4-star WR Winston Watkins Jr. says he wanted to officially visit Syracuse football

Four-star wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. from Florida, who has Syracuse football in his top eight, is close to making a commitment announcement.

The 5-foot-10, 172-pound Watkins, a top-100 national prospect and a top-15 wide receiver in the 2025 class per Rivals.com, plans to make his college decision on December 4, which is the start of the early signing period for high school seniors.

Not too long ago, Watkins disclosed via his X page a top eight of the Orange, Colorado, Alabama, Penn State, Indiana, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Georgia. As I've noted in recent months, Southeastern Conference member Ole Miss has received some analyst buzz for Watkins on Rivals.com and the On3 Web site.

Watkins is a standout senior at Venice High School in Venice, Fla., which according to MaxPreps, is 12-1 overall, just won a regional title to advance to the semifinals of the Florida High School Athletic Association ("FHSAA") 7A state playoffs, and is ranked No. 19 around the country.

Winston Watkins Jr., a 2025 four-star wide receiver, has Syracuse football in his final eight.

Watkins, who had previously given verbal commitments to Texas A&M and then Colorado, picked up a scholarship offer in late December of last year from the Orange staff, led by first-year head coach Fran Brown.

In late March of this year, Watkins took an unofficial visit to the Hill. More recently, from late May to late June, he went on official visits to Indiana, Ole Miss and South Carolina.

Throughout his recruitment, in various interviews, Watkins has spoken highly of the Syracuse football program, although I've maintained that unless he took an official visit to the 'Cuse, the Orange was unlikely to prevail for this talented wide receiver.

To that end, Watkins recently discussed his final eight contenders in an interview with recruiting analyst Ryan Wright in an article on si.com.

Regarding the 'Cuse, Watkins said: "With Syracuse, I have been talking to their receivers’ coach, coach (Ross) Douglas. We had a really good connection in the spring. I was talking to him a lot. As the summer and season went on, I never got a chance to get up there on an official visit, but I really wanted to go back up there on an official visit. We could never get our schedule together to get me back up there again. They have kept in contact with me as the season has gone on."

It's a bummer that Watkins didn't end up officially visiting Syracuse football, but these things happen. I don't envision him choosing the 'Cuse, but you never know how these recruitments of top-flight prospects will ultimately pan out until a decision is made.

Per his bio on the MaxPreps Web site, as a senior at Venice, Watkins has caught 71 passes for 915 yards and 15 touchdowns. On the ground, he has rushed for 68 yards and five scores.

Even if Watkins pledges to a school other than the Orange, I credit Douglas and the Syracuse football staff for pursuing Watkins. 'Cuse coaches, as I've noted a lot recently, are recruiting the Sunshine State hard and faring well.