As 4-star WR commits to Syracuse football, national analyst says it's a big win for SU

Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown and his top-flight staff keep on rolling with their 2026 recruiting efforts.

On Saturday, word broke on X that 2026 four-star wide receiver and top-300 national prospect Amare Gough from Virginia had verbally committed to the Orange program. A huge congrats and welcome from 'Cuse Nation to Amare!

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Gough is a standout at Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond, Va., not far from the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region, which is a key recruiting area for the Orange coaching staff.

As a junior in the 2024 campaign, per the MaxPreps Web site, Gough tallied 1,170 all-purpose yards. He hauled in 39 passes for 893 yards, an average of 22.9 yards per catch, along with 12 receiving touchdowns.

Syracuse football is faring quite well with its 2026 cycle so far.

According to his X page, Gough landed a scholarship offer from the 'Cuse on November 27, 2024. Per recruiting services, his offer sheet also included schools such as Virginia Tech, Maryland, Virginia, Boston College, Indiana, Minnesota, N.C. State, Wake Forest and West Virginia, among others.

Gough, who visited Syracuse football last month, is No. 213 overall, No. 34 at wide receiver and No. 9 in Virginia within his class, per 247Sports. When I wrote this column on Sunday, according to the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking, he was No. 269 nationally, No. 44 at his position and No. 8 in Virginia.

The Orange is now up to 16 verbal commitments in its 2026 class. This cycle includes several other wide receivers, although Gough is ranked the highest of them on the 247Sports Web site.

In an evaluation from a couple of days ago, 247Sports national analyst Hudson Standish wrote in part: "Three-phase impact player who helped lead Richmond (Va.) Jefferson to a 12-1 record and a VHSL Class 3 quarterfinals appearance as a junior. Unverified physical specs, and is estimated to hover around 6-foot-1, 175 pounds. ... Elusive playmaker with the ball in his hands, will take first-level passes to the house thanks to his speed-altering nuance and ability to play through arm tackles. Competitive nature shows up at the catch point and will show in flashes the ability to make contested grabs through contact. Could feasibly play on either side of the ball at the next level, but will likely find a role as a turbo-charged Z receiver. Should be viewed as a dynamic complementary receiver with the potential to open up an offense at the Power Four level."

Needless to say, scoring a pledge from Gough is a huge recruiting victory for Brown and his assistants.