Syracuse football has made a key list cut for one of the country's top safeties in the 2027 class.
According to a post on X from Rivals director of recruiting Chad Simmons, four-star safety KJ Caldwell is down to a top 10 of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Miami, N.C. State, Nebraska, Syracuse football, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin.
NEWS: KJ Caldwell is one of the top safety prospects in 2027 and the 4-star has named his Top 10 schools.
— ChadSimmons (@ChadSimmons_) August 19, 2025
More on his recruitment here: https://t.co/qgzhj0Y3wx pic.twitter.com/nBFJGKUSAR
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Caldwell received a scholarship offer from the Orange staff in early May of this year, per his X account. Throughout his recruitment, he has picked up more than two dozen offers from a range of high-major programs.
Blessed to receive an offer from Syracuse! @RecruitPViewFB @coachclack23 @COACH_GOODWELL @ChadSimmons_ @najehwilk @BVEvery @MattDeBary @CuseFootball @RecruitGeorgia @247recruiting @On3Recruits pic.twitter.com/AATmOliuOa
— Kevin Caldwell Jr. (@KJCaldwell12) May 9, 2025
Syracuse football is in the hunt for 2027 four-star safety KJ Caldwell.
Caldwell is a standout rising junior at Parkview High School in Lilburn, Ga. It's worth noting that Orange head coach Fran Brown, before joining the 'Cuse, was most recently the defensive backs coach at Southeastern Conference powerhouse Georgia.
My Full Season Highlight Tape!@CoachSturdivan1 @RecruitGeorgia @NEGARecruits @ethanoffutt84 @MattDeBary @BVEvery @JeremyO_Johnson @RustyMansell_ @PrepRedzoneGA @ParkviewFB @najehwilk @NwGaFootball @On3sports @InsideHashes https://t.co/LGGZ8hYYaN
— Kevin Caldwell Jr. (@KJCaldwell12) November 8, 2024
Understandably, Georgia is a big-time contender for Caldwell, as are Georgia Tech and Tennessee, among others. Let's see if the Syracuse football staff can get him to the Hill for a game-day visit in the coming months.
Glad to see my hard work is paying off. Today I competed at the Under Armour Next Camp and won overall DB MVP.@ParkviewFB @MrHorne20 @RecruitGeorgia @NEGARecruits @PrepRedzoneGA @CalebJ_Rivals @ethanoffutt84 @najehwilk @CoachBMiller35 @MattDeBary @BVEvery @Rivals pic.twitter.com/Xbgz2bOqOX
— Kevin Caldwell Jr. (@KJCaldwell12) February 9, 2025
As a sophomore during the 2024 season for Parkview, Caldwell scored various awards and honors. Here are his offensive and defensive statistics as a sophomore, according to the MaxPreps Web site.
Look for Caldwell to shine in the upcoming 2025 campaign, too. In early February of this year, Caldwell suited up at an Under Armour Next Camp and took home defensive back MVP honors.
I am blessed to have been named to the 2nd team All- region defensive team and also receive Honorable Mentions for Gwinnett All-County team. @CoachSturdivan1 @GHSFdaily @BVEvery @MattDeBary @ethanoffutt84 @NEGARecruits @najehwilk @RecruitGeorgia pic.twitter.com/stoijyxP7b
— Kevin Caldwell Jr. (@KJCaldwell12) December 14, 2024
When I wrote this article, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite placed Caldwell at No. 67 overall, No. 7 at safety and No. 9 in Georgia within the 2027 cycle. Over at the industry-generated Rivals Industry Ranking, Caldwell is No. 75 nationally, No. 8 at safety and No. 11 in Georgia.
The majority of recruiting services rate Caldwell inside the top 75 nationwide and in the top 10 at his position.
At this juncture, the Orange has secured four verbal commits in its 2027 class. All these prospects are three stars. The 247Sports Composite currently has the Syracuse football 2027 cycle at No. 4 across the country.
While the 'Cuse faces steep competition for Caldwell, I'd never count out Brown in the recruitment of a top-flight high school player.