Syracuse Football: ‘Cuse misses out on top 5 of 4-star linebacker from Georgia

Syracuse football didn’t make the recently disclosed top five of 2025 four-star linebacker Mantrez Walker from Georgia.

Walker is listed at 6-foot and 215 pounds on the 247Sports Web site. He is a standout at Buford High School in Buford, Ga., near Atlanta.

In a recent post on his X page, the nationally ranked prospect in the junior class said that his top five consists of Southeastern Conference schools LSU and Ole Miss, Atlantic Coast Conference member Miami, Penn State out of the Big Ten Conference, and Colorado, which is in the Pac-12 Conference but is moving to the Big 12 Conference.

Throughout his recruiting process, Walker has amassed more than two dozen offers from a range of high-major programs.

Syracuse football didn’t score the top five of four-star LB Mantrez Walker.

On January 12 of this year, he said via his X account that he had picked up a scholarship offer from the new ‘Cuse coaching staff.

Previously, Walker had given a verbal commitment to Big Ten powerhouse Michigan. However, according to 247Sports, he de-committed from the Wolverines last September and reopened his recruitment back up.

Per recruiting Web sites, his full offer sheet has included schools such as Colorado, LSU, Miami, Ole Miss, Penn State, Michigan, Arkansas, Boston College, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Louisville, Michigan State, Missouri, Ohio State, Purdue, South Carolina, Stanford, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati, Maryland and Indiana, among others.

When I wrote this story on Monday night, the industry-generated 247Sports Composite had Walker at No. 433 nationally, No. 48 at linebacker and No. 50 in Georgia.

The industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking, meanwhile, placed him at No. 472 overall, No. 51 at his position and No. 48 in Georgia. Over at Rivals.com, Walker is rated as the No. 13 inside linebacker and the No. 34 prospect coming out of Georgia.

While the Orange didn’t make the top five of Walker, ‘Cuse coaches in recent weeks have proven quite active on the recruiting trail as it pertains to the team’s 2025 class.

Syracuse football has held a couple of junior days, inviting targets to the Hill for unofficial visits. According to social media posts, Orange coaches have hit the road hard in making visits to high school programs.

Additionally, the ‘Cuse coaching staff has doled out a bevy of scholarship offers to highly rated 2025 prospects while also making list cuts of various recruits in the junior cycle.

To that end, in late January, Syracuse football secured its first verbal commitment in this class, as 2025 four-star edge and top-300 national prospect Sharlandiin Strange of Cheltenham High School in Wyncote, Pa., verbally pledged to the Orange over other finalists Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and Southern California.