Syracuse football has excellent shot at landing 4-star CB Duce Chestnut

Duce Chestnut, a 2021 four-star cornerback, says that Syracuse football “is very high on my list,” according to a report.

Duce Chestnut, an extremely talented 2021 four-star cornerback, has included Syracuse football in his top-eight finalists, and it seems that the Orange is in strong shape with the prospect.

“Syracuse is very high on my list,” Chestnut told CuseNation.com’s Mike McAllister in a recent article. Although nothing is ever a guarantee in the tricky recruiting arena, this is certainly a positive sign for the Orange.

Chestnut noted to McAllister that, following the 2020 campaign for Syracuse football, star secondary players Trill Williams and Andre Cisco could leave the Hill after their junior stints, “so that’s a great opportunity to come in and be the next guy up.”

Should he commit to the ‘Cuse, Chestnut would represent the first four-star pledge for Syracuse football in its 2021 recruiting cycle, although the Orange has secured a bevy of three-star prospects to date.

However, competition for Chestnut’s services is fierce. His other finalists are Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Kansas, Louisville and Rutgers. Any instance where multiple teams from both the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big Ten Conference are involved, and Syracuse football is going to face a daunting task to prevail.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Chestnut is a rising senior at Camden High School in Camden, N.J. At this juncture, it doesn’t appear that analysts have pegged a favorite for Chestnut on the primary recruiting Web sites.

Rivals.com slots Chestnut at No. 137 overall in the 2021 class, as well as No. 9 at his position and No. 4 in the state of New Jersey. The 247Sports Composite, meanwhile, has him at No. 327 in this recruiting cycle, No. 24 at cornerback, and No. 6 in New Jersey.

Analysts have described Chestnut as, among things, athletic and strong, with terrific tackling skills, great field vision, and the ability to effectively change direction.

"According to McAllister, Syracuse football coaches have recruited Chestnut for a long while. “Syracuse has been recruiting me real hard,” Chestnut said. “I talk to those coaches every day. I like those coaches a lot. I talk to coach [Nick] Monroe, coach [Chip] West and coach [Tony] White. Just showing me how they’re building a family out there at Syracuse and what a great opportunity it is for me.”"