Syracuse Football: Huge start in 2026 class as 4-star, top-80 national player commits

Syracuse football is on the board with its 2026 class, and it has started off this cycle with a bang.

Over the weekend, media reports stated that the Orange had received a verbal commitment from 2026 four-star athlete/defensive back Demetres Samuel Jr., who is ranked in the top 80 overall, according to one recruiting service.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Samuel is a standout sophomore at Heritage High School in Palm Bay, Fla. A huge congrats and welcome from 'Cuse Nation to Demetres!

This is a tremendous beginning to the Orange's 2026 cycle, as head coach Fran Brown and his staff continue to make their presence known on the recruiting trail. As I noted in a piece on Sunday afternoon, the 'Cuse also has a 2025 class that currently ranks in the top 15 nationally.

Syracuse football has a commitment from 2026 four-star prospect Demetres Samuel Jr.

Things moved relatively quickly for the Orange and Samuel. He said via his X page on February 24 of this year that he had secured a scholarship offer from the new 'Cuse coaching staff, led by Brown, who formerly served as the defensive backs coach at Georgia.

Last week, Samuel took an unofficial visit to the Hill, and reports said that his trip to Central New York went well, so much so that he has verbally committed to Syracuse football.

According to the MaxPreps Web site, during the 2023 term, as a sophomore at Heritage High, Samuel recorded five interceptions, 19 total tackles and one pass defended.

Samuel, an exceptional athlete who also plays basketball and runs track, has picked up other football scholarship offers from college squads including Appalachian State, Florida, Illinois, Iowa State, Liberty, Marshall, UMass, Minnesota, USF, Nebraska, Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky, according to recruiting Web sites.

When I wrote this article, the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking had Samuel at No. 150 overall, No. 8 at athlete and No. 26 in Florida.

On3, meanwhile, has him at No. 77 nationwide, No. 4 at athlete and No. 13 in Florida within the 2026 class.

Let that sink in for a second. The Orange has a verbal commit in the high school sophomore cycle, and that 'Cuse pledge is ranked in the top 80 around the country. That's impressive.

The buzz in the air regarding the Syracuse football program is palpable. Naturally, we'll see how the team fares on the field in the 2024 season this fall, but amid spring practices and the upcoming spring game, the Orange's recruiting efforts have proven elite.