New Syracuse football 2025 three-star commit Elijah Crawford from the Baltimore area is an intriguing prospect, experts say, and the talented defensive lineman is excited to down the line join a 'Cuse program that appears to be ascending.
On Friday night, the 6-foot-4, 280-pound Crawford verbally pledged to the Orange over other finalists Rutgers and West Virginia. He had officially visited all three squads, including an official visit to Syracuse football from June 7 to June 9.
Leading up to his commitment announcement, the 'Cuse possessed some analyst buzz for Crawford on recruiting Web sites, and the Orange staff ultimately prevailed for the rising senior and captain at the McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Md.
Syracuse I’m HOME 🍊 https://t.co/YC3MdTWmwB
— Elijah Crawford (@ecrawford__) July 5, 2024
In an interview with 247Sports national analyst Brian Dohn, Crawford detailed why he picked Syracuse football, and he provided thoughts on head coach Fran Brown and assistant coach/defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson, both of whom joined the 'Cuse from Southeastern Conference schools.
Syracuse football landed a solid commitment this past Friday from 2025 3-star DL Elijah Crawford.
Crawford, who also took an unofficial visit to the Hill in late March of this year, was offered a scholarship by the Orange staff on December 12 of 2023.
His full offer sheet also included college groups such as Connecticut, Indiana, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Temple, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Charlotte, Akron, Liberty, Delaware, Coastal Carolina, Howard and Dartmouth.
When I wrote this article on Saturday, within the 2025 cycle, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite placed Crawford at No. 1,322 nationally, No. 137 at defensive lineman and No. 44 in Maryland.
The 247Sports recruiting service rates him as the No. 174 defensive lineman and the No. 51 player in Maryland within his class. Rivals.com, meanwhile, ranks Crawford as the No. 31 prospect in Maryland.
In his interview with Dohn, Crawford said, "It's great to have coach Elijah as my coach because, for one, he's had years of experience in the SEC and worked with and produced some of the top guys. Him being a DC, he really sees the whole field and can help me understand what the whole defense is trying to do on certain plays."
The new Syracuse football verbal commit added, "I chose them for a bunch of reasons but the biggest is how secure I feel with coach Elijah and coach Fran. At the end of the day, I'm putting a portion of my future in their hands and just talking with them over the recruiting process, I'm 100 percent certain that leaving Syracuse and going to the league or not, will have helped me be set for life."
In late May, Crawford suited up at an Under Armour camp in Baltimore. As I previously noted, while there, he caught the attention of Rivals.com rankings director and national transfer portal analyst Adam Friedman.
Additionally, 247Sports national scouting analyst Hudson Standish was also on hand at this Under Armour event. Standish says that Crawford plays with a lot of effort, is a high-energy prospect and boasts "promising football instincts."
Standish also writes that Crawford "projects as a depth piece that could flourish later in his college career after bulking up in a collegiate strength and conditioning program."