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: Kardiear Shepherd
Position: Offensive line
Year: Redshirt freshman
Height: 6’7”
Weight: 310 lbs.
Hometown: Syracuse, NY
High School/Previous College: Cicero-North Syracuse High School
2025 stats: N/A (appeared in zero games; redshirted for the entire year)
2026 projections: The Cicero native will enter the 2026 season largely unproven after playing in no games during the 2025 season. He does have quite an intriguing frame. At 6-7 and over 300 lbs., he projects more as a future tackle than guard (of note: he also played left tackle in high school). The question will just be playing time. I imagine Shepard will at least see some reps during the New Hampshire game, but during the rest of the year, it’s tough to say. I’m optimistic about his outlook.
How’d he get here?: Committed to the Orange in April 2024 over an offer from Buffalo.
What’d recruiting sites say?: Three stars on 247Sports, ESPN, and On3
Social Media:
X: @Kardie77
Instagram: @theyenvy_kardie
Interesting nugget o’interest: Shepard is one of 17 players from New York on the 2026 Orange roster. He’s also one of two graduates from Cicero-North Syracuse (the other being LB Josh Kubala).
Let’s get a look at ya: Some clips from Shepard’s final senior year of high school:
