James Pace III, a talented four-star edge rusher in the 2027 class from the talent-rich DMV, plans to officially visit Syracuse football in mid-June.
According to his bio on the 247Sports Web site, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound Pace will take a 'Cuse official visit from June 12 to June 14, which is the same weekend when several other four-star prospects will also travel to the Hill.
Per 247Sports, the following weekend, Pace will take an official visit to Big Ten Conference member Maryland, a hometown team for him. Last December, he disclosed a top eight of Syracuse football, Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, Maryland, Penn State, Alabama and Georgia.
That's quite a list, and it's cool to see Orange head coach Fran Brown and his top-flight staff make the cut for Pace, who was an All-American as a junior. The 'Cuse staff has pursued Pace for a while now, first offering him a scholarship in September of 2024.
Syracuse football will host 2027 4-star edge James Pace III on an official visit.
Pace is a standout at the famed DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md., which has an elite football program in the talent-rich Washington, D.C., metropolitan region. In the 2025 campaign, DeMatha went 11-0 and was ranked No. 14 nationwide by MaxPreps.
As a junior, according to 247Sports, Pace registered 81 total tackles and 14 sacks. Last month, MaxPreps named him to its 2025 junior All-America second team on defense.
Within the 2027 class, 247Sports places Pace at No. 69 overall, No. 6 at edge and No. 3 in Maryland. ESPN has him at No. 83 nationally in this cycle. Both the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and the industry-generated Rivals Industry Ranking rate Pace inside the top 150 of his class.
Between late May and late June, Syracuse football coaches will welcome numerous 2027 verbal commits and recruiting targets to Central New York on official visits. Besides Pace, on June 12 to June 14, other 2027 prospects who are expected to officially visit the 'Cuse include four-star running back Xavier Bala of Saint Anthony's High School in South Huntington, N.Y., three-star running back/athlete Sa’Nir Brooks of the Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore, four-star offensive tackle Q'mari Hudson of Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, Va., and four-star wide receiver Javien Robinson of McKeesport Area Senior High School in McKeesport, Pa.
In late January of this year, Brooks verbally pledged to Syracuse football. To date, the Orange has seven verbal commits in its 2027 cycle.