Fran Brown, who became head coach late in 2023, has utterly transformed the atmosphere surrounding this team. Just a year ago, Syracuse finished 10-3, posting their best record since the early ’90s and ending with a Holiday Bowl victory over Washington State. But Brown’s impact goes far beyond the win column. He’s winning over fans, players, and earning major honors like the Steve Spurrier Award, and was named the Paul “Bear” Bryant Newcomer Coach of the Year. That mindset has been infectious, with the Orange recording a record number of All-ACC honorees and even a Heisman top-10 showing from quarterback Kyle McCord last season. Syracuse’s 2025 transfer portal has ushered in much change.

Naturally, you can’t discuss Syracuse’s offseason without discussing the wide receiver corps. And the spotlight this season was on the signing of former five-star wideout Johntay Cook II. Cook, who recorded 2965 yards and 50 receiving TDs over his final three seasons at DeSoto, bounced between Texas and Washington before arriving in Syracuse. Cook will replace Trebor Pena, who transferred to Penn State. He played two years for the Longhorns, then had a brief, uneventful stint at Washington, and now he’s searching for a clean slate with the Orange. Cook’s signing is not simply a roster addition, it seems he’s here to wrap up unfinished business. And, Locked On Syracuse host Jackson Holzer jibes with that.

On the Locked On Syracuse episode on June 2nd, Holzer confesses, “Johntay Cook, his stats don’t necessarily wow you, I’ll admit.” However, Holzer trusts Cook to make a way for him in the upcoming season. But, Holzer seems a bit lenient as well with Cook’s just 273 total receiving yards. That’s not what you’d expect from a five-star, right? But that’s exactly why he’s the top breakout candidate for Syracuse this year. Sometimes, all a player needs is the right place, the right coach, and a fresh start.

Holzer claims, “he was a five-star recruit in 2023, and he has a new chance to succeed here at Syracuse He has got elite speed, he is an electric talent when he’s in when he’s got a sliver of open space he can break a tackle and take it to the house.” Emerging from DeSoto High School in Texas, Cook was among the top 30 players in the country overall from the 2023 class, according to 247Sports. Cook ran a verified 4.48 in the 40-yard dash during his junior year of high school. That’s impressive. In high school, he did it every Friday night, with 1,469 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior alone. He was the type of player who, if he was able to get a step on a defender, it was essentially over. The ability is there—he just needs more opportunities to demonstrate it.

A deep Texas roster buried Cook, limiting his snaps and opportunities to only 8 receptions for 136 yards as a freshman, and then 8 receptions for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns as a sophomore. He never really had the opportunity to showcase his skills. Consider players like Jameson Williams, who hardly got on the field at Ohio State but lit it up at Alabama after transferring. Or even Malik Nabers, whose freshman season at LSU was so uneventful that he faded from memory before emerging as one of the country’s leading receivers. Occasionally, a young man just needs a new system and a fresh beginning.

Now at Syracuse, with an open-deep depth chart and a coaching staff eager to unleash him, Cook finally has the runway to turn that five-star promise into fireworks. Holzer acknowledges, too, “once he gets up to speed with the playbook and he can build chemistry with his quarterback (Rickie Collins, perhaps?)” Hozler adds, “Once he can develop chemistry learn the offense learn the playbook all that fun stuff I expect that Jonte Cook is going to be one of the top two wide receivers on the team which will give him plenty of opportunity to have a breakout third season in college football he will be a red shirt sophomore this upcoming season.”

History is riddled with receivers who exploded once they finally received steady reps and a solid rapport with their QB. Consider Rome Odunze in Washington—he didn’t develop until his third year, when he finally gelled with Michael Penix Jr. The same could easily be the case for Cook. And Syracuse’s receiver corps isn’t filled with established stars. Cook is entering a situation in which he can be the star from day one. If he works, studying the offense, and gets in sync with Rickie Collins (or whoever wins the quarterback job), there’s every reason to think he’ll be one of the top two targets.

Cam Newton backs Fran Brown’s tough love approach

From breakout starts to fresh starts, Syracuse’s true tale isn’t necessarily about who’s receiving passes or passing touchdowns. It’s about Fran Brown’s culture change, and now even Cam Newton is weighing in on the drama. Brown, head coach of Syracuse, caused a stir when he outright refused to dole out million-dollar NIL contracts to college students. After star receiver Trebor Pena left for a bigger payday elsewhere, Brown didn’t sugarcoat his stance: “I’m not giving no wide receiver $2 million in college.”

On his podcast, Cam Newton not only agreed with Brown—he rode up on him. Cam’s opinion? “We have to stop acting as if these athletes aren’t professional athletes. They’re no longer amateurs. They’re getting real salaries now, baby and anything upwards of six figures is real salaries.” He enjoys Brown being accountable for players, not only in sprints or pushups, but by getting to them where it pinches: their bank account. Miss a class, miss a meeting, or blow off a weight check? That’s a fine, straight out of your NIL money. Now, if you want the paycheck, you have to bring the professionalism.

Syracuse players even told Cam that it’s tough. “We’ll get fines if you get more than two absences in class, we have class checkers. If you don’t have your jug or your tablet, that’s $50, every time a coach sees you without it.” But here’s the twist: while Brown won’t break the bank for players, he’s also playing the NIL game for himself. He just became the first NCAA head coach to sign an NIL agency, establishing his brand and advancing his “DART” message—detailed, accountable, relentless, tough. He’s teaching his players both talent and discipline, and if this continues, the Orange might be closer to national relevance.