Syracuse Football: Commitments by 4-star, 3-star prospects to 'Cuse keep piling up

Is it getting to the point where we should "expect" a prospect to commit to Syracuse football every day?

I, of course, say this in jest. But all kidding aside, the Orange recruiting train does continue to power along under head coach Fran Brown and his staff.

For example, just in the past few days, the 'Cuse has secured several pledges across multiple recruiting cycles.

Naturally, all of these recruiting wins and recruiting buzz won't mean much unless the Orange wins games in the 2024 season and beyond, but we won't know how Brown and his players will fare on the field for several months.

In the meantime, to say that Brown and his top-flight assistants are crushing things on the recruiting trail is a massive understatement.

Let's review a few of the recent commitments to Syracuse football.

On Tuesday morning, Notre Dame senior cornerback Clarence Lewis said via his X page that he would transfer to the 'Cuse for his final season of collegiate football. The 6-foot, 200-pound Lewis hails from Edison, N.J., and multiple Syracuse football coaches also come from the Garden State.

When I wrote this article, in its national transfer rankings, 247Sports had him as three stars, No. 617 overall and No. 78 at cornerback. The industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking, meanwhile, placed Lewis as three stars, No. 477 nationwide and No. 55 at cornerback.

Switching over to the 2025 cycle, the Orange in recent days secured a verbal pledge from three-star offensive tackle Kardiear Shepherd, he said on X.

The 6-foot-7, 300-pound Shepherd, offered a scholarship by the 'Cuse on March 21 of this year, goes to nearby Cicero–North Syracuse High School in Cicero, N.Y. Per recruiting services, Shepherd also held a scholarship offer from fellow Empire State squad Buffalo.

If that wasn't enough, moving to the 2026 class, the Orange recently notched its second four-star verbal commitment in this cycle. After taking a visit to the Hill this past weekend, four-star athlete Izayia Williams revealed his pledge to Syracuse football on X.

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Williams is a sophomore at Tavares High School in Tavares, Fla. He was offered by the 'Cuse in mid-February of this year and is rated the No. 49 national prospect in the 2026 class by On3.

In late March, 2026 four-star athlete Demetres Samuel Jr. of Heritage High School in Palm Bay, Fla., verbally committed to Syracuse football, and he's the No. 77 overall player in the sophomore cycle, per On3.

So at a minimum over the past two to three days, the Orange staff has landed a three-star transfer from Notre Dame, a three-star high school junior who is a local product, and a four-star sophomore from the Sunshine State who is in the top 50 around the country in his class.

What's next? Stay tuned.