The journey of Demetres Samuel Jr. has been filled with intrigue.
From committing to Syracuse as a 2026 recruit, to committing to Florida as a 2025 recruit, to committing back to Syracuse now as a 2025 recruit, Samuel continued to surprise fans and keep them interested.
The interest grew as it was revealed in spring training camp that Samuel would not just play cornerback. He would also play wide receiver, just like the most recent Heisman Trophy winner in Travis Hunter.
He had drawn much interest already,
and he only turned 17 years old in early April of 2025.
“He should be a senior in high school,” said Fran Brown.
In Syracuse’s third game of the 2025 season against Colgate, fans finally got to see Samuel on the offense side of the ball. He had previously only played defense as one of the two starting Orange cornerbacks in the first two games of the year. Although he only played five snaps on offense, Samuel recorded his first collegiate catch for 10 yards.
“It just felt comfortable,” said Samuel. “We’ve been doing these reps in practice.”
Samuel didn’t limit his skills to the offensive and defensive side of the ball. He also returned a punt for four yards. It’s impressive enough that Samuel is taking an active part in learning and participating in all three phases in the game. It’s more impressive when you remember he’s 17 years old.
“It’s absolutely unbelievable, the fact that he is able to do this at his age,” said Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli. “It’s a testament to his work ethic.”
It would be one thing if Samuel was playing both sides of the football just for show. But the young defender is excelling at his normal position. According to Pro Football Focus, Samuel is tied with Duce Chestnut for the most defensive snaps on Syracuse. Samuel’s 75.2 PFF defensive grade is second on the team among defenders with more than 75 snaps this year. He only trails fellow true freshman Antoine Deslauriers.
Samuel’s early defensive progress showed against Colgate. He also recorded his first career interception. The pick stopped a Colgate two-minute drive to give the Raiders a touchdown before the end of the first half. Samuel rose high to snag the ball in the back right corner of the end zone.
“When I looked, I was like, there’s no way he threw the ball,” said Samuel.
Samuel admitted that through the first two games he was still “getting his feet wet.” He’s been tasked to cover high-profile targets on the opposite of the ball. PFF’s stats say that receivers covered by Samuel have been targeted 22 times this year, which is the most on the team. Samuel’s cornerback partner, Chris Peal, received the next most attention with 14 targets to receivers covered by him.
“Now I’m just ready to be myself and just relax,” said Samuel.
The freshman now gets ready for conference play for the first time in his young college career. He takes on a Clemson team on the road that won the ACC and made the College Football Playoff last season. Given his resume already, Samuel’s head coach has no problem trusting his talented young cornerback on the biggest stage.
“He’s a good player,” said Brown. “I just hope that he continues to get better every week.”
