Syracuse football: more players are entering the transfer portal

Departures on both sides of the field.

With college football’s spring transfer portal window now officially open, several others members of the Syracuse Orange roster appear to be testing out the waters.

Six more players are entering the transfer portal. The full list includes defensive lineman Xavier Miles, quarterbacks AJ Miller and Patrick Gusser, running back Jordan Montanez and offensive linemen Willie Goodacre and Kalan Ellis.

Goodacre announced his decision on Wednesday. The Denton, Texas native joined the Orange rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals, On3 and ESPN. He visited ‘Cuse and Kansas two summers ago and ultimately picked the Orange over offers from the Jayhawks, Arizona State, BYU, Michigan State, Nebraska and other programs.

At six-foot-five and 331 lbs., 247Sports ranked Goodacre as a top-100 interior offensive lineman. He did not appear in any games for Syracuse in 2024. Ellis had left the Orange after the Spring 2024

Sticking to the offensive side of the ball, Miller and Gusser will look for new opportunities. Neither of the two walk-ons played for the Orange last season and faced an uphill battle for playing time with Rickie Collins being named the starter plus three-star recruits Jakhari Williams, Luke Carney, and Rich Belin still on the roster.

At running back, Montanez was dealing with a similar situation.

Montanez joined the Orange as a PWO, coming to the program as an unranked recruit but with offers from a few notable teams. The Texas native took a redshirt year in 2024 and flashed some potential briefly during Syracuse’s spring game, but finding consistent playing time would’ve been tough with Yasin Willis, Jaden Hart, Will Nixon and other candidates in the mix.

Lastly, there’s Miles. At six-foot-three and 310 lbs., the consensus three-star prospect committed to Syracuse over offers from Rutgers, Boston College, Michigan State and West Virginia. Miles did not play during the entire regular season, but saw his first and only action during the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl. Like Montanez, Miles showed some promise during the spring game.

Outside these players, two other notable names who also appear to be off to the portal are veteran wide receiver Trebor Pena and offensive lineman David Wohlabaugh Jr. The spring portal window closes on April 25.

As always, we’ll keep you updated with the latest transfer portal news as it comes in.