Syracuse Football: 3-star DL transfer Dion Wilson Jr. sets ‘Cuse official visit

Three-star Dion Wilson Jr., who is rated as one of the top defensive tackles in the transfer portal, plans to take an official visit to Syracuse football in early January, according to a media report.

As first reported by recruiting analyst Charles Kang of The Juice Online, the 6-foot-5, 300-pound Wilson has locked in an official visit to the Hill on January 4.

Wilson is a junior at Conference USA member New Mexico State. He said via his X page on Dec. 23 that he was in the transfer portal. Wilson disclosed a scholarship offer from the Orange coaching staff on December 27.

Prior to playing for New Mexico State, Wilson suited up for Pac-12 Conference school Arizona. He says that he has two years of collegiate eligibility left.

Three-star DL transfer Dion Wilson Jr. will soon officially visit Syracuse football.

According to his X page, besides the ‘Cuse, other college squads that have recently offered Wilson include Coastal Carolina, Texas A&M, Rutgers, California, Indiana, Colorado State, Jacksonville State, Texas Tech, North Texas and Western Kentucky.

In the 2023 season for New Mexico State, Wilson tallied 18 solo tackles, 13 assisted tackles, 31 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks and one forced fumble.

“I am an aggressive DT (defensive tackle) that likes to play vertical, chase down the ball and make plays,” Wilson said to Kang.

When I wrote this article, several recruiting services rated Wilson as one of the top defensive tackles in the portal. Rivals.com had him at No. 838 overall in its national transfer rankings, while Wilson checked in at No. 414 nationally in similar transfer ratings from the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking.

As a member of the 2020 recruiting cycle, Wilson was a three-star, top-900 national prospect out of Orange Vista High School in Perris, Calif.

Looking ahead, the ‘Cuse has seen several defensive linemen enter the transfer portal, including freshman Jalil Smith, redshirt sophomore Terry Lockett and redshirt freshman Francois Nolton.

Additionally, a couple of days ago, redshirt senior defensive lineman Caleb Okechukwu declared for the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Syracuse football 2024 class of high school seniors and college transfers includes a handful of interior defensive linemen and edge players, including three-star Maraad Watson of Irvington High School in Irvington, N.J., and four-star Texas A&M junior transfer Fadil Diggs.