The Orange defense retains one of their vets
After a very successful campaign, the Syracuse Orange are facing a roster retool ahead of the 2025 season. Head Coach Fran Brown has stated they won’t be quite as active in the transfer portal as they were last offseason, instead focusing on building from within.
They’ll have some veteran help doing so, as Linebacker Anwar Sparrow has chosen to withdraw from the portal and spend his senior season with Syracuse. 247Sports’ Mike McAllister was the first to report the news.
I’ll be withdrawing my name from the transfer portal. pic.twitter.com/1LHwfX0Wva
— Anwar Sparrow Jr (@AnwarS12_) December 30, 2024
Sparrow was part of the LB rotation in both 2022 and 2023, but saw his playing time decrease last season, only collecting 10 tackles (four solo) across six appearances. While he did appear in every game, it was mostly off the bench, with Justin Barron sliding to linebacker from one of the safety positions.
In the previous two years, Sparrow combined for 68 tackles (46 solo), 8.5 tackles-for-loss, 3.5 sacks, three pass breakups, and three forced fumbles in 24 games. The Orange will hope for similar production out of the Virginia Beach native, as they are losing all three of Barron, Marlowe Wax, and combo DE/LB Fadil Diggs.
The remaining LB room consists of fellow rising senior Derek McDonald, and underclassmen James Heard, David Omopariola, and Zyian Moultrie-Goddard. There’s also incoming freshmen Antoine Deslauriers and Trey Dudley, along with St. Francis transfer Fran Brown Jr.
Stay tuned over the coming weeks for more updates on the 2025 roster. RB LeQuint Allen is supposed to meet with the coaching staff today to discuss his future, so don’t be shocked if there’s an announcement soon afterwards.