Flurry of Syracuse football 2026 commits in top-30 class, including nation's No. 1 punter

Over the past week or so, Syracuse football coaches have added at least five verbal pledges to their 2026 class, including the country's top-ranked punter in this cycle.

On Tuesday night, the Orange secured a verbal commitment from 2026 three-star defensive back/wide receiver Zikhere Leaks, who recently took an official visit to the Hill. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Leaks is a rising senior at Susquehanna Township High School in Harrisburg, Pa.

Leaks brought the 'Cuse 2026 class to at least 20 verbal pledges on Tuesday evening, and the chatter is that we may see more prospects in this cycle verbally commit to Syracuse football soon.

Additionally, there was some talk that several Orange 2026 four-star and three-star commits could be potentially on flip watch, but the Syracuse football staff did a great job wowing those pledges on recent official visits to the 'Cuse.

Syracuse football continues to grow its 2026 cycle.

Other recent 2026 verbal commitments to the Orange arrived from three-star offensive tackle Brayden Charney, three-star punter Jimmy Gregg, three-star linebacker Gemaus Sackie and three-star defensive lineman Kordae Houston.

The 6-foot-6, 285-pound Charney attends Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, Fla. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Gregg, the nation's No. 1 punter per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, goes to University High School in Morgantown, W.Va.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Sackie is a rising senior at Burlington Township High School in Burlington, N.J., while the 6-foot-3, 265-pound Houston is a standout at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas.

At the time of this writing, the Orange's 2026 class is No. 28 overall via the 247Sports Composite, No. 33 from Rivals.com and No. 39 on the On3 Web site.

Numerous Syracuse football 2026 commits took official visits to the Orange this past weekend. They included four-star offensive tackle Javeion Cooper of Melbourne Central Catholic in Melbourne, Fla., four-star edge Kamron Wilson of Miami Southridge Senior High School, four-star edge Jarius Rodgers of Fleming Island High School in Fleming Island, Fla., and three-star cornerback Jaxson Gates of Damien High School in La Verne, Calif.

According to top 247Sports analyst Mike McAllister, other reports and posts on X, the 'Cuse staff appears to be in strong shape to prevent these four pledges from flipping to other suitors. Then again, the early national signing day for 2026 players won't occur until later this year.