Get to Know Your Orange: #1, DB/WR Demetres Samuel Jr.
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It’s time to start preparing for the 2026 Syracuse Orange football season. We’re going through the roster to take a look at each Syracuse player as we get to know a lot of new faces for Year 3 of the Fran Brown Era.
Up next is…
Name: Demetres Samuel Jr.
Position: Defensive Back/Wide Receiver
Year: Sophomore
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 195 lbs
Hometown: Palm Bay, FL
High School: Heritage
2025 stats: Played in all 12 games for Syracuse. Samuel recorded 45 tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss with nine pass breakups and an interception. He finished fourth in ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
2026 projections: A year older, a year wiser. There’s no reason to doubt that Samuel won’t, at the very minimum, match the defensive influence he had last season. The freshman mistakes he made early on should have dissipated, which makes Syracuse the holders of one of the best cornerback duos in the nation.
How’d he get here?: Samuel actually committed to Syracuse twice. He originally committed to the Orange as a member of the class of 2026, but then flipped to Florida. He re-flipped back to Syracuse and reclassified to the class of 2025.
What’d recruiting sites say?: A consensus four-star recruit.
Social Media: @demetres.1x
Interesting nugget o’interest: Not many college players get the ability to sign with a brand while still in school. Samuel was announced as a Nike football athlete this summer.
Let’s get a look at ya: The highlights from Samuel’s freshman year.
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