All-American 4-star RB Xavier Bala from NY locks in Syracuse football official visit

Elite four-star running back Xavier Bala, a top-200 national prospect in the 2027 class from New York state, will officially visit Syracuse football in mid-June, he said via his X page.

The 6-foot, 220-pound Bala, whose first college scholarship offer was from the Orange, says that he will take an official visit to the program from June 12 to June 14. This week, according to social media posts, several Syracuse football 2027 priority recruits have set upcoming official visits to SU.

Bala was set to make his commitment announcement during the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl on January 10 in San Antonio, but an injury resulted in him not being able to play in the prestigious event. As a result, Bala delayed his college decision and has extended his recruiting process.

Last December, per recruiting services, Bala had a top five of Syracuse football, Ohio State, Nebraska, Boston College and Virginia. The Cornhuskers have held analyst buzz for him on 247Sports and Rivals, but we'll have to see how things play out moving forward.

Syracuse football is in the mix for 2027 4-star RB Xavier Bala.

Bala had a tremendous junior season for Saint Anthony's High School in South Huntington, N.Y., on Long Island. In the 2025 campaign, Saint Anthony's went 7-5 overall. Bala rushed for 1,411 yards and a whopping 26 touchdowns on the ground.

He says that he holds 20 FBS scholarship offers. Bala's first offer came courtesy of the Orange on June 14, 2024. Throughout the course of his recruitment, Bala has visited Syracuse football on several occasions.

Within the 2027 class, ESPN has him at No. 199 overall, No. 15 at running back and No. 2 in New York. The industry-generated Rivals Industry Ranking has Bala at No. 292 nationally, No. 22 at running back and No. 2 in New York.

To date, the 'Cuse has secured eight verbal pledges in a 2027 cycle that is No. 7 around the country, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. One of those verbal commits is three-star running back/athlete Sa’Nir Brooks of the powerhouse Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore.