4-star DB has Syracuse football in top 10, to officially visit; but Notre Dame has buzz

Syracuse football 2026 target Ayden Pouncey took an unofficial visit to national runner-up Notre Dame earlier this week, and the Fighting Irish are garnering some solid buzz in the four-star defensive back's recruitment.

The 6-foot-3, 175-pound Pouncey hails from talent-rich Florida, a state that the Orange staff is recruiting extremely hard these days. Not only is the 'Cuse emphasizing Florida, but Syracuse football is winning recruiting battles in the Sunshine State, evidenced by numerous commitments the Orange has secured from Florida-based prospects across the program's 2025, 2026 and 2027 classes.

That being said, based on some recent comments from national analysts, it appears that Syracuse football and other suitors are trailing Notre Dame in an effort to prevail for Pouncey, who has unofficially visited the Hill in the past.

What's more, per his X account, Pouncey has locked in an official visit to the 'Cuse from June 6 to June 8. In late January of this year, he unveiled a top 10 of the Orange, Notre Dame, UCF, North Carolina, LSU, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Florida State and Miami.

Syracuse football will have to beat out the Fighting Irish for 2026 4-star DB Ayden Pouncey.

In recent days, I've seen at least three predictions logged in Notre Dame's direction for Pouncey, including ones from top national experts Steve Wiltfong of On3 and Tom Loy of 247Sports.

Within the 2026 class, both the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking place Pouncey in the top 150 nationally, the top 12 at safety and the top 20 in Florida.

Throughout his recruiting process, he has landed more than 40 offers. Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown and his top-flight staff offered a scholarship to Pouncey on May 6 of 2024.

He is a standout at Winter Park High School in Winter Park, Fla. In late March of this year, his teammate at Winter Park, 2026 three-star athlete EShawn Sutton, verbally pledged to the 'Cuse.

At the time of this writing, the Orange's 2026 class stood at 14 verbal commitments and arrived at No. 11 around the country, according to the 247Sports Composite. A handful of other Syracuse football verbal pledges in this cycle also hail from the Sunshine State.

They include four-star edge/outside linebacker Kamron Wilson of Miami Southridge Senior High School, four-star edge Jarius Rodgers of Fleming Island High School in Fleming Island, Fla., and four-star offensive tackle Javeion Cooper of Melbourne Central Catholic in Melbourne, Fla.