Orange scrimmage highlights FanFest

It was all about the next generation late Saturday afternoon at Syracuse’s annual FanFest.

In what has become a yearly tradition, SU opened practice for an afternoon dedicated to fans that support the team each season. This year, more than 1,500 attended the event.

"I'm excited that we had a packed house here at the Soccer Stadium," SU head coach Scott Shafer said. "It's great to see the community out and I can't wait to get to that Villanova game and get you fans out there and start having a blast this fall."

Families had the chance to play games, sample food and enjoy other activities, but many fans immediately flocked to the practice field, where the Orange was gearing up for a team scrimmage.

It is the only time each year the public is allowed to attend practice, and it was a jam-packed hour.

Surprisingly, some of the newest additions made the biggest statements. On offense, receivers Steve Ishmael and Ervin Phillips made a number of nice catches. Meanwhile, linebacker Zaire Franklin delivered the big hits defensively.

The secondary got a boost from freshman corner Cordell Hudson, whose active hands wreaked havoc around SU’s core pass-catchers.

Many familiar names also made big plays. One was quarterback Terrel Hunt, who showed off his improved touch on a number of deep throws down the sideline. Most of the quarterback snaps were split between Hunt and freshman AJ Long. The rookie took two early “sacks,” but he eventually settled in and delivered crisp passes across the field.

Senior corner Brandon Reddish batted down three passes, while a slimmed-down Ivan Foy exploded off the line throughout first-team reps. Back from an academic suspension, Foy continues to compete with Michael Lasker for the starting role at right tackle.

The afternoon ended with a brief autograph session featuring Orange players. SU will now continue camp at Fort Drum, where Shafer expects leaders to emerge from his talented roster.