Syracuse Football: 5-star edge recruit, former Alabama commit, makes college decision

Syracuse football coaches recently offered a scholarship to 2025 four-star edge and consensus top-100 national prospect Javion Hilson in the wake of Alabama’s legendary head coach, Nick Saban, announcing his retirement.

While I had hoped that the Orange would emerge as a viable contender for the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Hilson, who hails from Florida, he is headed to another Atlantic Coast Conference program.

Hilson, an elite player in the junior cycle, said via his X page that he was committing to Florida State. Oh, well.

I credit the ‘Cuse coaching staff for at least offering Hilson, even if he’s going to suit up for the Seminoles.

Syracuse football has a lot of positive momentum, though, in the 2025 class.

Hilson, a standout junior at Cocoa High School in Cocoa, Fla., said via his X page on December 8 of last year that he was verbally committing to the Crimson Tide.

Last week, on January 10, word broke that Saban, who won six national championships at Alabama and seven overall in the collegiate ranks, was retiring. Former Washington boss Kalen DeBoer is succeeding Saban as the head coach of the Crimson Tide.

On January 11, Hilson said that he had landed a scholarship offer from the Orange coaching staff.

According to his bio on the 247Sports Web site, Hilson in his recruitment has secured more than 30 offers from schools such as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCF, USF and Western Kentucky, among others.

Within the 2025 class, multiple recruiting services rank Hilson in the top 50 overall, the top seven at the edge and the top eight in Florida.

While Syracuse football didn’t land Hilson, the Orange coaching staff has a lot going on with its 2025 recruiting efforts.

Not too long ago, 2025 four-star edge Sharlandiin Strange of Cheltenham High School in Wyncote, Pa., put the ‘Cuse in his top five, along with Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and Southern California.

Malik Washington, a 2025 four-star quarterback out of Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn, Md., recently named a top six of the Orange, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, Penn State, Oregon and Maryland.

Ethan Utley, a 2025 four-star defensive lineman who attends The Ensworth School in Nashville, Tenn., possesses a top five of Syracuse football, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Michigan.

Jovan Clark of Morgan Park High School in Chicago, a 2025 three-star safety/athlete, has a top eight of the ‘Cuse, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Kansas and Boston College.

Jaboree Antoine from Westgate High School in New Iberia, La., a 2025 four-star athlete/cornerback, has Syracuse football in his top nine, along with Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Miami, Texas A&M, Michigan, Tennessee and LSU.

According to media reports, 2025 three-star quarterback Quentin Murphy of the Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School in Little Rock, Ark., was planning to take an official visit to the Orange on January 22.