Syracuse football beats out ‘Bama, other titans for 4-star, elite pass rusher

Neil Adler

Syracuse football (Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports)

This is a big one for Syracuse football.

The Orange landed a verbal commitment on Saturday from 2022 four-star defensive end Francois Nolton Jr., who had previously given a verbal pledge to Florida out of the Southeastern Conference.

The 6-foot-4 Nolton, though, de-committed from the Gators in December, according to his bio on the 247Sports Web site. That’s after Florida head coach Dan Mullen was fired in late November.

Nolton, who revealed his commitment to the ‘Cuse on Twitter as he was on an official visit to SU, is a monumental recruiting win for the Orange in his recruiting cycle.

https://twitter.com/99_nolton/status/1482514307732619265?cxt=HHwWhMC48bHJ-ZIpAAAA

Analysts say he is one of the best pass rushers in all of 2022, and he recently participated in the prestigious All-American Bowl, which transpired on January 8 in San Antonio.

Syracuse football edged some heavyweights for four-star Francois Nolton Jr.

According to recruiting services, Nolton obtained about 20 college scholarship offers, from big-time programs such as Alabama, USC, Auburn, LSU, Florida State, Penn State, Texas A&M, Miami, Tennessee, West Virginia and UCF.

I don’t pretend to know how heavily involved some of these programs were in Nolton’s recruiting process, but regardless, Orange coaches should be commended for prevailing here.

The traditional national signing day is slated for Wednesday, Feb. 2, at which time Nolton can sign his national letter of intent to suit up for the ‘Cuse.

During his senior stanza playing for Miami Edison Senior High School, Nolton compiled an impressive 25 sacks, according to an article from SyracuseOnSI publisher Mike McAllister.

McAllister adds that Nolton is expected to enroll at the ‘Cuse later this month and will have the ability to participate in spring football and summer work-outs on the Hill. I would imagine he will contend for significant playing time as a freshman.

ESPN rates Nolton as four stars and the No. 29 defensive end across the country. Rivals.com has him as three stars and the No. 50 strong-side defensive end.

At the time of this writing, meanwhile, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite placed Nolton at No. 626 overall in the 2022 class, as well as a top-100 defensive lineman and a top-100 prospect in Florida, a state that has immense high-school football talent.

I can’t stress enough how stellar of a recruiting pick-up this is for Syracuse football.

Neil Adler

Since 2016, Neil has served as a writer with Inside The Loud House, while also taking on the role of editor in 2020. Neil, a graduate of Syracuse University in 2000, primarily covers 'Cuse basketball, football, recruiting, NIL and conference realignment issues. Neil has been an avid Syracuse sports enthusiast dating back to the 1980s. While with Loud House, Neil is regularly heard on the radio in Central New York, while also participating in numerous podcasts related to the 'Cuse. His exclusive reports are often picked up by other media outlets, too. When not writing about Syracuse sports, Neil also co-owns a marketing agency in the Washington, D.C., market. He loves playing hoops and buying basketball cards with his son, spending time with his parents, brother and nephews, and listening to Duran Duran.