Legacy 4-star DL Arthur Jones IV keeps Syracuse in the mix, but SU faces huge competition

Syracuse football remains in the running for 2028 priority target Arthur Jones IV, a four-star defensive lineman who is a local product from Central New York and also a legacy recruit.

On Monday, according to social media posts, the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Jones disclosed a top eight of the Orange, Indiana, Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin. That's quite a list.

Indiana, for one, won last season's College Football Playoff national championship. The Hoosiers, Miami and Notre Dame are significant contenders to reach this season's 12-team CFP. The 'Cuse will host the Fighting Irish in the 2026 regular-season finale later this month.

Jones is the son of former Syracuse football standout defensive end Arthur Jones III, who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens and sadly passed away in October 2025. The 'Cuse staff, led by head coach and ace recruiter Fran Brown, offered a scholarship to Arthur Jones IV in June 2025.

Syracuse football has scored the top eight of 2028 four-star DL Arthur Jones IV.

Jones is a star at the Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse. So far in the 2026 season, the Christian Brothers Academy is 5-3 overall, although the team has won its last five games, according to MaxPreps.

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Throughout his recruiting process, Jones has visited SU several times. He was at the JMA Wireless Dome this past Saturday when the Orange fell to fellow Atlantic Coast Conference team Clemson, 18-13. As Inside the Loud House has reported, numerous Syracuse football four-star verbal commits and four-star recruiting targets were on hand for the 'Cuse game against the Tigers.

Per 247Sports, Jones has received around two dozen offers from a range of high-major programs. Within the 2028 cycle, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite places him at No. 306 overall, No. 33 at defensive lineman and No. 2 in New York.

Jones' highest 2028 national ranking comes courtesy of ESPN, which has him at No. 221 nationally, No. 23 at defensive end and No. 2 in the Empire State. Over at the Rivals Industry composite ratings system, Jones is No. 244 overall, No. 24 at defensive lineman and No. 2 in New York.

To date, Brown and his assistants have one verbal commitment in their 2028 cycle. In October 2025, four-star offensive tackle Omari Lawson verbally pledged to Syracuse football. The 6-foot-6, 275-pound Lawson attends the Zarephath Academy in Jacksonville, Fla.

At the time of this writing, the 247Sports Composite had Lawson, within the 2028 class, at No. 164 nationally, No. 16 at offensive tackle and No. 19 in Florida.

Last Friday, Syracuse football's 2027 class got a huge boost when Canadian product Sidney Rouleau, a four-star offensive tackle, flipped his verbal commitment from Big Ten Conference member Michigan to the Orange.

The 6-foot-6, 275-pound Rouleau recently took an official visit to the 'Cuse program. Originally from Gatineau, Quebec, he is a senior at the Brook Hill School in Bullard, Texas. Within the 2027 cycle, ESPN has Rouleau at No. 255 nationally, No. 25 at offensive tackle and No. 34 in Texas.

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