New Syracuse football commit Demetres Samuel Jr., a 2026 four-star athlete/defensive back from Florida, has some big-time goals during his future tenure on the Hill.
In a recent interview with The Juice on Rivals, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Samuel said in part of the Orange, "I want to build something new. I want to make a dynasty," according to a post on X.
“I want to build something new. I want to make a dynasty.”
— The Juice on Rivals (@TheJuiceOnline) March 31, 2024
On Saturday, #Syracuse received its first 2026 commitment from Demetres Samuel Jr. (@demetres_jr). He discusses his commitment with our Charles Kang (@RivalsCuseCK). https://t.co/yq3iFu18TN
That sounds good to me, Demetres!
Samuel, a standout at Heritage High School in Palm Bay, Fla., who is rated in the top 80 nationally in the sophomore cycle by On3, verbally pledged to the 'Cuse a few days ago, giving Syracuse football its first commitment in the 2026 class.
High three-star ATH Demetres Samuel, Jr. from Palm Bay (Fla.) Heritage on his Syracuse commitment:
— Adam Gorney (@adamgorney) March 31, 2024
"The culture is what stood out to me. The coaches made sure to make it feel like home for me and my family. Overall, great visit."@TheJuiceOnline / @JohnGarcia_Jr
He also recently took an unofficial visit to the Hill after picking up a scholarship offer from the new Orange coaching staff on February 24 of this year.
New four-star commit Demetres Samuel Jr. loves the direction that Syracuse football is going.
In several interviews since his verbal pledge to the Orange was unveiled, Samuel has said some exciting and intriguing things about the 'Cuse program.
#Syracuse has a Top 15 recruiting class in the 2025 cycle and now Fran Brown and the Orange are off and running in 2026 with a pledge from Palm Bay (Fla.) Heritage DB Demetres Samuel Jr. who picked off five passes as a sophomore.
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) March 31, 2024
"The program it's changing. You can tell it's…
In an article on the 247Sports Web site, he told Steve Wiltfong, "The program it's changing. You can tell it's changing. You can tell they're going to have big things happening this year." Wiltfong, formerly the director of recruiting at 247Sports, just moved over to On3 as vice president of recruiting and the transfer portal.
According to media reports, it looks like the Orange coaching staff is primarily recruiting Samuel as a defensive back. The team's head coach, ace recruiter Fran Brown, was formerly the defensive backs coach at Georgia, so learning under Brown is appealing to Samuel, he said in interviews.
Samuel said in part to On3 director of recruiting Chad Simmons, "Coach Fran is building an SEC type of program at Syracuse. I watched practice on Thursday and I love the environment and what the coaches and players are doing. Coach Fran is changing the program. Everything is evolving at Syracuse and that is why I committed to them."
The Orange is currently involved in spring practices, with the squad's annual spring game coming later this month. We'll have to see how 'Cuse players and coaches fare on the field in the upcoming 2024 season and beyond, but from a recruiting standpoint, the Syracuse football staff is humming along.
The Orange's 2024 cycle has been rated in the top 40 nationally at the high school level and in the top 30 via the transfer portal. To date, the 'Cuse 2025 class is ranked in the top 15 overall, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.
And now Syracuse football has gotten on the board in 2026 with a four-star, top-80 overall player. It's a thrilling time on the Hill.