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Syracuse tight end Oronde Gadsden II has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, he announced on social media Monday. In four years with the Orange, Gadsden totaled 14 touchdowns and two First-Team All-ACC honors.

Gadsden, the son of six-year NFL veteran Oronde Gadsden, came to SU as a three-star prospect from Miramar, Florida. He played for American Heritage and was coached by former NFL cornerback Pat Surtain.

The 6-foot-5, 236-pound tight end totaled just two receptions for 24 yards as a freshman in 2021. In 2022, however, he turned in one of the best seasons for a tight end in program history.

A signature moment began the season in the Orange’s third game, as Gadsden caught a last-second touchdown from Garrett Shrader to defeat Purdue. It capped a six-reception, 112 receiving-yard day with two touchdowns.

In Syracuse’s upset victory over then-No. 15 NC State, Gadsden scored twice with a season-high 141 receiving yards and eight receptions. The sophomore phenom finished the year with 969 receiving yards and 61 receptions, resetting program records for single-season receiving yards and receptions for a tight end. He also earned First Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors.

Set for a stellar junior year, Gadsden entered the campaign as a Preseason All-American but exited Syracuse’s second game with a lower-body injury. A Lisfranc injury put him out for the season and required surgery.

With Dino Babers on the way out, Gadsden decided between returning to the Orange or moving on to a different school.

“If you get a quarterback, I’m here. If you don’t, I’m out,” head coach Fran Brown said Gadsden told him.

Syracuse got Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord and Gadsden stayed. In his redshirt junior year, he earned a spot on the AP’s All-American Third Team, Sports Illustrated’s Second Team and the ACC’s First Team.

Gadsden became a key target for McCord, totaling 934 receiving yards on 73 receptions while adding seven touchdowns. He notched 100 or more receiving yards five times while registering four or more receptions in nine games. A two-touchdown day in the Holiday Bowl capped another stellar season for the tight end.

“To Coach Fran Brown, I believed in your vision for our program. You helped develop me on and off the field into the player and man I am today. You have taught me so many valuable lessons. I will always carry the D.A.R.T and C.C.T mindset,” Gadsden wrote.

With his declaration for the draft, Gadsden becomes the sixth player to do so this cycle, joining Jackson Meeks, Fadil Diggs, LeQuint Allen Jr., Alijah Clark and Clarence Lewis. With Gadsden gone, the Orange will turn to Dan Villari, David Clement and Jamie Tremble.

Published on January 6, 2025 at 1:14 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky