this team and the quarterback of this team is making sure that guys know how much I care about them as a person before we even get into the football aspect," Angeli said. "Then, on the field the work takes care of itself. Our brand of work at Syracuse, we work our tails off and make sure we're in there every day putting in the right amount of work... When we got those new guys in here we had to make sure they knew how to work because that's our standard."
Angeli also opened up about his recovery, crediting the support staff and his head coach for helping him through the process and leading him back onto the field.
"I'm 100%," Angeli said. "I've been running around getting into drills and doing everything we can... can't thank our athletic training staff enough, our strength staff, everyone that's been a part of my journey for rehab. It really takes a village... [during my rehab] I really fell in love with Syracuse, fell in love with the University, fell in love with everyone that's been a part of my journey and couldn't be more grateful and more thankful."
Deslauriers trailed Angeli at the podium, speaking on his love for Syracuse and his excitement to return for a sophomore season after a breakout rookie campaign.Built for this ‼️🍊#ACCKickoff on @accnetwork pic.twitter.com/9CMl8uMMdJ
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) July 16, 2026
"Ever since I got [to Syracuse] it has been great to me," Deslauriers said. "I have a great connection with my coaches and Coach Fran... ever since I got here, we're on the same page about where we're heading, our plan and our vision for the Syracuse football program."
Deslauriers also expressed his gratitude for the chance to learn under such a bright football mind in Vince Kehres, the program's new defensive coordinator.
"I couldn't be more privileged to be around somebody that knows so much about football," Deslauriers said. "He's extremely knowledgable and a great teacher. He's bringing that new wave of energy that we needed in order to be a strong defense this year."
Samuel shared his classmate's praise for Kehres, eager to play in the new coordinator's scheme.
"I feel like [Kehres'] scheme that he brought with him from Toledo gives us a chance to just play ball and be ourselves," Samuel said. "I feel like being able to just go dominate and understand what we have to do is just going to allow us to play free."
Following the live press conference, Coach Fran joined ACC Network on set to discuss his thoughts going into his third year with the Orange.
Brown began his time with the ACC Network crew emphasizing his desire to continue building upon the foundation he's laid in his first two seasons as head coach.
"We want to become a powerhouse in college football," Brown said. "We have the right chancellor, the right athletic director... I think our school is about to make some big moves."
When asked about his new defensive coordinator, Brown said Kehres' belief that Syracuse could win a national championship was a key factor in bringing him on staff.
"[I was looking for] somebody that truly believed and wanted to help me win a national championship," Brown said. "[Kehres] believed that, he felt that with me... I knew we had the pieces and the people to go out and compete. It was important to get someone that understood what it was and what it would be to go win a championship and how hard it is to go and do that."
After a round of breakout sessions with the media contingent, Angeli was also live on set, followed by Deslauriers and Samuel on a second set shortly after.
QB1 loading 🍊🎥#ACCKickoff on @accnetwork pic.twitter.com/vL4xTgmDkk
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) July 16, 2026
During his on-set interview, Angeli touched upon the program's culture and how it will set the Orange up for success this season.
"The biggest thing for us is relying on our values," Angeli said. "The guys we brought in, the new freshmen, everyone is falling into line. We're all facing the same direction... as long as everyone is on the same page and we're doing the right thing, I think everything is going to go just fine."
The Orange will now return to Syracuse to continue preparing for the 2026 season. Tickets are on sale now at Cuse.com/FootballTickets for an exciting home slate at the JMA Wireless Dome!
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